FBI Linguists: Diversity and Culture in the FBI

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Video Transcript

Russian Linguist: It starts from the first moment you even walk into the building....It's a very amazing culture in the Bureau, very amazing.

Korean Linguist: The first words that come to my mind is diversity. There are about 1,300 language professionals. And in that 1,300 language professionals, there are about 60 to 70 countries represented, 60 to 70 cultures represented. So, you can imagine how diverse it is. 

Spanish Linguist, North Central Region: I enjoy walking down the hall and seeing a Chinese linguist or an Arabic linguist colleague of mine and greeting them in Arabic or Chinese and then having them greet me in Spanish. It's a family. It's a family and we're—the diversity that exists within the FBI has become, I think, a strength for the FBI.

Spanish Linguist, Southwest Region: The recruiter is handing out applications and talking to everybody saying, "You have to be a U.S. citizen. Make sure you're a U.S. citizen." And she looks at me and says, "You have to be 18 to apply," because I had graduated high school months earlier. So, I filled out the application, went through the testing, passed everything, and then they called me up and said, "Okay, we need you to show up at this place at whatever time." And it was just an amazing experience, because here I am, a 19-year-old girl, and my opinion mattered and the agents cared about what I had to say.

Bulgarian and Spanish Linguist: I feel it every second. Not only that I feel it in my heart, but I also see it in my co-workers' eyes. Every morning I wake up, I feel like I'm the proudest and happiest person to be part of this organization. That's an internal fulfillment that I feel. I cannot be any happier. I think this is the best job in the whole world.

Russian Linguist: We had an agent who was about to go through a very difficult surgery several months ago. And right before the surgery, the director of our office where I work, on that day in the morning, he took time on his schedule. And he spent a couple of hours with that agent right before he was taken for his surgery. That agent was surrounded by his family, and I know that agent's wife, she had tears in her eyes, and she says, "Oh my goodness. I work for private sector. I couldn't imagine my, even boss, immediate supervisor, or anyone who would do the same thing for what you did for us." That's one of the examples. That's our culture.

Voice Over: Visit fbijobs.gov/linguists to learn more or apply and start your adventure as an FBI linguist today.