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Marine Corps takes language leap

US Marine Corps News

12/8/2008 By Sgt. Danielle M. Bacon, Marine Corps Base Quantico

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning recently signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with Rosetta Stone, a language-learning software provider, which will allow Marines to take courses through the MarineNet distant learning portal.

The contract offers 150 to 200 hours of self-paced, computer-based language familiarization training in 31 languages to active duty, active reserve, selective Marine Corps reserve, mobilized inactive ready reserve and Marine civilian employees, according to Marine Administrative Message 661⁄08.

‘‘Rosetta Stone is geared to make Marines familiar with the language — a general overview. It is not to be used for a specific deployment,” Matthew Carr, a CAOCL future operations analyst. He stated that the software is a commercial, off-the-shelf product and is currently not designed to meet specific pre-deployment training preparation needs.

According to the MARADMIN, CAOCL ensures all Marine elements are equipped with necessary regional, cultural and language abilities, which allow the unit to plan and operate successfully in the joint expeditionary environment, in any region of the world. The center is also charged with providing units with militarily significant operational culture and communication training, accomplished through three methods; resident instruction and assessments, mobile training teams and distributed learning through computer-based training. Combined, the training is to better prepare Marines for military operations in every corner of the world and projected operational environment.

‘‘(Rosetta Stone) is designed to encourage language learning,” said Maj. William Shannon, the CAOCL operations officer.

The software supports the development of memorized proficiency of words and phrases. It introduces the grammatical construct of the language.

Shannon cautioned that, ‘‘Rosetta Stone is not designed to replace the mission-oriented predeployment training Marines receive at home station. Because it is not designed to create linquist capabilities, nor is it tactical in nature, it may not have a significant effect on the current global war on terror or that lance corporal on a mission in Afghanistan.”

He explained that more in depth language training would come from the pre-deployment training and mobilized training teams, and that it would be extremely difficult for someone with no prior knowledge of a certain language to take the web-based course and then pass the foreign language proficiency test.

The Rosetta Stone program is just one of many options in a career Marine’s toolbox for the future.

‘‘Increased focus has been placed on preparing Marines to be successful among the populations where the irregular opponents operate. Training and Education Command initiatives such as the founding of the (CAOCL) and the Security Cooperation Education Training Command, have provided training venues that better prepare Marines to operate effectively against irregular opponents,” said Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps in his vision and strategy. ‘‘The recent creation of the Career Marine Regional Studies program is a further enhancement that positions our current and future leaders to better understand the environment in which they might operate.”

The new program is not currently required, yet has the possibility of becoming an integral part of the career Marine’s package.

The intent is to build a long term regional and cultural studies capability, according to Carr.

Although currently offered to most Marines, not all the portions, of the web-based language platform, are currently available to take on the Navy⁄Marine Corps Intranet.

‘‘The program will function partially on the NMCI network, but full functionality will not occurr unless you install the speech component,” said Shannon.

Currently, the speech component software is undergoing the approval process for NMCI and should be pushed out to all workstations in the near future. However, the Rosetta Stone software is accessable from a Marine’s personal computer or any of the Language Learning Resource Centers which are being fielded to all major bases and stations.

Rosetta Stone is available online at www.marinenet.usmc.mil. For more information on the Rosetta Stone software, please see MARADMIN 661⁄08.