The message I got, very loud and clear, from US inf tactical leaders (and I'm talking about squad/pl/coy level) in Afghanistan in 2004/05 was that they desperately needed to be able to communicate effectively with the local people in order to be aware of what was going on in their AO, to build trust, and maybe in the long run save lives. They recommended having way more translators (right down to squad, since squads often operated autonomously), and getting useful language training before deployment.
If time is the enemy, then maybe the answer is that we have to make a draconian decision: we will designate certain people to start language training as soon as we get the WngO for a deployment. (Well, actually, probably before that, unless the timeliness of WngOs has improved...) As was suggested, these could be experienced soldiers who don't need quite as much refresher training. Their job will not be as a driver gunner, or sig op, or cook: it will be as a soldier-translator. I would argue that in a place like Afghanistan that function could be equally as important (if not moreso...) than those listed.
We could also consider (as the US Marine Corps is now initiating) standing language training as part of training during one's career, based on what languages are most likely to be used on ops. (At Quantico, the USMC has begun with Arabic, and will add Chinese).
Cheers