Staff Sgt. Bart Thomassen says what he brings to exercise central accord is critical. That as a translator, he serves as a bridge across the language divide."Just to facilitate partnership and cooperation, understanding between the groups, facilitate cultural nuances, etc."
Central Accord is an annual U.S. Army Africa exercise, held in central West Africa. In this part of Cameroon, where the training is taking place, the primary language is French with English as a distant second.
A member of the Utah National Guard, Thomassen is a graduate of the defense language institute. He says his goal here is to bring clear understanding between us infantry soldiers and their Cameroonian peers.
Thomassen says being a linguist makes him very attentive to the importance of words. He says time spent in Afghanistan taught him the true value of quality translation.
"Translation is amazing critical, because one word can be the difference between life and death"
And while being the language conduit at exercises like Central Accord isn't a combat arena, it is his way of strengthening America's bond with Africa.
Gail McCabe, Cameroon
Related Documents:
Central Accord Translator Transcript (PDF) [PDF]
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