More Shlav Bet pretty sounding PR

As this new article in the Jpost shows, the army loves to announce the great opportunities available to Shlav Bet. They seem to leave out the part which requires you to sign up for more time, in some cases years in order to serve in the soldiers field.

'Shlav Bet' soldiers to get better jobs By SHELLY PAZ, Jerusalem Post Dec 16, 2007

Immigrant soldiers serving in the IDF's Shlav Bet shortened service program will be assigned to technological and academic units that will utilize their professional skills, the army announced Sunday.

In addition, the army stressed that immigrant soldiers assigned to more desirable positions would be asked to serve for a longer period, extending their service to at least one year.

The IDF changed its policy toward Shlav Bet soldiers after a story in The Jerusalem Post published in August 2007 revealed that the IDF was not efficiently assigning skilled immigrant soldiers with academic degrees, work experience and high motivation to positions that would utilize their skills and education.

The standard Shlav Bet program, designed for new immigrants between the ages of 22 and 25 who are required to serve in the IDF, lasts from four to six months. The program includes basic training and an optional ulpan. The IDF's ulpan class, especially designed for new immigrants, spans two months and is taught by soldiers from the Education Corps. Olim who arrive after the age of 25 will not be allowed to volunteer for the program.

After the ulpan, the soldiers spend three months training for a variety of positions, including tractor and truck drivers, tank mechanics and artillerymen. The feeling among many new immigrant soldiers who fall into this category is that the IDF does not take their work experience and academic education into consideration when allocating army jobs, and does not invest in them because of the shortened period of military service.

Native Israeli men and immigrants who serve in the army before the age of 22 serve three years; women serve 18 months.

Some of the unsatisfied soldiers said they wished they had made aliya after the age of 25 to escape what they termed "useless" service in the army.

"Today, the army fights for every soldier against the private sector," a Shlav Bet soldier told Post military correspondent Yaakov Katz in August. "When it receives highly skilled and highly motivated resources, it should not waste them through bureaucratic inefficiency."

On Sunday, the IDF promised its new program would better utilize the professional skills the newly arrived soldiers bring with them, starting from the current Shlav Bet induction.

"According to this new policy, the recruits will participate in a seminar in which explanations on the IDF's needs and opportunities will be given to them," the IDF said. "Afterward, the soldiers will be interviewed for the available positions in technological units and will be assigned in accordance with their skills and professions."

Personal Translator

Most of my friends in Israel are English speaking or Anglo-Saxons. Since most everyone in the Anglo community speaks both English and at least some Hebrew, you would think that being an English/Hebrew translator is not very complicated. Everyone is an amateur translator in some way or another, interacting with Israeli society in any capacity requires a degree of Hebrew comprehension.

When I first came to Israel and went to a primarily American, English speak school, I was not exposed much to Hebrew. Even though I was living in Jerusalem, I really didn’t get out much and talk to the people on the street. The first thing I learned in Hebrew shortly after I arrived was all the toppings for a falafel/shwarma and how to order one. This past summer I ran into a couple fellow Ulpan students who were talking about the exact same thing. Since ordering food is one of the more important things to know how to communicate, they learned how to ask for a falafel, but referred to the toppings by color. So they would go to the local store and say “Can I have just a dab of the red, plenty of green, a bit of the orange, and a little more white?” Fortunately, I had the food thing down within moments of arriving. I didn’t know how to say anything else, ask for a cup, or understand anyone, but I did know how to order a mean shwarma. The next thing I learned in Hebrew was how to take the bus. I learned how to buy a bus ticket and how to scream “REGA” in order for the bus driver not to drive off with someone half in, half out of the bus.

When I first met Shira and discovered she was a translator, I was not very impressed. After all, doesn’t everyone speak Hebrew and English? Little did I realize that having a detailed command of English and Hebrew, and how to translate back and forth is more than an amazing skill, it’s a form of black magic. When I realized that in comparison my Hebrew skills were less than primitive, and my English skills could use work, I started appreciating what exactly goes into proper translation. Understanding the cultural differences between the languages, translating jokes to press briefings, I was blown away. It’s a really amazing skill, and something which I think everyone should have. Shira didn’t always plan on becoming a translator; she sort of came across the two year MA program in translation and interpretation in Bar Ilan University by happenstance. I think it’s a natural fit; Shira grew up speaking English at home, and Hebrew in school from a very young age. I don’t think I would ever be on the level required to even get in the program, I see a number of additional Ulpans in my future with slow and steady progress. Understanding both languages fully and being able to effortlessly switch back and forth is impressive, but sight translation, i.e. reading a newspaper in one language and simultaneously speaking in the other is amazing.

I am just happy to have my own personal translator, it makes figuring things out so much easier, and I could never have gotten through Ulpan if it was not for her help.