# $145K per year for a civilian contractor Arabic translator in Iraq - WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710 "2010-11-15T06:36:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![deball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@deball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deball)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/21 "2010-11-15T12:24:26Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > why do you have to be physically on the streets of Baghdad in order to translate for the military? Why can’t the soldiers carry around an internet-connected laptop that would connect their informants to you, either through voice chat or through regular text chat, while you sit either in America or in a secure Green Zone location? The logistics of this would be mindblowing and probably far more expensive than what we’re doing now. Then, of course, it probably wouldn’t work at the very moment you needed it most. “What’s this here guy saying about IEDs all around us, Sarge?” “Dunno, we don’t have any bars here.” Also, Iraqis are very intimate people. The terps understand and use these subtle and not-so-subtle body signals to help with situational awareness. A face on a computer or a voice on the radio wouldn’t be the same, and may actually be quite insulting to a local bigwig. On preview: what others have said. > [@](#): > > Why bother with local dialects if everybody in Iraq has watched Egyptian dramas and understands that dialect? It’s not so much of a dialect thing. Some of our terps are originally from this area, or their parents were, and they know the tribal nuances that run things around here. The right tool for the job, so to speak. Put them out West with the Sunnis or up North with Kurds and they may not be such a great tool. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/22 "2010-11-15T14:09:48Z")
I think fluently probably has a lot to do with it. I’ve known Spanish speaking people who grew up speaking both English and Spanish, but the “Spanish” they learn is OK for everyday but they tell me they couldn’t get a job translating as it’s not “real” Spanish. Whatever that is. Perhaps there is an “educated” version of Arabic, or they need to be able to speak it without accents or other such qaulifications that make “fluently” more in demand then first appears ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/23 "2010-11-15T15:06:34Z")
You think that $145k is a lot of money? Dude, that’s barely more than what most of us make doing government contracting, and I’m not even deployed. I posted my resume on Monster and had 4 job offers (and countless “not for me” offers) within a week. It’s truly an employee’s market. The big thing is the security clearance. You need one to do this kind of work. And it helps if you have prior combat experience. So take all the people that have been there. Now find the ones that still have an active clearance. Now find all of the remaining that can reliably interpret Arabic. What are you left with? A few thousand? And that’s before you’ve even asked if they want the job or not. A lot of us are already making six figures, so you’ll have to offer significantly more to motivate them to live and work in Iraq. There’s a guy in my office right now that’s got the experience, clearance, and language skills but he won’t go. He has a daughter. I’d go, but I’m getting married next year, so I’m out. So you tell me how much you think is reasonable for this job. And I’ll tell you why no one will accept that. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/24 "2010-11-15T15:42:57Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > Why doesn’t the invisible hand of Adam Smith lead a massive rush of new entrants into this business offering cheaper services and saving Uncle Sam (and us the lowly taxpayers) some empire-building cash? As one of my former bosses would say, if it was easy then everyone would do it. Why don’t YOU rush into this business and pick up the big bucks? Or better yet, rush into it and offer to do for cheap? ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/25 "2010-11-15T16:09:53Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > Why doesn’t the invisible hand of Adam Smith lead a massive rush of new entrants into this business offering cheaper services and saving Uncle Sam (and us the lowly taxpayers) some empire-building cash? Because learning languages is HARD for most people. Those few who have a talent for it, especially in a situation where it is desperately needed, can be paid a lot of money. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/26 "2010-11-15T16:33:08Z")
My father is an engineer. He just retired after working for a large international firm with interests and numerous projects in the Middle East. He said the going rate for people like him to go to Iraq was around $250K and they were having a hard time filling the spots. No one wants to go on the military contracts in an active war zone or the ones that do want to go aren’t qualified. The other non-military projects are easy to fill, the pay is better than doing the same project stateside and in certain circumstances they will pay for housing as well. Interestingly enough, when I was young, he was offered a position in Saudi Arabia as a project manager on one of the port expansions. The pay was excellent and he considered it, but families were either left at home or were expected to live on a company run compound with Western schools and other Western families. He got lucky and ended up taking a job elsewhere, but it was a possibility he kicked around for a while. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/27 "2010-11-15T16:41:44Z")
I can’t see how anybody could think $145K for this type of work is out-of-line. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/28 "2010-11-15T16:55:44Z")
Oil rigs are another example for a sector where jobs are considerably better remunerated than comparable activities elsewhere. I hear that life on an oil rig is not that unpleasant, with modern installations offering all sorts of amenities of everyday life - it’s just that being away from your family in isolation on the ocean is something many people are not willing to do. To attract people, salaries consequently rise well above what is paid for oil drilling operators on the mainland. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/29 "2010-11-15T16:58:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I can’t see how anybody could think $145K for this type of work is out-of-line. Well, the same person who thinks that $145K is too much also thinks that this is a viable alternative: > [@code\_grey](#): > > Why do you have to be physically on the streets of Baghdad in order to translate for the military? Why can’t the soldiers carry around an internet-connected laptop that would connect their informants to you, either through voice chat or through regular text chat, while you sit either in America or in a secure Green Zone location? Yeah, right. “Hey dude, when you’ve got your informant, just text me or Skype me, and i’ll totally translate for you.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/30 "2010-11-15T17:07:47Z")
I’d think that the danger is a really big reason why the salary is that high. I’d imagine that a lot of the translators are Iraqi-Americans or other Arabs, and are going to be looked at with hostility by the locals, seen as cooperating with the American military. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/31 "2010-11-15T17:11:48Z")
Me, I’m amazed that they’re able to get anyone at all at that pay. Even in a recession with high unemployment, you’re still talking about a low-supply high-demand college-educated profession, working in one of the most dangerous places in the world. I don’t speak Arabic and I’m not a translator (note: the two are not the same thing), but even if I did, I would want at least twice that. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/32 "2010-11-15T18:02:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Even in a recession with high unemployment, you’re still talking about a low-supply high-demand college-educated profession, working in one of the most dangerous places in the world. I don’t speak Arabic and I’m not a translator (note: the two are not the same thing), but even if I did, I would want at least twice that. Everybody keeps saying that - “recession, high unemployment”. But it’s not the government contractors that are getting laid off. It’s auto makers and such. There’s no recession in the defense industry right now- not with 1 1/2 wars going on. It’s also November. Every new fiscal year, the feds throw chum in the water and say “feed, contractors, feed”. If you check Craigslist in the early summer, I bet you won’t find anything. Everybody’s preparing to recompete and funds are drying up. If it’s paired with an election year, _especially_ a presidential election, the funds dry up even more. IME, it’s not the danger that demands the money. It’s the separation. Most of us that have been there, done that, aren’t worried about being shot. That fear dies down pretty quickly over there. It’s the year-long loneliness, the worry about who’s “caring for” your wife, the missed birthdays, and the relentless work cycle that gets to you. Finally, you also have to realize that that $145k isn’t for 9-5 Monday through Friday. It’s most likely 12 hours a day, every day, for a year. That’s 84 hours a week. That’s the equivalent of a $69,000 job at 40 hours a week at the same hourly rate. Would you put up with all that for $33/hr? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/33 "2010-11-15T18:04:10Z")
I mean, look at some of the [Courtroom Interpreter](http://www.ncsconline.org/d_kis/jobdeda/jobs_courtinterpreters_interpreter.htm) listings here. Salaries are all over the map, but go into the six figures. Plus, you get the benefit of coming home and not (possibly) getting shot at. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/34 "2010-11-15T18:12:50Z")
I think it would help the discussion along if we knew how much the equivalent job would pay in Washington DC or some other non Iraq locale. There aren’t that many people who have the fluency necessary for this kind of work. They aren’t looking for the kind of fluency that someone born in a family to Arabic speaking parents would have. They wants someone who speaks and writes it like a native might. **code\_grey** , how many people do you think can pick up Arabic easily. They might be able to do it if they have an ear for languages and speak one of the other dialects, or grew up speaking it with their families. But the average Joe isn’t going to be able to pick it up within a reasonable time frame. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/35 "2010-11-15T18:31:53Z")
As others have alluded to: 1. You will be in Iraq away from family and friends and possibly living on a forward military base where accommodations are sparse. Even if that base is relatively safe, a suicide bomber or mortar attack can change that. 2. The Arabic language, like many languages, has subtle physical nuances, gestures, etc. that are hard or even impossible to convey via text or even video chat, so you will likely be going out on patrols where your life will be in danger. It may be less about the guy you are translating, and more about the guy who that person is staring at in a window off screen anyway. As such, even video wouldn’t help. 3. The price listed may be an “up to” amount that no one actually receives. Either way, the company in question can pay it because they bid that price and won it on a Government contract. Presumably, this company was the best overall value to the Government for this contract per your Adam Smith concerns. That is what the market says is the correct price. 4. And I agree, why not Craigslist? It is the cheapest way to advertise for jobs that I know of, and while other sites like [Clearancejobs.com](http://Clearancejobs.com) probably get you better candidates, you will get fewer of them and Craigslist is a fraction of the price. My previous company, which was also in defense, always used Craigslist if they could. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/36 "2010-11-15T18:34:04Z")
[Here’s a job posting](https://www.smartrecruiters.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/jobmarket.woa/wa/jobMarketPublicationHomePage?fp1=50648343&fp6=85548) from Hostile Control Tactics, a “fourteen year old security risk management consulting firm with a distinguished track record of supporting a wide variety of sensitive US government projects throughout the world.” This is for a job listing similar to the OP. They pay $145K-$188K for a translator/interpreter. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/37 "2010-11-15T18:38:44Z")
> [@deball](#): > > Hi, I’m sitting in Iraq right now. I’m an active duty E6 Navy combat camera guy. The terps we have in our camp are about half former military and half regular civilians. Their job is dangerous enough. They ride out on our missions and are exposed to the same dangers we are. I can’t speak for terps in the other units, but ours are very fit and have no problems keeping up. From what I’ve been told a lot of applicants are weeded out the same way military applicants are. The ability to hold a clearance, fitness, health, etc. By the time it’s said and done I imagine it’s a pretty small pool of suitable candidates and then it’s all about supply and demand. So you think you know more about this than Adam Smith? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/38 "2010-11-15T18:43:29Z")
> [@deball](#): > > Sarge?" “Dunno, we don’t have any bars here.” Of course not, Islam prohibits alcohol. The OP makes more sense if you think it is irony. Another example of Poe’s law. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Smashy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mr\_Smashy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Smashy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/39 "2010-11-15T18:49:18Z")
Speaking as a Government contracting executive, let me tell you the $145k figure is chump change. My former USMC buddies tell me of their OIF and OEF security work (you can find them all over the place at SOCNET) is still doing $800-1k/day - with 90-120 day engagements. Now, you’re 1099’d so no health insurance or other bennies unless you buy it. I imagine the OP is similar, since it says ‘contract job’. It’s not exactly translation, but it still requires a unique set of skills (along w/TS); delta guys, force recon guys, seals, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710/40 "2010-11-15T19:28:49Z")
> [@Mr\_Smashy](#): > > Speaking as a Government contracting executive, let me tell you the $145k figure is chump change. True. $145 is usually the price for 6months stateside, 6 months deployed. If you stay for the full year, expect $185k-$210k. People like to include “tax free” but that’s only on the first $80,000. The rest is taxed normally. In DC, the average contracting job, I’d guess, pays about $85,000. If you’ve got any experience under your belt, you can get $100,000. If you know Arabic, you make more. If you have extras on your clearance, you can get more, too. The highest paid type of contractor is a DBA/Programmer with a TS/SCI and a Lifestyle Polygraph. They make $175k easily. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/145k-per-year-for-a-civilian-contractor-arabic-translator-in-iraq-wtf/560710.md?page=3)