U.S. Army Defense Language Institute DLI HEADSTART: UZBEK RUSSIAN GERMAN FRENCH PORTUGUESE SPANISH KURMANJI IRAQI DARI FARSI PASHTO URDU CHINESE & KOREAN

The Defense Language Institute's "Headstart" program is one path that can help Soldiers develop language skills. Headstart is a self-directed language learning program aimed at military members getting ready to deploy. The program offers lessons in many languages.

After completing the course, Soldiers should be able to hit the ground in a new country with enough language skills to conduct business and have limited communication with civilians in the local language, according to the DLI commandant.

"You'd be able to take care of the survival-needs level of speaking requirements," said Col. Sue Ann Sundusky, commandant, Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center. "Even effectively conduct conversations and ask questions about a broad range of topics and understand a significant amount of the answers coming back. You'd certainly be able to communicate if you worked through the program."

Headstart begins like every language program, in that all new language learners will need to learn numbers, colors, quantities, key verbs and key verb constructs. But the Headstart language program is designed primarily for military members on military missions and so the program is designed from that perspective.

"It's basic language learning in a military context," she said. "Every beginning student learns to count, and the basic military language student needs to learn to count too -- but we can contextualize that in a way that it is meaningful. What are you counting' Are you counting money, houses, people in a crowd'"


Table of Contents For Each Language:

MOD 1
TASK 1 Greetings and Introductions
2 Expression of Politeness
3 Useful Short Expressions
4 Food and Sanitation
5 Handle Language Barrier

MOD 2
TASK 1 Basic Commands
2 Basic Questions
3 General Military Terms
4 Make Purchase
5 Time Expressions
MOD 3 TASK 1 Transportation
2 Transportation
3 Driver’s Guide
4 Driver’s Guide
5 Identify Traffic Signs

MOD 4
TASK 1 Public Works
2 Public Works II.
3 Public Communication
4 Land Dispute
5 Compensation

MOD 5
TASK 1 Public Safety
2 Curfew Enforcement
3 Border Crossing
4 Check Point
5 Search Persons

MOD 6
TASK 1 SSSSS: Search, Segregate, Silence, Speed, Safeguard
2 Complete Capture Tag
3 Control Interview
4 JUMPS (Job, Unit, Mission, Priority Intelligence Requirement, Supporting Information)
5 Obtain Family Information

MOD 7
TASK 1 SALUTE: Obtain Size and Activity
2 SALUTE: Obtain Location
3 SALUTE: Obtain Unit
4 SALUTE: Obtain Time
5 SALUTE: Obtain Equipment

MOD 8
TASK 1 Check Responsiveness
2 Control Shock
3 Check for Injuries
4 Obtain Health History
5 Obtain Consent

MOD 9
TASK 1 Topography
2 Map Landmarks
3 Map Landmarks II.
4 Gather Map Information
5 Gather Map Information II

MOD 10
TASK 1 Issue Warnings
2 Control Building Entry
3 Control Scene
4 Small Arms
5 Weapon Search