“The Language Training Centers is an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO).”
The Language Training Center (LTC) Program provides language and culture training for Department of Defense (DoD) personnel. The University of Utah (UU) is one of ten universities running LTCs. LTCs leverage existing university and college language and culture programs to meet the needs of DoD organizations/units. The Institute of International Education (IIE) administers the Language Training Centers program on behalf of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office.
The UU Language Training Center (LTC) Program has access to a wide range of experienced, academically rigorous and culturally sensitive instructors that appropriately challenge and advance the linguistic skills of the Utah Cryptologic Team linguists. This cadre of instructors is familiar with the military linguist population, and has developed successful curricula to meet the needs of military students.
Please email Catherine Scott (c.scott@utah.edu) for information on the University of Utah's Language Training Center program and/or information on course enrollment. Students must be DoD employees to participate in these classes.
TRAINING DELIVERY METHOD
Blended Learning Style
The program goals are to maintain and/or advance the linguists’ level of language proficiency. Proficiency is measured via a series of pre- and post-assessment tests – the Oral Proficiency Interview by Computer (OPIc), the Reading Proficiency Test and the Listening Proficiency Test. Instruction is delivered in a combination of face-to-face instruction and online work to total the 120 hours needed to meet the requirements for a significant language-training event.
PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
A combination of face-to-face and online components provide the minimum 120 hours of annual language instruction required. The curriculum follows a proficiency-based model using a wide range of authentic materials including social, cultural, political, economic, geographic, scientific and military themes. Traditional print and online materials are also incorporated into classes.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE
- Arabic (MSA)
- Arabic (Levantine Dialect)
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Farsi
- French
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
UU provides for language maintenance classes of 120 hours for the nationally recognized, linguistically advanced Utah Cryptologic Team (UCT).
"I appreciate the time, support, and effort of all parties that have been involved in giving me the opportunity to study French here at the University of Utah. The course has been amazing and I would unequivocally recommend the program to any linguists in our battalion who are interested in becoming more proficient in their language. The language department here has been truly amazing and the learning environment has helped me to gain confidence in my speaking and listening skills."
"I like that the instructors push us to use the language more than any other course
I've ever been to. I also like that they allow us to try to figure out our own mistakes
before they correct us."
"The instructors are extremely competent as well as patient. I've studied a number of languages at several institutions and the two professors we have are absolutely fantastic."
"The basis that there was no-hold-barred with her is what I believe I enjoyed the most because that honestly makes the difference between a University Student studying a language just for a major or possibly to visit a country...and a Military member who has to use street language, colloquialisms, metaphors, etc., in real-world situations."
"I would like to say that I was extremely impressed with the fact that there was a huge emphasis on speaking this course, with a lot of critical thinking, opinion forming, debating, etc. Every other Language Refresher has had way too much translation, maybe listening exercises. Most soldiers have higher writing scores on their DLPT's, and speaking activities help accomplish listening with interpretation practice at the same time."
“This is the best Chinese class I have attended. I currently have a 3+/3 and find this class very helpful for Chinese linguist level 2 and above. The instructor is amazing and very good at picking up the individual needs of the students."
"Professor Alavi has that rare ability to tailor instruction and conversation to each student in the class. This is significant because this class has students whose language levels range from advanced beginner to native."
"The relevance of the daily quizzes to the previous day’s lesson really helped to reinforce what was learned the previous day."
"I liked that the course utilized authentic materials. The instructors were very helpful with breaking down the materials."
"The instructor was knowledgeable and amiable. He did a very good job of using real-world materials to help students learn and retain language and cultural information."
"I appreciate the flexibility of the teaching staff and their responses to answers on projects from the homework activities. It increases our knowledge of grammar and fluency."
Language Training Instructors
Ray Zayyat
Ray Zayyat is an Associate Instructor of Arabic language for L2TReC. He has taught Arabic Intermediate I &II and Advanced I & II. Mr. Zayyat is professionally skilled in Levantine, Iraqi, Arabian Gulf and Egyptian dialects in the Arabic Language. He acquired real time communications experience in Military Arabic in Iraq for special forces and intelligence, specialized in covert assignments in theater of operations communications. He is a Certified Medical Interpreter, legal interpreter in Utah Courts and immigration consultant. Ray was born and raised in Kuwait City, Kuwait and lived there until 1974. He has a bachelor degree in Parks Recreation & Tourism from University of Utah, Master of Global Business Administration.
Email: rayzayyat@gmail.com
Mireille Karam de Lopez
Mireille Karam de Lopez is an associate instructor of Levantine/Arabic language and French language at the Department of World Languages and Cultures at the University of Utah. She holds a Master's degree in Graphic Design and Advertising (Advertisement Writing). She's multilingual and had the chance to learn the languages she speaks through direct exposure with native speakers. She firmly believes that to fully learn and appreciate a language, you need to understand the culture of the people who speak it and uses this strategy to fully immerse her students in language learning. She was born and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and came to Utah in 2010.
Lily Alavi
Lily Alavi is an Associate Instructor of Persian language at the Department of World Languages and Cultures at the University of Utah. She has taught Persian Intermediate I &II and Persian Advanced I & II. She is also responsible for the Community Engaged Learning course of the department, which has a CEL designation (Community Engagement Learning) from the Bennion Center. This course entails lectures and readings, cross-cultural communications through simulation exercises, and community service in the Salt Lake City region. Lily was born and raised in Tehran, Iran and lived there until 1993. She has a bachelor degree in French-Persian translation from Iran and a Master of Art in French Literature from the University of Maine, where she lived and worked for several years prior to moving to Utah in 2009.
Email: Lily Alavi
Marisa Smurthwaite
Marisa received her Bachelors in French Language and Literature and her Masters in French Pedagogy at the University of Utah. She also studied at the Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland and later lived in Nice, France for a year as an Assistante de Langue at the Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres. In 2004 Marisa began teaching as an Associate Instructor of French at the University of Utah in the Department of Languages and Literature, later the department of World Languages and Cultures. She also lived in Lyon, France for 4 years and has traveled around the world living in Spain, Rwanda, Vietnam and Peru. Her focus in Applied linguistics is Second Language Acquisition with particular interest in integrating technology and content-based playful learning into language pedagogy.
Email: marisasmurthwaite@gmail.com
Anne Lair
Anne Lair received a Ph.D. from Ohio State University Her interests include teacher training, bilingualism, proficiency, interculturality, teaching of culture, pedagogy, and symbolism of food. Recipient of the 2020 AATF Dorothy Ludwig Excellence in Teaching Award at the Post-Secondary level. She has been accredited as the Honorary Consul of France in Utah since 2017 and was recognized as Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques in May 2017.
Email: anne.lair@utah.edu
Mireille Karam de Lopez
Mireille Karam de Lopez is an associate instructor of Levantine/Arabic language and French language at the Department of World Languages and Cultures at the University of Utah. She holds a Master's degree in Graphic Design and Advertising (Advertisement Writing). She's multilingual and had the chance to learn the languages she speaks through direct exposure with native speakers. She firmly believes that to fully learn and appreciate a language, you need to understand the culture of the people who speak it and uses this strategy to fully immerse her students in language learning. She was born and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and came to Utah in 2010.
Takashi Ebira
Takashi Ebira is currently Associate Professor of Japanese at Salt Lake Community College. He received both a B.A. and an M.A. in linguistics from the University of Utah. He also received a TESOL certificate when he completed his M.A. program in 2001. Takashi was Assistant Professor of Japanese at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California. While he was at DLI, he also served as an ILR OPI tester and conducted Japanese speaking tests for U.S. and Canadian military personnel. Takashi's current academic interest us rekated to contrastive linguistics between English and Japanese, including pedagogical grammar and present-day usage of both languages.
Email: Takashi Ebira
Derek Driggs
Email: derek.driggs@utah.edu
Dong Choon “DC” Lee
DC Lee is an Associate Instructor of Korean language at Second Language Training and Research Center at the University of Utah. He has taught Korean and Japanese at the Department of Languages and Literature at the University of Utah. As a certified Korean language instructor with three decades of experience, he has taught the Korean language and culture to military linguists of San Diego State University, Concordia Language Villages, and several military language training schools in the US, including the Joint Language Training Center (Ogden, UT), the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (Monterey, CA), the Military Intelligence Foreign Language Training Center (Sierra Vista, AZ), etc. He has participated in some e-learning North Korean projects sponsored by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland. Besides teaching and developing language training materials, he has been evaluating proficiency-based linguistic skill levels of Korean speakers over several thousand times for a Language Testing Services. DC is a Ph. D. candidate at University of Utah and holds a M. A. from National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan and a B. A. from SungKyunKwan University in Seoul, Korea. He did some research projects as an invited scholar of Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan. His interests include instructional design in online language learning, ways to improve students’ proficiency in reading and speaking, and online intercultural exchanges.
Email: leedc1@gmail.com
Ana Rybalkina
Email: aorybalkina@gmail.com
Alina Safargalina
Email: alineferreiraallen@gmail.com
Tatiana Gillespie
Email: tatianagllsp@gmail.com
Monica B. Orcutt
Mónica B. Orcutt holds a M.A. in Spanish Language, Culture and Latin American Literature from Brigham Young University-Provo and has also completed post graduate course work at the University of Texas at Austin. She received an Endorsement in Teaching English as a Second Language and has completed mediation courses. She also has training in Legal and Medical Translation and Interpretation. She has been dedicated to presenting her research at scholarly conferences and publishing of her work. Monica’s literary research includes Latin American Jewish literature, women writers, culture, Latin American theatre and creative writing. She is the author of the book, Claves en el teatro de Nora Glickman. She has extensive experience developing curriculum and facilitating intensive courses for the military.
Email: Monica Orcutt
Ana Bausset
Email: ana.bausset@utah.edu