DEA Ebonics Translators: Article Review and Analysis

Introduction

Ebonics, or African-American English (AAE), is the term coined in the mid-1990s to describe a manner of speech used by some African-Americans that some linguists maintain is a legitimate dialect deserving further study. More pragmatically, the 2010 CNN article "DEA Wants to Hire Ebonics Translators" by Carol Cratty and Phil Gast reports that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sought translators fluent in Ebonics to facilitate criminal investigations involving Ebonics speakers — who may include not only African-American suspects, but also Hispanics and white Americans.

To examine the article's merits, this paper provides a summary of its goal, relevant background information, the authors' findings and conclusions, and the evidence used to support their claims. This review also evaluates the respective strengths and weaknesses of the news article and the extent to which it is grounded in facts and linguistic research on African-American English. A summary of the key findings is presented in the conclusion.

Summary of the Article

During World War II, the United States used so-called Native American "code-talkers" from the Navajo and Comanche tribes, among others, in the Pacific theater to communicate radio messages that were virtually indecipherable to Japanese code breakers (Broderick, 2011). These code-talkers coined terms in their native languages to replace Standard American English (SAE) terms in ways that made this intelligence-gathering strategy enormously effective (Broderick, 2011). It is reasonable to suggest that the Japanese would have gladly recruited translators of those languages had they been available, and the DEA finds itself in a similar predicament when it comes to criminal investigations involving suspects who speak Ebonics.

The goal of the article by Cratty and Gast (2010) was to report on the DEA's active recruitment of nine Ebonics translators as part of a larger initiative — one aimed at attracting hundreds of translators for 114 different languages — in order to assist with criminal investigations involving Ebonics speakers who may attempt to use the dialect to conceal their activities. The authors provide concise background on the origins of the term and describe how Ebonics has been a subject of controversy since its introduction in 1996, objectively presenting the pros and cons of the initiative. Excerpts from interviews with a DEA special agent and several linguistic authorities explain the rationale behind the recruitment effort and clarify how the translators would be used. In sum, the article offers a concise but thorough report on the DEA's recruiting efforts, including the agency's reasoning and how experts in the field view the initiative.

Strengths of the Article

One of the major strengths of this article is the balanced approach the authors use to present both sides of the controversy. Cratty and Gast incorporate the responses of professional linguists regarding the DEA's recruitment efforts. For instance, the authors interviewed Walt Wolfram, whom they describe as a "distinguished professor of English linguistics at North Carolina State University." Following a discussion of the origins of the term and Wolfram's explanation of the misperceptions about Ebonics that have politicized the debate over its usefulness in academic and law enforcement settings, the authors provide a strong rationale in support of the DEA's efforts. According to Wolfram, "The concept is right and good. Why wouldn't you want experts who can help you understand what people are communicating?" (cited in Cratty & Gast, 2010, para. 3).

The authors also emphasize that the DEA is not singling out African-Americans through racial profiling, and that the Ebonics recruitment effort is part of a broader initiative to attract translators for 114 different languages. Moreover, Cratty and Gast note that Ebonics is not restricted to the African-American community and is now spoken by Hispanics and white Americans as well. DEA Special Agent Michael Sanders confirmed this point, reporting that Ebonics "crosses over geographic, racial and ethnic backgrounds" (cited in Cratty & Gast, 2010, para. 5). This observation is also supported by Birch (1999), who notes that "Ebonics is a way of speaking mainly available to African-Americans, though people of other ethnicities speak it" (p. 44). Furthermore, Green (2006) points out that, like Standard American English, AAE is not slang but rather "consists of systems of sounds, sentence structure, meaning, and vocabulary items and related information" (p. 709).

In addition, Cratty and Gast (2010) draw attention to the fact that some linguistic authorities criticize the DEA's recruitment effort specifically because of its use of the term "Ebonics" rather than "African-American English." Professor John Baugh, head of public relations at the Linguistic Society of America, acknowledged that while having translation help is a good law enforcement tool, the use of the term "Ebonics" may be counterproductive because "the social positions of speakers have been the object of ridicule" (cited in Cratty & Gast, 2010, para. 5). By including this critical perspective alongside the supportive ones, the authors demonstrate a commendable effort at balanced reporting.

Conclusion

When faced with a party that speaks a different language or dialect, it makes practical sense to develop the ability to understand that language as fully as possible. The article by Cratty and Gast (2010) makes this point throughout. Its strengths include the authors' explanation of the origins of Ebonics, a clarification of what the dialect actually is as opposed to common misconceptions, and the use of interviews with several linguistic authorities who agree that understanding this dialect would be a valuable law enforcement tool. A notable weakness, however, is the implicit undercurrent suggesting that Ebonics translators are needed primarily because Ebonics speakers are presumed to be criminals — a framing that undermines the article's stated commitment to racial neutrality.

References

Birch, B. (1999, April 3). The debate which never happened. Ethnic Studies Review, 22(1, 2, & 3), 44.

Broderick, S. (2011, Fall). True whisperers: The story of the Navajo code talkers. Film & History, 41(2), 89–91.

Cratty, C., & Gast, P. (2010, August 24). DEA wants to hire Ebonics translators. CNN. Retrieved from

Green. (2008). English, African-American.