Maintaining Language Skills: The Australian approach to supporting Defence language capability

Defence Force School of Languages

Maintaining Language Skills:The Australian approach to supporting

Defence language capability

BILC Conference

Czech Republic, May 2012

LTCOL Giles Gorman



Scope

• Policy responses– Requalification

Requirements

– Language Proficiency Allowance

– Refresher Training

• Computer Mediated Learning

• Service Enhancement Programs– Language Study Tours

– Advanced Language Study Tours

– Long Term Schooling


Policy Responses

• Language is an adjunct Skill– ‘Just in time’ training

– ‘Just in case’ training

– Skills maintenance: an individual responsibility

• Incentive– Language Proficiency Allowance

• Quality Assurance– 2 year time limit on qualification


Requalification Testing

• Purpose: Defence linguists are required to requalify every two years to retain formal recognition of skills in LOTE

• Method: Biennial testing of Speaking, Listening, Reading and Translating

• Endstate: ‘On-call’ linguists are job ready


Language Proficiency Allowance• Purpose: to encourage and assist members to maintain

proficiency in an approved foreign language

• Method: Annual cash payment

• Endstate: Maximise number of ‘on-call’ linguistsLevel of Language Proficiency

Degree of Language Difficulty

Lower Intermediate Higher Advanced

$ $ $ $

Group 1 995 1,993 2,989 3,988

Group 2 1,496 2,989 4,982 6,968

Group 3 1,993 3,988 6,968 9,956


Refresher Training

• Purpose: to refresh and requalify language-qualified personnel at Intermediate level (2+)

• Method: 2 week residential course including biennial testing serials

• Endstate: maximum number of trained linguists available

26 Courses in 201215 languages


Service Enhancement Programs

• Independent of DFSL– Service designed and administered

• Substantial investment– Both time and money


Language Study Tours• Purpose: to enhance, maintain, and strengthen existing

language skills of qualified linguists• Method: 21 day country visit incorporating 7 days one-on-one

language tuition and 14 day in-country cultural travel component.

• Endstate: Linguists with colloquial language skills and enhanced knowledge and appreciation of the target country language and culture.

55 Serials in 2012


Advanced Language Study Tours• Purpose: to substantially strengthen existing language skills

of qualified linguists

• Method: 20 weeks in-country intensive language training and 2 week travel component.

• Endstate: Linguists with formal and colloquial language skills and enhanced knowledge of the culture, society, geography, political and military environment.

13 Serials in 2012 : Farsi (Dubai), Pashtu (Dubai),

Chinese (Beijing), Arabic (Amman),

Thai (Khon Kaen) and Indonesian (Bandung)


Long Term Schooling

• Purpose: to prepare senior linguists for professional employment

• Method: 12 months in-country language tuition at university.

• Endstate: Linguists with very high formal and colloquial language skills able to attempt national certification for professional interpreting and translating.

4 serials in 2012 : Arabic (Amman), Chinese (Beijing),

Indonesian (Bandung), Vietnamese (Hanoi)


Computer Mediated Learning (CML)

• New area of interest– CML is limited by student learning network capability

• Blending DFSL Course Materials– Make available to Alumni for skills maintenance

• Advanced Level– Monitoring developments at Australian Education Institutions

• Integration of virtual environments such as ‘Second Life’ into curriculum

• Basic level – Interactive speaking / listening 3D game


Interactive speaking / listening 3D game

The TI Simulator is designed to supplement DFSL’s task-based LOTE Tactical Interaction courses. It incorporates cutting edge learning technologies including: virtual training environments, speech understanding, artificial intelligence, dialog modeling, and game-based learning.

Within the DFSL program, the TI Simulator will prepare students for live role-plays, provide valuable training between deployments, and sustain their skills while overseas.

DFSL and the Army Simulation Wing have partnered with US-based Alelo Inc. to develop a Tactical Interaction Simulator.


Conclusion

• DFSL response to Life Long Learning

1. Policy responses

• Requalification Requirements

• Language Proficiency Allowance

• Refresher Training

2. Computer Mediated Learning

3. Service Enhancement Programs

• Language Study Tours

• Advanced Language Study Tours

• Long Term Schooling


Questions?

Maintaining Language Skills: The Australian approach to supporting Defence language capability

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