The Red Bulls

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – They call him Duck.

Duck is an interpreter, the guy in the middle of every conversation gesturing with his hands and using his linguistic skills to bridge the gap between cultures.

As American forces hand over more and more responsibility to the Iraqi people, interpreters like Duck are the conduit between Soldier and Iraqi.

When American Soldiers need to talk to the Iraqi people, interpreters like Duck are there. They go where the Soldiers go and they do what the Soldiers do, whether that means walking through dangerous neighborhoods, standing out in the stifling heat or climbing into Humvees for long missions.

“I can’t do anything without the translators,” said Maj. Scott Virgil, team chief for the 14th Provisional Transport Regiment Military Transition Team. “Actually, we don’t call them translators. We call them interpreters, and even that doesn’t really sum up what they do.”

“In my mind, a translator just repeats words,” said Virgil, a native of Bartlett, Ill. “An interpreter actually knows what I’m saying and can convey it to them. They don’t need to do word for word. If they truly understand what the mission is, and they do once they catch on to us, they are able to convey our intent, and our ideas, and our conversations, as well as clue us in on the cultural aspects we may miss during our interactions, like the readings of the body language.

“So the interpreters, they’re priceless.”

While busy, the life of an interpreter is a fulfilling one, Duck said. When Virgil and the 14th PTR MiTT is training members of the Iraqi Army, Duck, who must learn the material in order to teach it, shares in the process of teaching the Iraqi Army to rebuild itself and revels in the rewards of teaching a fellow Iraqi vital skills.

“I feel that I help my country,” said Duck. “As you know, the task of the U.S. Army was to fight and to remove the militias and the killers, but in the last period, it has changed to qualifying the Iraqi Army and I feel that I help them.”

Duck interposed that the life of an interpreter can also be fun, with plenty of travel and chances to meet new people. Duck recalled one particular funny moment when his instinctual response flipped the traditional norm.

 “One day, one of the American colonels had a meeting with the Iraqi colonel. Out of one moment, one of the Americans said something in Arabic, so I translated it in English to the Iraqi guy,” Duck said. “So they laugh and they say, ‘what are you doing? stop talking!’”

Duck explained one area he finds difficult is military jargon, which is rife with nebulous terms like S6 NCOIC, which, when translated into English, means battalion non-commissioned-officer-in-charge of information management operations, which translated further, means the signal, IT and communications manager, which, translated into usability, means to the guy who runs computers, phones and other modes of communication for the battalion.

One can see how Duck might run into trouble.

“I was concerned for the abbreviations for the military items, because it is my first time working with military and I do not have experience,” said Duck. “That’s why I have some problem, but I am rapidly fixing it.”

Fortunately, Duck has been able to rely on his circle of friends to help him learn the U.S. Army’s ways.

“I always ask my friends who have long experience to teach me,” he said. “I don’t feel shy to learn. It is shame if I don’t learn.”

This desire is what led Duck, who studied English in college, to this field in the first place.

“I want to expose myself to a new culture, new traditions, new people, new rules, new thinking, new ideas,” Duck explained. “I’d like to meet people from all over the world.”

Because of his job, Duck said he has been able to meet and befriend people from all over the world.

“I got some good friends, and I have a very good team, and they’ve make me feel comfortable,” he said. “That’s why I’m so happy. I’m so happy in my job.”