Photo By Spc. Noah Carlsson | Nanda Wijaya, a civilian working as an interpreter between the U.S. and Indonesian...... read more read more
Subscribe
When Nanda Wijaya initially became a civilian interpreter for the U.S. Army, he described it as a “love at first sight kind of thing.” 2024 will be his third year participating in Super Garuda Shield.
Super Garuda Shield is a multinational military training exercise which has grown exponentially in size and scope since 2009. With 22 nations involved spanning several languages, there are bound to be a few barriers.
Sgt. Ginovanni Correa, from A Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, ran into the language barrier first hand when training with members of the Japanese Self Defense Force and Indonesian Korps Marinir during the amphibious landing training.
When asked about a challenge he had encountered while training, Correa immediately brought up the language barrier. “Ultimately these guys are at the top of their game, but it's hard to communicate things that we need done, or they need done.”
That’s where civilian interpreters like Wijaya come in. For Wijaya, interoperability is the name of the game. He works to break that barrier so that members of the U.S. Marines, Indonesian Korps Marinir and Japan Self Defense Force can work together to accomplish their common goals.
Wijaya explained the importance of interoperability between partner nations, but he believes that it goes deeper than that. When asked why Super Garuda Shield was so important, he said: “I believe that this exercise will enhance friendship and readiness for any threats that may come within the near future, but one important thing is that this is a place to promote brotherhood amongst the armed forces.”
Wijaya explained that the impact of Super Garuda Shield goes further than military training. “What we are doing here is more than just a communication; it’s bridging differences, culture, and once again, it’s about brotherhood in the armed forces.”
When asked if working with the Indonesians and the Japanese was what he expected it to be, Correa responded: “Honestly it’s been more. It’s blown my expectations out of the water.”
Wijaya then added, “You’ll always be welcome here as a part of the family; you come here as a friend I hope you’ll leave here as a family.”
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2024 06:36 |
| Story ID: | 479844 |
| Location: | ID |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Found in Translation: An Interpreter’s Take on Super Garuda Shield 2024, by SPC Noah Carlsson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
