Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

field experience) the professional skills necessary to effectively manage highvalue
targets and achieve sufficient operational proficiency in a foreign language
cannot be overstated.
To make matters worse, the strategic-linguistic landscape changes constantly.
In 1991, for example, the focus of U.S. strategic interests shifted dramatically from
the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to the Middle East. Against this backdrop,
the United States simultaneously faced challenges from narco-trafficking
(requiring primarily Spanish language resources), the rise of China as a regional
power (requiring Mandarin, Cantonese, and a host of lesser-known dialects), and
a continuation of the decades-long surveillance and containment of an ultimately
nuclear-capable North Korea. This raises a critical question: Is it even possible
to train the number of operationally skilled and experienced, language-capable
interrogators needed to meet such an incredible breadth of threats If not, what
role should interpreters play in helping to meet such a vexing challenge The
advantages of language-qualified interrogators over the use of interpreters in the
interrogation arena are undeniable. To reap these advantages, considerable effort
must go into overcoming the disadvantages noted in the following box.
Assessing the Net Value of Using Language-Qualified
Interrogators Rather Than Interpreters
Advantages
• More effective use of time
• Ability to recognize and understand nuance of language (including
impact of nonverbal behaviors)
• Avoids need to hire foreign nationals, which introduces
security concerns
• More capable of establishing rapport with a source
• Removes time delay inherent in interpretation that can significantly
impact the orchestration of specific approaches
• Interrogators have greater confidence in their ability to properly
orchestrate a given approach (that is, they are able to ensure attention
to all components of verbal communication)
• Words, tonality/emphasis, and body language are consistent
with the intended message
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