Luther H. Deese

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Education

1959 – 1962 Yale University, Institute of Far Eastern Languages Intensive Chinese Language Courses (Mandarin Dialect), Certificates for completion of the Basic and Intermediate courses with a total of 43 semester hours in Chinese.

1968 – 1969 US Foreign Service Institute, Taichung, Taiwan, One Year Intensive Course in Chinese Mandarin. Completed with a fluency rating equivalent to a native Chinese high school graduate.

1970 – 1974 University of Maryland, College Park, MD. Bachelor's Degree in Chinese and East Asian Studies

        

Academic Awards Received

Graduated Magna cum Laude and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

Languages

Chinese Mandarin, native fluency; Chinese Southern Min Dialect, working knowledge and basic conversational fluency. I read and write fluently in both traditional and simplified Chinese writing forms.

Work Experience

1958 – 1966 US Air Force Security Service Linguist-Analyst
1967 – 1996 Department of Defense, National Security Agency,
                       Master Linguist

Summary of qualifications

Positions ranged from Desk Linguist-Analyst to Division Chief

Final position was that of Senior Level Expert, Master Technical Linguist-Analyst and Senior Language Advisor to a major organization within the Operations Directorate of NSA.

Career included five operational tours of duty in Asia

  • Experienced and fully qualified in consecutive interpreting

  • Experienced, fully qualified professional translator, English to Chinese and Chinese to English
  • Highest Award: Meritorious Civilian Service Award, NSA's 2nd highest award.
  • Honored with the Order of National Security by a foreign partner organization
  • Rated a Master Linguist in NSA's Technical Track career program – the highest rating a linguist can attain.

Civil service grades

Retired in 1996 as a Senior Level Expert – Senior GS-16 equivalent

Security clearance

None currently held – Held Top Secret Clearance with S.I. for over 40 years

 


 

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