Military medical and public affairs personnel from the U.S. Army’s Southern Europe Task Force Africa (SETAF-AF), during a recent one-week exchange program with Angolan soldiers, sought to overcome a critical challenge that directly impacts the success of operations among allied nations: the language barrier.
One of the program’s primary objectives was to identify scalable, emerging technologies capable of providing real-time language translation—particularly in high-stress environments where interpreters are not readily available. The program aimed to ensure seamless communication between U.S. personnel and allies in Angola, where Portuguese and more than 40 local languages are spoken.
Translation Applications Tested and Approved
While personnel participating in the exchange received training on various medical procedures, individuals such as Public Affairs Officer (PAO) 1st Lt. Tucker Chase, assigned to SETAF-AF, focused on language translation. In a press release, Chase noted that such translation tools help establish more direct interaction with counterparts and ensure their voices are accurately represented.
By the end of the meeting held during the last week of September, the soldiers had successfully focused on at least one translation app. This app allowed users to have a fluid conversation via side-by-side or face-to-face screens without having to constantly pass the phone back and forth. Thanks to its hands-free and automatic translation features, the technology ensured uninterrupted communication among allied partners.
First Lieutenant Matthew Higgerson, who works as a perioperative nurse at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, described how they used the app: “I’d take out my phone and open the app… Basically, we’d speak normally, as if we were having a conversation, then give each other time to read the translations, and continue talking.”
A Practical Solution in Life-or-Death Situations
The translation tool was also used during a joint medical press conference held as part of a meeting in Luanda, the capital of Angola, proving the value of this technology. Lieutenant Chase noted that the app is “a practical solution when resources are limited,” adding that it is intuitive, fast, and helps preserve the authenticity of interactions.
While this technology may not necessarily replace human interpreters, it can play a critical role in overcoming language barriers during life-or-death operational situations. This short-term exchange program represents a small part of SETAF-AF’s ongoing efforts to rigorously test military technology across the 54 sovereign nations of the African continent; the majority of these efforts are aimed at providing assistance during humanitarian emergencies.
