Contact: Dr. Pat Boone, 719-884-0084

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Nov. 5 /Standard Newswire/ -- Armed, referring to our soldiers, usually means guns and ammunition, but now being armed has also come to mean learning the local language.

Missionaries have known for years that interaction with the local people, plus learning their local language and culture, is the key to acceptance and to knowing what is really happening in the area. Learning the local language means that you respect their language, and you, therefore, respect them. Afghanistan is a society of honor vs. shame, just like many cultures in the area.

Although there are two major languages in Afghanistan, there are at least 46 other languages spoken. Translators are not always available, plus the translator may understand the local language, but not really understand English. Language understanding must go both ways. Many of us have been around translators who listen to people talk for several minutes, and then, when you ask what was said, you get a one sentence or sometimes even a one word reply.

At a minimum, our soldiers should know and learn what key words they should be able to understand when they are mentioned in local conversation.

"Immersion" alone in a language doesn't work. If you've ever taken a language course where the teacher comes in the first time and speaks another language for an hour, you know what happens. At the end of the hour, you don't know any more than you did at the beginning of the hour.

Many people think they can't learn a foreign language, but that's only because the method they tried didn't work. Immersion can only work with a foundation. Like building a house, you must have a foundation. Your brain requires something to mentally build on. There have to be file cabinets to put the files in.

While it might not be possible for all of our soldiers to attend a language school, a new "drive-thru" language paradigm that costs less than $20 per soldier can make the difference in a soldier's safety and a soldier's life.

The solution is a book called simply "How to Get What You Want in Any Language." Colorado author and psychologist Dr. Pat M. Boone not only writes songs to honor our military each Christmas and gives them away free, but she also took on the world problem of language differences. For five years, she analyzed the words that people say in different languages in order to come up with the less than 100 universal words and phrases that you need to know to communicate in any language. She calls these words "Foundation" words. Only after your know these foundation words can you begin to learn other words specific to your needs, whether you need travel, business or military words.

"How to Get What You Want in Any Language" is available on Amazon.com.