Military Phrases
What does a soldier need to know how to say in a foreign language?
It’s an interesting question, I think. I actually hit on it by accident. I was looking for an Arabic phrasebook, just because it’s one of the world’s major languages that I don’t have a phrasebook for yet. While I was searching, I came across a book that was an Iraqi Arabic Phrasebook for Military Personnel. That got me thinking… What do those soldiers need to know when they’re talking to the natives? What kind of questions and answers are expected at check-points? How does one tell an enemy soldier that their surrender has been accepted? Do soldiers make small-talk with the natives? What about intelligence gathering? Or, bribes?
Unfortunately, the book was unavailable, so I couldn’t see what the authors thought military personnel should know. In any case, it sure is something to consider when building a language, a world or culture, or a story about international war.
