Season 4: Episode3: The Translation Lie

Introduction

One of the most common pieces of advice Veterans hear during transition is simple: “Translate your MOS.”

The idea sounds reasonable. Replace acronyms with civilian terminology. Turn missions into projects. Convert leadership into management language. Take the language of the military and make it sound like something a corporate hiring manager might recognize.

But for many Veterans, that advice never quite works the way it is supposed to.

In this episode of Common Veterans, we examine what we call The Translation Lie — the assumption that transition is primarily a matter of converting military language into corporate language.

The Limits of Translation

Military service is built around mission clarity, hierarchy, and shared expectations. Civilian organizations operate differently, often with less structure and far less shared context.

When Veterans are told to simply “translate” their MOS, the result can feel forced. The words may change, but the experience behind them often becomes diluted. Leadership, responsibility, and decision-making shaped in a military environment rarely fit neatly into a few lines of corporate language.

Real Conversations About Resumes

In this conversation, we walk through examples many Veterans recognize — resumes that sound impressive but say very little, LinkedIn advice built around buzzwords, and well-intended transition guidance that oversimplifies the reality of military experience.

The result can be frustration on both sides. Veterans struggle to communicate what they actually did, and employers struggle to understand the depth of responsibility that service often requires.

Bridging Two Different Worlds

The real challenge of transition is not just language. It is culture.

Veterans benefit from learning how civilian organizations define responsibility, leadership, and accountability. At the same time, employers benefit from understanding the environments where Veterans developed their experience — environments where decisions are often made under pressure and leadership begins early.

When both sides understand each other better, the conversation changes.

Special Thanks

This episode also gave us the opportunity to sit down with Ty Bancroft of Bancroft Companies, who joined the conversation and offered perspective from the civilian leadership side of the table.

We also want to offer a sincere thank you to Ty and the Bancroft Companies for their generosity in supporting the Common Veterans podcast. Their support helped us upgrade the video equipment used to record these conversations, allowing us to continue sharing these discussions with a wider audience.

Closing

Transition from military service is rarely solved by a simple formula. It takes time, reflection, and honest conversations about how experience translates across two very different professional cultures.

At Common Veterans, we believe those conversations matter. The more openly Veterans talk about the reality of transition, the more prepared the next generation will be when their time comes.

If you are looking for community, resources, or conversations with others who understand the journey, visit FreedomSystem.org.

Common Veterans

We are the Common Veterans.

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