Setting the Record Straight: Commentary Regarding MEP

In the interest of transparency and accuracy, MEP clarifies critical reports regarding its work, employees and practices.

Download a copy of this document in PDF format.

MYTH

FACT

MEP’s linguists are too old.

The pool of Pashto speakers in the United States is extremely limited.

We estimate only 3,300 American citizens speak fluent Pashto and are eligible to be considered for security clearances. Currently, MEP employs more than 35 percent of them.

The last major wave of Afghan immigration to the US was during the 1980s and early 1990s. As a result, the population of Pashto-speaking US citizens is older. Nevertheless, MEP values the experience of its more mature linguists and the greater breadth of knowledge and perspective they often offer.

As of July 2010, 84 percent of US-hire linguists are age 55 or younger. Of Local National Linguists (LNLs), 99 percent are 55 or younger.

MEP’s interpreters, translators, and cultural advisors are physically unfit.

MEP recruits, vets, and trains linguists according to the military’s specifications, but does not control their final assignments throughout Afghanistan.

MEP notifies the US Army Theater Linguist Manager (TLM) of a linguist’s age and physical characteristics so that the TLM’s ultimate placement decisions are fully informed.

A 65-year old interpreter/translator may be inappropriate for combat support, but may be an outstanding contributor in a hospital, command suite, or Document Exploitation Center. MEP works with the military on placement of every linguist in the field.

While there are obviously very few people who can match the physical condition of US combat troops, MEP is instituting a fitness program to improve stamina and promote health-conscious habits.

In addition, each linguist must pass a physical exam and comply with pre-training requirements. Those who have physical limitations are deployed to positions in the US or other locations outside of Afghanistan.

MEP’s linguists do not meet the military’s language needs.

MEP meets all contract language requirements. Afghanistan poses unique linguistic challenges because it has few unifying language institutions such as newspapers or television, and a high illiteracy rate (approximately 85 percent). Afghanistan is filled with dialects such as Pashayi, Waziri, and Nurestani, and in some cases, troops encounter dialects that have not yet been identified. Some of these are spoken only in small villages and remote valleys.

When new dialects or language requirements are identified in theater, the Theater Linguist Manager coordinate with the US Army to place them on our contract, if they are validated.

The standards for all MEP language tests are set by the US Army and based on the government’s Inter-Agency Language Roundtable’s (ILR) standards. MEP maintains all testing data for review at any time by the government.

MEP received a sole-source (sometimes called “no bid”) contract for $679 million in May 2010.

MEP’s interpreter/translator contract was a competitively awarded small-business set-aside in September 2007.

This contract had a ceiling of $703 million. Due to the increased requirements of the unforeseen military surge, the contract reached its ceiling more than two years before its anticipated expiration date. As a result, in spring 2010, the US Army increased MEP’s existing contract ceiling to ensure continuity of service while it recompetes the contract.

In support of this contract, MEP has reached a fill rate for translator positions as high as 97 percent. The previous incumbent was never able to surpass a 43 percent fill rate for fewer than 200 translator positions. Based on MEP’s performance, the Army has awarded the company seven consecutive quarterly “outstanding” ratings, the highest available.

Due to MEP’s track record, the military has issued MEP multiple Increased Levels of Effort for more than 1,500 slots.

MEP looks forward to re-competing for this work on a full and open basis.

MEP mistreats its linguists, and does not supply them with paper copies of their contracts.

MEP treats its linguists with respect and professionalism and directly addresses issues or complaints when they arise.

MEP’s owners created the company in 2004 after seeing poor treatment of linguists by other companies. Their express intent was to provide fair and honest treatment and good benefits to all workers, including local nationals. This mandate is in our corporate DNA and violations are not tolerated. MEP has an ethics officer and a system in place to receive harassment or mistreatment complaints and acts on all such complaints.

Moreover, MEP’s business is people, and people are our reputation. Mistreating personnel would frustrate MEP’s ability to recruit and retain our professionals.

LNLs have access to their independent contractor agreements at any time. MEP does not, however, provide paper copies to linguists for their own safety, to ensure there is no paper trail that could be used against them by the Taliban. Independent contractor agreements are kept on the bases to which the linguists are assigned, and are available to the linguists if requested.

MEP pays its local linguists unfairly.

MEP pays linguists fairly and on time according to the terms of our contract.

The salary difference between US hired-linguists and LNLs is accounted for largely by the dramatic difference in costs of living between the US and Afghanistan.

Local nationals are paid well by the standards of their community. MEP’s LNLs are compensated better than doctors and cabinet-level officials in Afghanistan. MEP presently has a backlog of more than 600 Afghan nationals waiting to become linguists.

Other factors that raise the salaries of US hires include their ability to obtain clearances, their education, and their willingness to volunteer to leave the security of the United States to travel to the harsh, hostile environments in which the US government is working.

MEP ignores its wounded linguists, and is slow to provide insurance payments.

MEP files all claims and intervenes on behalf of our linguists with insurance companies and claims investigators.

We continually improve our processes to make the system work better for those who rely on it, but MEP has no direct control over payments, which are paid by the insurance companies.

In cases where insurance payments are delayed, we directly intervene on behalf of our linguists to ensure our professionals get what they are due. When complaints of delayed payments first arose in 2009, MEP deployed Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance subject matter experts to Afghanistan to respond. At that time, there were 170 outstanding insurance claims. As of July 2010, there were 28. MEP’s goal is always zero outstanding claims.

Of course, errors or misunderstandings do arise – particularly given the challenges of monitoring more than 8,200 personnel throughout the world, cultural differences, and operating in a war zone. Every wounded linguist receives the care and assistance to which he or she is entitled.

MEP misleads recruits about the hardships they will face overseas.

MEP is open and honest about the nature of its work with the government.

The US government's contractor linguist program provides language specialists where the Armed Forces have critical language shortages. MEP's linguists face the same hardships and threats as America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines.

MEP is committed to ensuring linguists have a complete understanding about the conditions they may face abroad. Anything less would undermine MEP’s reputation and hinder our ability to retain and recruit effectively. MEP’s recruiters are trained to accurately represent the environment linguists may face. Through the pre-deployment process, candidates receive numerous candid briefings on working conditions – even initial pieces of recruitment literature show pictures of linguists in conflict zones.