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May 2009 Editor – David Patrick | 904-471-4876
Interpreter NEWS
Updates
USCG AUXILIARY INTERPRETER CORPS
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
USCG Auxiliary Interpreter Corps Program Guidelines were approved on 11 March 2009 and are posted on the USCG Director of Auxiliary’s website – Click Here
CHANGED – Interpreter Name Tag, as the example shown below, is now also authorized for the Service Dress Blue uniform.
Auxiliary Interpreters may wear a pin-on Auxiliary interpreter name tag with the Service Dress Blue and Tropical Blue uniforms during authorized interpreter missions. It shall display the full first and last name in the first row and the word “INTERPRETER” in the second row in place of the traditional words “U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY.” Qualified Interpreters may purchase the name tag from the Auxiliary Materials Center (314) 962-8828
Linguistic Competency Levels
Level “A” Interpreter fluently reads, writes, speaks and understands a foreign language in addition to English. Level “B” Interpreter speaks and understands a foreign language in addition to English, but does not necessarily fluently read or write in any language. Interpreters are tested and rated by high proficiency Language Qualification Examiners that are members of the Interpreter Corps.
Vol.3- Issue No. 2
380 Volunteer
Interpreters 46 Foreign Languages 50,000 Mission Hours
Delivered
http://cgwebs.net/interpreter/
Message from our Deputy Director
Klaus G.E. Baumann, N-II
Deputy Director USCG Auxiliary Interpreter Support
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary Interpreter Corps is a unique, highly effective program in support of the US Coast Guard and the US Navy.
The expertise, professionalism and dedication of our interpreters serve as outstanding examples for all Auxiliarists to emulate.
USCG Auxiliary Shipboard Deployment Guide This new guide is effective 14 April 2009 and is now posted on the Interpreter Corps website – Click Here
The Editor
of the Interpreter NEWS is
David Patrick.
Please send your articles for the newsletter directly to me. This is a transition year for me but I am attempting to publish at least six newsletters this year. The deadline for articles for the next edition is 22 June. They can be sent as e-mails or in Word format. Please include your original photographs and remember to credit the photographer.
Paul Mayer
Another Auxiliarist with a “can do” attitude is our very own Paul Mayer. In 2001 Paul skillfully developed our Interpreter Corps website, along with the on-line database and he is still hosting and updating this successful information tool.
We thank you Paul for all your good work.
You can send Paul a personal thank you at:
Special Recognition
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NEWS & NOTES
AFRICA PARTNERSHIP STATION (APS) - is a multinational initiative under the auspices of Naval Forces Europe and Africa which is designed to work cooperatively with United States, European and African partners to enhance maritime safety and security on the African continent. APS provides a unique venue to align maritime engagements by employing a diverse team of maritime professionals in a variety of military capacities and civilian fields such as fisheries management, port security and meteorology. Nashville's APS mission is concentrated on collaborative efforts in West and Central Africa. See page 6 and 7 for a daily account of life under orders as a member of the Interpreter Corps.
SURVIVAL, EVASION, RESISTANCE, ESCAPE (SERE 100). This training course is not available on line. It becomes mandatory only for those traveling under USCG orders outside the USA. The course and test is on a CD-R and takes approximately 6 hours to complete. There is a limited supply of the CD-R and can only be requested from this office approximately 2-3 weeks before deployment travel. No exceptions. INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM (ICS) – All Interpreters are required to complete ICS-100 and 700. Additional ICS course completion is recommended.
PERSONAL INFORMATION UPDATES It is very important that you update your personal contact information when there are any changes so that you can be reached 24/7 in case of need. We had several instances when the Coast Guard searched the Interpreter Corps database and failed to make contact with certain individuals only because the email address was invalid or the phone number was not current. In order to avoid such embarrassing situations, we respectfully request to keep your information always current.
Send all updates to Brigitte Baumann - [email protected]
AUXILIARY OPERATIONS RIBBON Auxiliary interpreters designated ‘INT’ shall be authorized to wear the Auxiliary Operations Ribbon.
Go to the e-Directory ( http://www.auxedirectory.org/ ) to see if ‘INT’ is shown in the Competencies box. or
ask your FSO-IS if you are designated ‘INT’ in AUXDATA. If you already have this Ribbon because you are
either Boat Crew or Watchstander or Aton Verifier qualified, simply affix a Bronze Star on the Ribbon.
You can either purchase this Ribbon from your District Materials Store, or wait a few months until you
receive the Ribbon with an appropriate certificate from your District Director of Auxiliary (DIRAUX) at your
Flotilla meeting.
Assistant District Staff Officer (ADSO-OP-I) The District Commodore (DCO) may appoint an Interpreter Coordinator as an Assistant District Staff Officer under the operations program to effectively promote awareness of the interpreter program, its resources, and recruitment of Auxiliary interpreters in the region. The appointment is at the sole discretion of the DCO. You might have a better chance if your DCO knows and trust you.
The best way to get to know your DCO is to attend your district or division meetings. Otherwise you may submit your
interest to serve your district as ADSO-OP-I via the chain of communication.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for volunteering your linguistic skills and continuing support.
Respectfully,
Klaus Baumann Klaus G.E. Baumann, N-II Deputy Director – Interpreter Support
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The following NEWS items were received from Jimmin Chang, N-II-P, Division Chief, Interpreter Support - Pacific Area: Interpreter support was provided by myself on 26th and 27th April for the Chinese Delegation visit from the Chinese DongHai Rescue Bureau at Sector San Francisco and Pacific Area.
Elsie Lam and myself are also providing assistance to the Systems Engineering Division, Office of Design and Engineering Standards in Washington DC translating a 27 page application package from Chinese into English. Elsie Lam received a request from the Public Affairs Officer, USCGC Rush for assistance translating electronic documents and creating signs for a visit to Shanghai later this fall.
The following was sent to Klaus Baumann N-II on 7th April 2009: “First of all, thank you so much for sending your people out! We have had great experiences together, forming friendships between our services as we work together for this great APS mission! I really appreciate all you have done to make this happen, and I’d like you to know that your contribution has not gone unnoticed!
I am glad to hear we are keeping Rene Martin on board thru our engagement in Gabon. He, along with Oscar Gallo, have been superb!! I am wondering if you can give me some info about any other USCG AUX we are expecting for the Gabon port visit? I would like to know travel plans, etc, as well so that we can work with our transportation and logistics folks to get your (our) people taken care of on this end.”
V/R CWO2 Eve McAnallen APS 2009 Translation Chief Embarked onboard USS NASHVILLE (LPD 13) FPO AE 09579-1715 And this on 9th April 2009: “Thank you very much for the superb linguistic support the Coast Guard Auxiliary has been providing to Africa Partnership Station since you first joined us in Senegal. With Senegal in mind, I want to give you as much lead-time as possible to arrange for further language support for the time period 8-15 May. We are very interested in having Oscar Gallo join us once more in Dakar during that time frame. The combination of his language abilities, technical expertise and general enthusiasm for the program will be of great use to us.
Please initiate your internal planning to enable Oscar Gallo to join us in Dakar, Senegal from 8-15 May 2009.
With thanks in advance,”
LtCol Carl Friedrich USMC Deputy, Expeditionary Engagements USS Nashville – APS 2009 And this on 30th April 2009 “Thanks so much for the awesome support translating the information below. Within 8 hours of my below e-mail, we had 3 translators provide their understanding of what was being said. I now have plenty to work with as I continue my efforts on this project.
The USCG Aux Interpreters involved were Brij Bharteey, Sanjay Kapur, Atul Uchil
Thanks very much for your support and service!!”
Regards, LT Dan Kennedy
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Congratulations to those members that have successfully completed AT Level 1 Training Course and
received their certificate. While successful completion is only required for members traveling on
official business under orders outside the USA, we encourage all members to take this interesting and
useful on line 90-minute tutorial. “If I can do it, anyone can do it” said Klaus Baumann. Visit the
USCG Auxiliary Interpreter Corps website – http://cgwebs.net/interpreter to find the link to AT Level
1 Training Course. Make sure to send a copy of your completion certificate to [email protected]
Successful completion of ICS-100 and ICS-700 is mandatory for all Interpreters.
ICS-100 http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS100a.asp
ICS-700 http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700a.asp
It is the responsibility of each member to make sure that completion of all courses are entered in
AUXDATA via your FSO-IS.
Alberto de Capitani Alfred Gonzales Alfred Verdi
Amos Leviant Atul Uschil August Atienza
Brigitte Baumann David Crockwell Donaldo Trujillo
Erik Nakonechnyj Felix Lopez George Barantseff
Jack Cullin James Thomson Jay Garcia
Klaus Baumann Michael Carr Michael Odette
Miguel Corco Monica Valdez Morley Mason
Peter Lirkpatrick Rafael Shabetai Rodger Bolles
Shloime Silberstein Steven Wang Steven Young
Stphen Cruz Wayne Spivak William Scholz
Aderson de Almeida Timothy Kroll James Kushner
Archie Schmidt Richard Turrin Daniel Ulysse
Oscar Gallo Arthur von Pieschel Rene Martin
Jacques E Moulin Roland M. Zwicky Miguel De Marcus
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While 2 USCG Aux Interpreters, Jacques Moulin and Roland Zwicky (D14) participate in some real guerilla warfare exercise in the jungle of Gabon, West Africa, the other USCG Aux Interpreter Jacques Moulin (11SR) assists the US Navy in engine maintenance and repair training on shore, as part of the Africa Partnership Station (APS).
We left Honolulu on Sunday, 19 April, and about two days later, on 22 April, we finally got to Port Gentil, Gabon, via PDX – Minneapolis – Paris – Libreville (the port of entry into Gabon). A Navy C130 had just finished unloading when we arrived so the right people were there to meet us. We loaded our gear into a mini-van (right on the tarmac) and were driven to the USS Nashville. She is an impressive vessel. At approximately 600 ft in length, her hull-speed is capable of 33 knots (although cruising speed is 15 knots).
At this stage we still had no idea what our task would be. We settled into our accommodations (a cabin with 2 x 3 bunks, two of which were already in use), filled out paperwork for e-mail access and such, tried to find our way around the ship (mostly unsuccessfully), went to town to an ATM to get some cash, and looked around. In the evening we received our first assignment, which was to help translate a presentation to a class of Gabonese Marines. This was a Powerpoint presentation given by a US Marine. He would present the material a few sentences at a time, and we would translate on the fly. On April 24 a mini-bus picked us up at the pier at 0630 and drove us to the Gabonese Navy Base on the other side of town. The classrooms were spartan, but the (US) Marines brought pc’s, projectors and screens. Several classes were given in separate class rooms, all with no air conditioning. Subjects ranged from small-engine maintenance to infantry tactics. Jacques and I were assigned to the latter.
After a couple of hours listening to the other translators, Jacques and I were asked to translate the Operations Plan. The objective was to re-capture the fresh-water supply pumping station that provided the city of Port Gentil with
water. The pump was presently under rebel control of unknown strength. The plan elaborated on gathering intelligence of the rebel force, how to approach the objective, communications to be used, tactics to be employed, and so on. We duly translated the four-page plan, which took both of us all afternoon – but we got it done. There were lots of new terms we learned and translated (for example, MSR=Major Supply Route, VICS=Vehicles, CP=Contact Point). We got back to the Nashville at about 1830 – too late for messing (1600 – 1700), but clearly not too late to take a mini bus to town for some local grog and food. We also found out that we would continue with the Marines the next day.
April 25: Minibus again at 0630. Today we actually did the (nearly) simultaneous translation. The US Marines were explaining how to model the Operations Plan: Construct a physical model with sand to simulate terrain, rivers, MSR’s, CP’s, IP etc., with different color strings (blue for rivers, red for roads). The objective of the model was to visualize geographic challenges and opportunities, and to discuss tactical issues. Having completed the translation of the plan the previous day was very helpful for us when translating the various points to the Gabonese Marines. Building the model, discussing the many details, reviewing the plan, looking for alternatives, and making sure everybody understood the plan in detail took all day. Our job here was to translate both ways,
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April 27: At 0400 the bus came to get us from the Nashville. One Gabonese Army truck, one Gabonese Federal Police truck, and one Jeep took about 35 people towards the objective via land. Another 16 marines went via two inflatable boats. The two hour ride on the trucks was “interesting.” For the first few minutes the ride was very bouncy over city streets with significant pot holes. At the edge of the city the convoy stopped to engage all wheel drive. The road (read terrain) conditions were such that all-wheel drive was indeed mandatory. Since it rained earlier that day there were lots of patches under water, with no clue as to their depth. However, we made it ok, although the planks we were sitting on when not getting bounced off them did their deed to our bottoms. Needless to say, few people were looking forward to the return trip. At this stage we were about 1.5 km away from the area
where we might encounter rebel reconnaissance.
A small reconnaissance team was put together on our side to check things out. At this stage the US marines wanted to understand the Gabonese marines’ intentions, observations, etc etc so I went with them. It is at this point that I sorely regretted wearing the dark-blue Coast Guard ODU’s (90 degrees, 90% humidity). Not only that, but rebel forces confirmed later that they saw the two interpreters form miles away! After the initial recon we made it back to the track (remember, 1.5 km), where the marines put together a plan. At this time the group was split into rebels and good-guys. Jacques stayed behind with the good guys and I proceeded to the water pumping station (the
objective) with the rebels. Once at the pumping station the marines put together a strategy on how to defeat the onslaught of the good guys. Alas, we were pre-ordained to loose. By this time it was about 1300, so time to eat our MRE’s (I had #24, meat loaf with mashed potatoes). Both Jacques and I thought that the MRE’s are actually quite good. Of course, if you live on them for more than a few days you may feel differently.
After another bone-jarring ride we got back to review the day’s events and plan for the next day. Tomorrow would be a repeat exercise but with roles reversed.
The next day (April 28) started at a leisurely 0600. This time we were in boats – two Zodiacs and one 20ft dinghy. Ostensibly this would be a much more comfortable ride. Oh yeah? It was pouring with rain the entire two hours across the bay and going upriver. Nobody had rain gear, so after about a half hour, water started to dribble into my boots. Fortunately there was a plastic sandwich bag in the MRE’s, so I had something to protect my camera. This was a good move, since everything else was just totally wet. Like the day before, we translated the proposed tactical maneuvers, with the Gabonese taking the lead role now. Even though we were drenched we did not get a chance to get cold with all the running around. Going back to the base with the boats ensured that whatever clothes dried out during the day would get soaked. After the day’s events, back on the ship, Jacques and I emptied our wallets to start drying out the contents – the quintessential definition of money laundering.
April 29: The final day of the exercises was a bit more relaxed for us. This time, the Commodore and local dignitaries would join to observe the maneuvers, and the PA staff captured the action on video. The marines fired blanks to add a bit of realism, and even the weather cooperated, overcast, with some sun at times, but no rain.
Repectfully submitted by Roland Zwicky
USCG Auxiliary Interpreter Rene Martin (left) assists in engine maintenance 7 repair training
