'TOTAL IMMERSION' LANGUAGE TRAINING EXPERIMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-06217A000200020008-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 13, 2001
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: July 12, 1974
• Content Type: MF

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12 July 1974
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Training
SUBJECT "Total Immersion" Language Training
Experiment
1. The Language Learning Center completed its three-
part Total Immersion (TI) language training experiment on
14 June 1974. You received a report on the first phase of
the project (Russian) on 17 December 1973. Following is
a brief description of the French and Spanish segments,
together with our conclusions about the experiment as a
whole.
French and Spanish Programs
Although there were a number of substantive
differences between the Russian program and those in
Romance languages, the basic concept remained much the
same. 12 students (determined by the capability of the
training facility) spent four weeks in the language with
native speakers. The target language was used exclusively
except for a weekend off at the midpoint. This format,
and the 4:1 student/teacher ratio appear to be about right.
The curriculum and daily workplan was modified somewhat
from the Russian House (Attachment A), but included
generally the same mix of activities: formal grammar
sessions, vocabulary-building exercises (often with visual
aids), news discussion, lectures and discussion by native
(or near-native) speakers from the DDO, films, operations
problems, and social activities. Following are some of
the changes made as a result of the Russian House
experience:
a. Proficiency criteria for entrance to the
program were more restrictive. We learned from
the Russian program that a range of proficiencies
from 1+ to 3+ is too wide and adopted the policy
that only students at S-2 to S-3 would be accepted.
This proved to be a much better student mix.
Restricting admission to DDO officers (as opposed
to DDI participation in the Russian House) was also
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a positive change in the student population. We
would, however, like to have more female students
in the program. The Russian House was coed and
was better for it. Both the French and Spanish
programs were all-male operations except for the
faculty.
b. Without doubt the most important change in
the French/Spanish programs was in the staffing.
We ran the two Romance language programs entirely
with resources already in the Language Center. Our
original plan, which envisioned using recently-
retired, native-speaking DDO officers. for their
operational expertise, was not fully workable. Not
only was the cost much higher to hire outside help,
but the program was less effective for the lack of
professional teachers on the staff. There is no
question that the Russian House was a success,
particularly as a pioneer effort; but the French and
Spanish programs were significantly better because of
the professional competence of the instructors. We
were not certain how well such a demanding job would
be received by our faculty, especially since it
involved a lengthy stay away from home and families.
Total immersion programs also make extra demands on
the teachers who stay behind in the Center to handle
regular classes. But the faculty response was
gratifyingly positive. They gave extra effort
25X1A throughout the strenuous month - and worked
together beautifully as a team. To a man they
commented on how challenging they found the work;
and most felt they had grown professionally as a
result of having been there.
c. Planning for the French/Spanish programs
was more extensive than for the Russian House, and
materials more carefully organized. Although the
time allowed for planning was about the same, we
lost a lot in false starts because the Russian House
was building a new program from scratch. Not only
did we learn from the Russian House experience, but
the Program Directors for the French and Spanish
houses were the Chief and Deputy Chief of the
Romance Languages Department, both of whom were
professionally better equipped to develop-such. a
did an outstanding
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job of putting the programs together and carrying
them through to completion. Their pre-course
organization wtgut
the effect.
the 300 hours of training was used to
d. A major change in scheduling was made to
improve the programs' treatment of operations-
related language material. Where the Russian House
worked on general language skills for two weeks
before moving into more job-related exercises, the
French/Spanish programs started operations-related
language exercises after the first week.; There
seemed to be no slowdown in the students' gains in
general vocabulary because of the change, and we
were able to spend more time on vocabulary of
direct use to the case officer.
Romance language programs were conducted
25X1A
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t e m resulted in
t
-
o
distracting conversations with English speakers
(during the French House), but these were offset by
gains in being closer to mess and recreational
facilities.
3. Cost
Since the most expensive item in this type of
program is instructor salaries, the exclusive use of LLC
personnel reduced costs dramaticall in comparison to the
Russian House. Not counting cost for normal
operating expenses (air transportat on, ood, general
support) comparative cost of the three courses was as
follows:
Russian: $8,258
French : $2,685
Spanish: $3,505
The use of compensatory time for some faculty instead of
overtime pay accounts for differences between the two
Romance language programs; but either way the courses are
cost effective if run entirely with existing assets. It
seems likely that no future course of this kind would
cost more than ca. $3500 - $4000 above the LLC's normal
operating costs. If, as we propose, the Center were
to offer three or four such courses each year,
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we would have to budget ca. $14,000 - $16,000 for them.
It seems clear that we are getting a lot for our money.
The cost of the now defunct BAHLT program, for example,
was $20,000 annually; and it contributed virtually
nothing to the Agency's inventory of useable language
skills.
4. Results
a. As in the Russian House, probably the single
most noticeable gain for all students in the program
was in speaking confidence. This is an ingredient
usually missing in normal intensive training, and
the key to reaching S-3 proficiency. In the French
program nine out of 11 students who started at
S-2/S-2+ came out as S-3 or better; in Spanish 10
out of 12 achieved it. (Attachment B)
b. Changes in planning and scheduling resolved
the question -- left over from the Russian House -
of whether operations-related vocabulary could be
taught effectively while raising proficiencies to
S-3. We are now satisfied that it can.
c. All of our questions regarding the feasibility
and potential benefits of such programs have now been
answered. We do not know whether the difference
between the Russian and Romance programs in producing
S-3 was due to a difference in the difficulty of the
languages or to refinements made in the later programs.
But we suspect it was the latter. The Russian oHuse
demonstrated that such programs are feasible; th
Romance language programs showed us how much they can
accomplish if they are done optimally.
d. In addition to the immediate gains for the
students involved in these courses, the Language Learning
Center gained a number of spin-off benefits from the
experiment: curriculum innovations for regular LLC
classes (including new applications of video tape),
relevant new teaching materials, professional growth
for staff and faculty productive
thatconsumers,
liaison and stronger with aoschoolchief
and an enhanced reputation
provide a unique service for the Agency.
5. Conclusion
The Language Learning Center now has no reservations
about the potential contribution of long-term Total Immersion
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courses to its language training mission. It is felt that
such programs could become one of the strongest tools we
have to make a direct and noticeable impact on the Agency's
Language Development Program. Although it would be
desirable to use such TI segments to shorten and strengthen
our regular full-time courses, we recognize that it probably
cannot be done, given the nature of DDO planning for overseas
assignments, We propose, therefore, to offer one program a
year in each language for which sufficient in-house staff is
available. To judge from consumer response to the
experimental project, such a proposal would be well received,
articularly if the courses are given during the months
before the summer exodus of officers to overseas posts.
For PY 1975 we have tentatively scheduled programs in
French, Spanish and German during the months of March -
June at the
25X1A
Rep angug ing Center
Deputy EC
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ATTACHMENT (A)
WEEK I Day 3
0830
Grammar :
The Subjunctive
1030
Exercise :
Description (Students watch slides of various
people and describe what they see).
1215
Lunch
1315
News .
(Each student prepares a news item to present and
discuss with his Grammar Group).
1500
Lecture
"French Cuisine" - Guest Speaker
1615
Free Time
(During this time most of the students engaged in
sports together. The instructors also participated).
1815
Dinner
1900
Discussion of Tomorrow's Program
1930
Student Lecture
2000
Discussion of Technical Vocabulary (After a discussion of job-
related vocabulary, the first week's guest divided the students
into groups of 2's and 3's. Each group prepared a skit to present
to the rest of the group. The guest gave them such topics as:
Cold Approach, Live Dead-Drop, etc).
2200
End of Day's Program.
WEEK III Day 2
0830
Grammar : Relative Pronouns
1030
News
1215
Lunch
1330
Cocktail Exercise (Role-playing)
1500
Linguistic Critique of Exercise
1700
Free Time
1815
Dinner
2000
Preparation for exercises: Walk In, Briefing, Recruitment
(Students prepare these exercises in small groups with their
instructors and guests).
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