Video

Video by Daisuke Sato

U.S., JGSDF Reserve linguists Training

U.S. Army Garrison - Japan

Feb. 21, 2024 | 2:57

Narration:

The U.S. Army Reserve Affairs Office at U.S. Army Japan recently hosted linguist training for Technical Reserve candidates from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s 117th Training Battalion.

The training was meant to introduce the JGSDF members with being linguists for bilateral operational support and to provide pointers on interpretation and translation.

Interview: SGM Chad Momerak, Senior Enlisted Advisor, Army Reserve Affairs, USARJ

Narration:

To kick off the training, each JGSDF participant introduced themselves in their specialized languages, including English, French, Chinese, and Korean. They spoke about when they first became interested in learning another language, as well as their past and current working experience.

Participants received briefings from U.S. Army Pacific Support Unit Forward Detachment Japan on issues such as military terms, translation, and much more.

Additionally, they were divided into small groups and were given variety of assignments from group discussions to practical exercises in which they translated typical office conversations.

Interview: Taketo Yoshida, Technical Reserve Candidate, 117th Training Battalion, JGSDF
This is my first time to participate in a linguist class. I learned the importance of communication between U.S. and Japan. I also learned that it will even strengthen the partnership by knowing each other well.

The reason I decided to join the JGSDF as a reservist was that I always wanted to be a member of JGSDF when I was a little and at same time, I wanted to protect and serve for my country.

Interview: Akihiro Tamura, Technical Reserve Candidate, 117th Training Battalion, JGSDF

This is my first time participating in an event like today. I realized that my basic English isn’t enough after participating in a class today. I also realized that translating English to Japanese and vice versa require a lot of practice. You can’t just read and understand it yourself, but you have to be able to explain it well in both languages.

Interview: MSG Johon Marquardt, Training Manager, U.S. Army Pacific Support Unit Forward Detachment Japan

Narration:

Organizers said that translators are vital for both U.S. Army Japan and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to become more familiar with each other and to get to know their counterparts better.

Interview: SGM Chad Momerak, Senior Enlisted Advisor, Army Reserve Affairs, USARJ

For U.S. Army Garrison Japan, this is Tim Flack.