[chuckles]

Isn't there a few red blooded American dudes that can translate these documents and tapes. Surely there are a few around that could be paid $50 an hour to transcribe this crap. We have been waiting for a couple of years now and haven't even scratched the surface.

There must be some that Saddam cut their arms off or something and they ran to America that would be willing to do this work.

[leadhead]

Isn't there a few red blooded American dudes that can translate these documents and tapes

One of the problems with audio tapes of Arabic speakers is to understand the meaning of the conversation without seeing the gestures.

The meaning of phrases spoken in private to people in attendence have winks, nods, head & hand gestures that define what's being said.

Only arabic audio produced to be solely audio can be parsed by a linguist.

The Godfather example in the prior post is quite true.

[stocksthatgoup]

"Isn't there a few red blooded American dudes that can translate these documents and tapes. Surely there are a few around that could be paid $50 an hour to transcribe this crap. We have been waiting for a couple of years now and haven't even scratched the surface."

Don't we have recognition & translation software that could produce a rudimentary understanding of all these documents and tapes in short order?

[libstripper]

Ther's a large Iraqui-American comunity, many of whom came here for political asylum before the Liberation. Many of those folks would probably be happy to make $50.00/hr. translating the doucments. I've not read of any sincere and determined effort by the government to recruit them as translators.

[RightWhale]

analyst Bill Tierney

is as American as they come.