Foreign Languages
Workforce Planning Could Help Address Staffing and Proficiency Shortfalls Gao ID: GAO-02-514T March 12, 2002Federal agencies' foreign language needs have increased during the past decade because of increasing globalization and the changing security environment. At the same time, agencies have seen significant reductions-in-force and no-growth or limited-growth environments during the last decade. As a result, some agencies now confront an aging core of language-capable staff while recruiting and retaining qualified new staff in an increasingly competitive job market. The four agencies GAO reviewed reported shortages of translators and interpreters and other staff, such as diplomats and intelligence specialists, with foreign language skills. These shortfalls varied depending on the agency, job position, language, and skill level. The agencies reported using a range of strategies to address their staffing shortfalls, such as providing employees with language training and pay incentives, recruiting employees with foreign language skills, hiring contractors, or taking advantage of information technology. One of the four agencies has adopted a strategic approach to its workforce planning efforts. In contrast, the other three agencies have yet to pursue overall strategic planning in this area.
GAO-02-514T, Foreign Languages: Workforce Planning Could Help Address Staffing and Proficiency Shortfalls
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United States General Accounting Office:
GAO:
Testimony:
Before the Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and
Federal Services, Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate:
For Release on Delivery:
Expected at 2:30 p.m., EST:
Tuesday, March 12, 2002:
Foreign Languages:
Workforce Planning Could Help Address Staffing and Proficiency
Shortfalls:
Statement of Susan S. Westin:
Managing Director:
International Affairs and Trade:
GAO-02-514T:
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
I am pleased to be here today to discuss our recently completed report
on foreign language proficiency and personnel shortfalls at four
federal agencies.[Footnote 1] Federal agencies' foreign language needs
have grown significantly over the past decade with increasing
globalization and a changing security environment in light of such
events as the breakup of the Soviet Union and the terrorist attacks of
September 11. Foreign language skills are increasingly needed to
support traditional diplomatic efforts and public diplomacy programs,
military and peacekeeping missions, intelligence collection,
counterterrorism efforts, and international trade. One sign of this
need is the budget devoted to hiring, training, and paying language-
skilled staff. For example, the Department of Defense estimates that
it currently spends up to $250 million annually to meet its foreign
language needs.
At the same time that federal agencies find their needs for staff with
foreign language skills increasing, these agencies have experienced
significant reductions-in-force and no-growth or limited-growth
environments during the last decade. As a result, some agencies must
now contend with an aging core of language-capable staff while
recruiting and retaining qualified new staff in an increasingly
competitive job market.
Today I will discuss (1) the nature and impact of foreign language
proficiency and personnel shortages in selected federal agencies, (2)
the strategies that are being used to address these shortages, and (3)
the efforts that have been made to address current and projected
foreign language shortages. My observations are based on the results
of our January 2002 report on the foreign language needs of the U.S.
Army, the Department of State, the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service,
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This work was initiated
at the request of the House-Senate International Education Study
Group, which includes Senators Thad Cochran and Christopher Dodd and
Representatives James Leach and Sam Farr.
Finally, I would like to note that two other products supplement our
recently issued report on federal agency foreign language needs. One
is a "For Official Use Only" version of this report that includes
information on the National Security Agency/Central Security Service
and its foreign language operations.[Footnote 2] The other is a
classified report providing detailed foreign language staffing
information about two of the agencies covered in our review”the
National Security Agency/Central Security Service and the FBI.
[Footnote 3] I encourage government staff with a need to know and the
appropriate clearance to read these supplemental products.
Before discussing the specifics of our work, let me provide a brief
summary of our findings.
Summary:
All four federal agencies covered in our review reported shortages of
translators and interpreters as well as shortages of staff, such as
diplomats and intelligence specialists, with foreign language skills
that are critical to successful job performance. These shortfalls
varied significantly depending on the agency, job position, language,
and skill level. Agency officials noted that these shortfalls have
resulted in workload backlogs which, in turn, affect the agency's
performance. For example, the FBI has thousands of hours of audio
tapes and pages of written material that have not been reviewed or
translated due to the lack of qualified translators. In addition, the
State Department has long suffered from a language proficiency
shortfall whereby Foreign Service officers must be placed in language-
designated positions at lower-than-desired levels of proficiency.
According to agency officials, these types of shortfalls have hindered
the prosecution of criminal cases; limited the ability to identify,
arrest, and convict violent gang members; weakened the fight against
international terrorism and drug trafficking; and resulted in less
effective representation of U.S. interests overseas.
The agencies we reviewed reported using a range of workforce
strategies to fill their specific foreign language needs. These
strategies included providing staff with language training and pay
incentives, recruiting employees with foreign language skills or
hiring contractors, or taking advantage of information technology.
This technology includes using networked computers and contractor
databases to optimize existing foreign language resources. While these
assorted efforts have had some success, current agency strategies have
not fully met the need for some foreign language skills.
To address current and projected foreign language needs, one of the
four agencies we reviewed has adopted a strategic approach to its
workforce planning efforts. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has
instituted an action plan that links its foreign language program to
the Bureau's strategic objectives and program goals. This action plan
attempts to define the Bureau's strategies, performance measures,
responsible parties, and resources needed to address foreign language
shortages. In contrast, the other three agencies have yet to pursue
overall strategic planning in this area. The Army, the State
Department, and the Foreign Commercial Service's foreign language
initiatives and programs are not part of a coordinated plan of action
in regard to recruitment, training, pay incentives, and workforce
restructuring.
In our report, we recommend that the Army, the State Department, and
the Foreign Commercial Service develop a comprehensive strategic
approach to human capital management and workforce planning in order
to better address current and projected shortages in foreign language
skills. In their responses, the agencies generally agreed with our
findings and recommendation.
Background:
Although more than 70 federal agencies have foreign language needs,
some of the largest programs are concentrated in the Army, the State
Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) records indicate
that the government employs just under a thousand translators and
interpreters in the job series reserved for this group. The government
also employs tens of thousands of individuals who use foreign language
skills in positions such as FBI special agents and legal attaches,
State Department Foreign Service officers, and Department of Commerce
Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) officers.[Footnote 4] For the four
agencies we reviewed, a total of nearly 20,000 staff are employed in
positions that require some foreign language proficiency.
Agency management of these resources takes place against the backdrop
of an emerging federal issue”strategic human capital management. The
foreign language staffing and proficiency shortfalls we discuss in our
report can be seen as part of a broader pattern of human capital
weaknesses and poor workforce planning that has impacted the
operations of agencies across the federal government. In fact, GAO
recently designated human capital management as a governmentwide high-
risk area on the basis of specific problem areas identified in prior
GAO reports.[Footnote 5] For example, GAO previously testified that
the Department of Defense faces looming shortages of intelligence
analysts, computer programmers, and pilots.[Footnote 6] In a
subsequent report on trends in federal employee retirements, we found
that relatively large numbers of individuals in key math and science
fields will be eligible to retire by the end of fiscal year 2006:
These include physics (47 percent); chemistry (42 percent); computer
specialists (30 percent); and electronics and electrical engineering
(27 percent and 28 percent, respectively).[Footnote 7]
In response to these risks, the administration, the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), OPM, and GAO have issued guidance on how
agencies can begin the process of strategically managing their
staffing resources. For example, OPM has developed a five-step
workforce planning model that outlines the basic tenets of effective
workforce planning.[Footnote 8] The president and OMB's guidance
stresses that agencies should seek to address shortages of skills by
conducting thorough workforce analyses, by using existing personnel
flexibilities available to federal agencies, and by identifying
additional authorities or flexibilities they might need to remove
current obstacles and barriers to effective workforce management.
[Footnote 9] GAO guidance emphasizes the use of a self-assessment
checklist for better aligning human capital with strategic planning
and core business practices.[Footnote 10]
Agencies Reported Varied Foreign Language Shortages:
Officials in the four agencies we reviewed reported varied types and
degrees of foreign language shortages depending on the agency, job
position, language, and skill level. They noted shortages of
translators and interpreters and people with skills in specific
languages, as well as a shortfall in proficiency level among people
who use foreign language skills in their jobs. The Army's greatest
foreign language needs were for translators and interpreters,
cryptologic linguists,[Footnote 11] and human intelligence collectors.
[Footnote 12] The State Department has not filled all of its positions
requiring foreign language skills. And, although the Foreign
Commercial Service has relatively few positions that require foreign
language proficiency, it had significant shortfalls in personnel with
skills in six critical languages. While the FBI does not have a set
number of positions for its special agent linguists, these agents must
have some level of foreign language proficiency that they can use in
conducting investigations. (When identified by language, FBI staffing
and proficiency data are classified and are discussed in the
classified report mentioned earlier.)
While our report provides detailed staffing and proficiency shortfall
data for four agencies, I would like to use the data we obtained for
the U.S. Army to illustrate the nature and extent of some of these
shortfalls.
The Army provided us data on translator and interpreter positions for
six languages it considers critical: Arabic, Korean, Mandarin Chinese,
Persian-Farsi, Russian, and Spanish (our analysis excluded Spanish
because the Army has a surplus of Spanish language translators and
interpreters). As shown in table 1, the Army had authorization for 329
translator and interpreter positions for these five languages in
fiscal year 2001 but only filled 183 of them, leaving a shortfall of
146 (44 percent).
Table 1: Shortfalls of Army Translators and Interpreters, by Language,
Fiscal Year 2001:
Language: Arabic;
Authorized positions: 84;
Filled positions: 42;
Unfilled positions: 42;
Percent shortfall: 50%.
Language: Korean;
Authorized positions: 62;
Filled positions: 39;
Unfilled positions: 23;
Percent shortfall: 37%.
Language: Mandarin Chinese;
Authorized positions: 52;
Filled positions: 32;
Unfilled positions: 20;
Percent shortfall: 38%.
Language: Persian-Farsi;
Authorized positions: 40;
Filled positions: 13;
Unfilled positions: 27;
Percent shortfall: 68%.
Language: Russian;
Authorized positions: 91;
Filled positions: 57;
Unfilled positions: 34;
Percent shortfall: 37%.
Total:
Authorized positions: 329;
Filled positions: 183;
Unfilled positions: 146;
Percent shortfall: 44%.
Source: U.S. Army response to GAO data collection instrument.
[End of table]
In addition to its needs for translators and interpreters, the Army
also has a need for staff with applied language skills. We obtained
detailed information on two key job series involving military
intelligence-cryptologic linguists and human intelligence collectors.
As shown in table 2, the Army had a shortfall of cryptologic linguists
in two of the six foreign languages it viewed as most critical”Korean
and Mandarin Chinese. Overall, there were 142 unfilled positions,
which amounted to a 25 percent shortfall in cryptologic linguists in
these two languages.
Table 2: Shortfalls of Army Cryptologic Linguists, by Language, Fiscal
Year 2001:
Language: Korean;
Authorized positions: 434;
Filled positions: 331;
Unfilled positions: 103;
Percent shortfall: 24%.
Language: Mandarin Chinese;
Authorized positions: 144;
Filled positions: 105;
Unfilled positions: 39;
Percent shortfall: 27%.
Total:
Authorized positions: 578;
Filled positions: 436;
Unfilled positions: 142;
Percent shortfall: 25%.
Source: U.S. Army response to GAO data collection instrument.
[End of table]
The Army also had a shortfall of human intelligence collectors in five
of the six foreign languages it viewed as most critical in this area”
Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese.[Footnote 13]
Overall, there were 108 unfilled positions, which amounted to a 13
percent shortfall in these five languages. The greatest number of
unfilled human intelligence collector positions was in Arabic, but the
largest percentage shortfall was in Mandarin Chinese. Table 3 provides
data on these shortfalls, by language.
Table 3: Shortfalls of Army Human Intelligence Collectors, by
Language, Fiscal Year 2001:
Language: Arabic;
Authorized positions: 209;
Filled positions: 170;
Unfilled positions: 39;
Percent shortfall: 19%.
Language: Russian;
Authorized positions: 205;
Filled positions: 197;
Unfilled positions: 8;
Percent shortfall: 4%.
Language: Spanish;
Authorized positions: 181;
Filled positions: 163;
Unfilled positions: 18;
Percent shortfall: 10%.
Language: Korean;
Authorized positions: 174;
Filled positions: 149;
Unfilled positions: 25;
Percent shortfall: 14%.
Language: Mandarin Chinese;
Authorized positions: 58;
Filled positions: 40;
Unfilled positions: 18;
Percent shortfall: 31%.
Total:
Authorized positions: 827;
Filled positions: 719;
Unfilled positions: 108;
Percent shortfall: 13%.
Source: U.S. Army response to GAO data collection instrument.
Impact of Language Shortages on Agency Operations:
The shortages that agencies reported can have a significant impact on
agency operations. Although it is sometimes difficult to link foreign
language skills to a specific outcome or event, foreign language
shortages have influenced some agency activities. Here are a few
examples:
* The Army has noted that a lack of linguists is affecting its ability
to conduct current and anticipated human and signal intelligence
missions. As a result, the Army said that it does not have the
linguistic capacity to support two concurrent major theaters of war.
* The need for Spanish speakers has been an issue in pursuing Florida
health care fraud cases. The assistant U.S. attorney in Miami in
charge of health care fraud investigations recently advised the FBI
that his office would decline to prosecute health care fraud cases
unless timely translations of Spanish conversations were available.
This situation has important implications, since the Miami region has
the nation's largest ongoing health care fraud investigation. The FBI
estimates that Medicare and Medicaid losses in the region are in
excess of $3 billion.
* The FBI's Los Angeles office has also cited a critical need for
Spanish language specialists and language monitors for cases involving
violent gang members. According to the Bureau, being able to target
these gang members will save lives in Los Angeles but is contingent on
the availability of Spanish linguists to assist with these
investigations.
* The need for foreign language speakers has hindered State Department
operations. The deputy director of the State Department's National
Foreign Affairs Training Center recently testified on this topic.
[Footnote 14] She said that shortfalls in foreign language proficiency
have contributed to a lack of diplomatic readiness. As a result, the
representation and advocacy of U.S. interests abroad has been less
effective; U.S. exports, investments, and jobs have been lost; and the
fight against international terrorism and drug trafficking has been
weakened.
* Finally, the lack of translators has thwarted efforts to combat
terrorism. For instance, the FBI has raised concern over the thousands
of hours of audio tapes and pages of written material that have not
been reviewed or translated due to a lack of qualified linguists.
Agencies Use a Variety of Strategies to Meet Their Foreign Language
Needs:
Our second objective was to examine federal agencies' strategies to
address these foreign language shortages. The agencies we reviewed are
pursuing three general strategies to meet their foreign language
needs. First, agencies are focusing on staff development by training
staff in foreign languages, providing pay incentives for individuals
using those skills, and ensuring an attractive career path for
linguists or language-proficient employees. Second, agencies are
making use of external resources. This effort can include contracting
staff as needed; recruiting native or U.S.trained language speakers;
or drawing on the expertise of other agency staff, reservists, or
retirees. Third, several agencies have begun to use technology to
leverage limited staff resources, including developing databases of
contract linguists, employing language translation software, and
performing machine screening of collected data. Figure 1 provides an
overview of these categories and related strategies.
Figure 1: Strategies That Four U.S. Agencies Use to Address Foreign
Language Shortages and Shortfalls:
[Refer to PDF for image: table]
Agency: Army;
Staff development: Language training: [Check];
Staff development: Pay incentives: [Check];
Staff development: Attractive career path for linguists: [Empty];
External management of resources: Contract staff: [Check];
External management of resources: Recruitment of native language
speakers: [Check];
External management of resources: Recruitment of language-capable
employees: [Check];
External management of resources: Other agency staff, reservists, and
retirees: [Check];
Other: Technology: [Check].
Agency: State;
Staff development: Language training: [Check];
Staff development: Pay incentives: [Check];
Staff development: Attractive career path for linguists: [Check];
External management of resources: Contract staff: [Check];
External management of resources: Recruitment of native language
speakers: [Empty];
External management of resources: Recruitment of language-capable
employees: [Check][A];
External management of resources: Other agency staff, reservists, and
retirees: [Empty];
Other: Technology: [Check].
Agency: FCS;
Staff development: Language training: [Check];
Staff development: Pay incentives: [Check];
Staff development: Attractive career path for linguists:
External management of resources: Contract staff: [Check];
External management of resources: Recruitment of native language
speakers: NA;
External management of resources: Recruitment of language-capable
employees: [Check][B];
External management of resources: Other agency staff, reservists, and
retirees: [Empty];
Other: Technology: [Empty].
Agency: FBI;
Staff development: Language training: [Check];
Staff development: Pay incentives: [Check];
Staff development: Attractive career path for linguists: [Check];
External management of resources: Contract staff: [Check];
External management of resources: Recruitment of native language
speakers: [Empty];
External management of resources: Recruitment of language-capable
employees: [Check];
External management of resources: Other agency staff, reservists, and
retirees: [Check];
Other: Technology: [Check].
[Check]: Indicates agency uses strategy.
[A] State's Office of Language Services recruits and hires skilled
linguists; however, foreign language skills are not required to apply
for Foreign Service positions.
[B] At the Foreign Commercial Service, hard-to-fill language-
designated positions are sometimes filled by individuals who are
recruited and hired as noncareer limited appointees who have the
needed language skills.
Source: GAO analysis.
[End of figure]
While these assorted efforts have had some success, current agency
strategies have not fully met the need for some foreign language
skills, as evidenced by the continuing staffing and proficiency
shortfalls that each agency we reviewed faces.
Limited Progress Made on Workforce Planning:
Our third objective was to analyze federal agencies' efforts to
implement an overall strategic workforce plan to address current and
projected foreign language shortages. To help fill existing skills
shortages, some agencies have begun to adopt a strategic approach to
human capital management and workforce planning. As I mentioned
earlier, OPM has issued a workforce planning model that illustrates
the basic tenets of strategic workforce planning. We used this model
to assess the relative maturity of workforce planning at the four
agencies we reviewed. As shown in figure 2, this model suggests that
agencies follow a five-step process that includes setting a strategic
direction, documenting the size and nature of skills gaps, developing
an action plan to address these shortages, implementing the plan, and
evaluating implementation progress on an ongoing basis. This is a
model that could be used to guide workforce planning efforts as they
relate to other skills needed in the federal government such as math,
science, and information technology.
Figure 2: OPM Workforce Planning Model:
[Refer to PDF for image: illustration]
Step 1: Set strategic direction.
Step 2: Determine supply, demand, and discrepancies.
Step 3: Develop an action plan.
Step 4: Implement action plan.
Step 5: Monitor, evaluate, and revise.
Source: OPM's Workforce Planning Model [hyperlink,
http://www.opm.gov/workforceplanning/wfpmodel.htm].
[End of figure]
We found that the FBI has made an effort to address each of the five
steps in OPM's model. For instance, the FBI has instituted an action
plan that links its foreign language program to the Bureau's strategic
objectives and program goals. This action plan defines strategies,
performance measures, responsible parties, and resources needed to
address current and projected language shortages. We found that the
FBI's work in the foreign language area was supported by detailed
reports from field offices that documented the Bureau's needs. The FBI
reviewed these reports along with workload statistics from its
regional offices. FBI officials noted that implementation progress is
routinely tracked and adjustments to the action plan are made as
needed.
In contrast, the other three agencies have yet to pursue this type of
comprehensive strategic planning and had only completed some of the
steps outlined in OPM's planning model. The Army has limited its
efforts to developing a plan partially outlining a strategic direction
and identifying its available supply and demand for staff with foreign
language skills (addressing only steps 1 and 2 of the OPM model). The
State Department has not yet set a strategic direction for its
language program; however, the department has addressed step 2 in the
workforce planning model through its annual survey of ambassadors
regarding foreign language needs at their posts on a position-by-
position basis. State has yet to develop an action plan and the
related implementation and monitoring steps described in OPM's model.
Finally, the status of the Foreign Commercial Service's language
program closely mirrored the situation we found at the State
Department. One difference, however, is that the agency surveys senior
officers regarding a post's foreign language needs every 3 years
instead of annually. Another difference is that FCS officials
indicated that they have begun a workforce planning initiative that is
designed to address the key components outlined in the OPM model.
In closing, I would like to note that foreign language shortages have
developed over a number of years. It will take time, perhaps years, to
overcome this problem. Effective human capital management and
workforce planning, however, offer a reasonable approach to resolving
such long-standing problems.
Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, this concludes my
prepared statement. I will be happy to answer any questions the
Subcommittee members may have.
Contacts and Acknowledgments:
For future contacts regarding this testimony, please call Susan S.
Westin or Phillip R. Herr at (202) 512-4128. Mike ten Kate also made
key contributions to this testimony.
[End of section]
Footnotes:
[1] U.S. General Accounting Office, Foreign Languages: Human Capital
Approach Needed to Correct Staffing and Proficiency Shortfalls,
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-02-375] (Washington, D.C.:
Jan. 31, 2002).
[2] U.S. General Accounting Office, Foreign Languages: Five Agencies
Could Use Human Capital Strategy to Handle Staffing and Proficiency
Shortfalls, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-02-237]
(Washington, D.C.: Jan. 31, 2002).
[3] U.S. General Accounting Office, Foreign Languages: Staffing
Shortfalls and Related Information for the National Security Agency
and Federal Bureau of Investigation, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-02-258R] (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 31,
2002).
[4] OPM does not maintain comprehensive records on the number of
federal employees serving in positions requiring foreign language
skills.
[5] U.S. General Accounting Office, High Risk Series: An Update,
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-01-263] (Washington, D.C.:
Jan. 2001).
[6] U.S. General Accounting Office, Human Capital: Major Human Capital
Challenges at the Departments of Defense and State, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-01-565T] (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 29,
2001).
[7] U.S. General Accounting Office, Federal Employee Retirements:
Expected Increase Over the Next 5 Years Illustrates Need for Workforce
Planning, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-01-509]
(Washington, D.C.: Apr. 27, 2001).
[8] U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Strategic Human Resources
Management: Aligning With the Mission, (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 1999).
[9] OMB, Bulletin No. 01-07 (Washington, D.C.: May 8, 2001).
[10] U.S. General Accounting Office, Human Capital: A Self-Assessment
Checklist for Agency Leaders, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/OGC-00-14G] (Washington, D.C.: Sept.
2000).
[11] Cryptologic linguists specialize in intercepting and interpreting
intelligence information collected electronically.
[12] These employees work with individuals rather than interpret
information intercepted electronically or by other means.
[13] There was no shortfall in Persian-Farsi speakers.
[14] Senate Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and
Federal Services, Committee on Governmental Affairs, Statement by the
deputy director, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Department
of State, 106th Cong., 2nd sess., 14 September 2000.
[End of section]
