Response to OIG Audit of the FBI’s Foreign Language Translation Program

The following is a response to the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report entitled, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Foreign Language Translation Program.”

“The FBI appreciates the Inspector General’s review of the FBI’s Foreign Language Program. This audit is a follow-up to the 2004 report and documents ‘significant improvements,’ in particular reducing the FBI’s counterterrorism audio backlog by 40 percent. The FBI has implemented measures to resolve all 24 recommendations identified by the OIG.

“As stated in the report, the FBI has reviewed all of its foreign language collections in its highest priority counterterrorism and counterintelligence cases in 2008 and 100 percent of the text pages it collected over the past three years. The FBI uses advanced technology to assist in the identification and prioritization of electronic and audio files that are most relevant to the FBI’s mission.

“The FBI also has strengthened the management of the Foreign Language Program through the development of a two-week introductory training program for new linguists and the establishment of the Quality Control Standards Unit, which ensures compliance with the linguist quality control standards.

“Despite a workload increase of 100 percent since 9/11/2001, the FBI’s translation capacity now matches its collection capacity in many languages. The FBI continues to recruit and hire linguists to fill any gaps. The FBI remains committed to reviewing all foreign language material in a timely manner and setting priorities to ensure that the most important material receives the most immediate attention.”

- Deputy Director Responds to OIG Audit of the FBI's Foreign Language Translation Program

- Deputy Director's Letter to Inspector General Regarding Audit of the FBI's Foreign Language Translation Program