Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Diploma Norwegian March 2004 Reading Task 1 Task 2 Military Journal Newspaper Article Time allowed 60 minutes Candidates should attempt all the questions. All answers must be written in English. All notes, rough work and answers must be written in the booklets provided. Do not turn this page over until instructed to do so. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 1 of 28
Task 1 Military Journal Your task is to translate the following text. Your translation should convey both the content and meaning, as well as reflect the tone and register of the original passage. This passage concerns surveillance operations in Afghanistan. Den flernasjonale bataljonen for etterretning, overvåkning, mållokalisering og oppklaring, kjent under forkortelsen ISTAR, er øyne og ører for koalisjonens kommanderende offiserer i Afghanistan. ISTARs arbeid er å finne terroristene og ekstremistene som utgjør en konstant trussel for den flernasjonale styrken, samt bestemme nøyaktig hvor de er basert og hva de foretar seg. Dette innbefatter å etterspore aktive medlemmer av al-qaeda, Taliban-aktivister, eller våpen- og narkotikasmuglere, og yte noe av den informasjonen som er nødvendig for spesialstyrkene, det afghanistanske politiet eller andre koalisjonsenheter i arbeidet med å omringe og pågripe dem. ISTAR er en av de mest hemmelige operasjonene i den NATO-ledede styrken. Dens svært konfidensielle oppgaver holdes til og med hemmelig fra andre soldater. ISTAR-operatører benytter Coyote-panserbiler og spaningskjøretøy med utstyr for elektronisk krigføring, og kan lokalisere og identifisere nummerskilt på biler som er så langt unna at de ser ut som langsomt kravlende maur, mens mennesker ikke er stort mer enn flueflekker. Oppsyn med fjerne landsbyer for å finne terrorist-gjemmesteder er ikke hva Coyote ble utviklet for. Coyote ble utviklet med tanke på rekognisering i slagmarken, finne fiendtlige stridsvogner eller infanteriformasjoner, og viderebringe denne informasjonen til kommanderende offiserer, men systemet har nå en ny rolle. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 2 of 28
Task 2 Newspaper Article Your task is to translate the following text. Your translation should convey both content and meaning, as well as reflect the tone and register of the original passage. This passage is about a reporter being detained. På mandag ble en av Al-Jazeeras beste reportere anholdt for ytterligere 72 timer mens politiet etterforsker påstandene om at han har forbindelser til al-qaeda. Tayssir Alouni, som intervjuet bin Laden for to år siden, ble arrestert på fredag, og ble forhørt i nesten tre timer. Han virket rolig og avslappet da han fremsto for varetektsdommer Baltasar Garzon, som har ledet den spanske etterforskningen mot personer som er beskyldt for å være medlemmer av al-qaeda eller andre militante islamske grupperinger. En talsmann for Al-Jazeera uttalte at den forlengede anholdelsen av Alouni er `sjokkerende, og at fjernsynsnettverket gjør alt som står i deres makt for å få ham frikjent. Rettsfunksjonærer har imidlertid uttalt at Alouni har innrømmet at han ved flere anledninger har tatt med seg opptil $4.000 fra Spania til personer i utlandet. Men han hevder at dette kun er et uttrykk for hans solidaritet til det arabiske samfunnet, og at han ikke har støttet terrorister. Alouni er en velkjent krigskorrespondent for det Qatar-baserte arabiske satelittfjernsynsnettverket, og dekket de amerikanske invasjonene i Afghanistan og Irak. Al-Jazeera har sendt en protest til Spanias statsminister. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 3 of 28
Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Diploma Norwegian March 2004 Listening Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Radio Discussion News Item Military Briefing Time allowed 60 minutes Candidates should attempt all the questions. All answers must be written in English. All notes, rough work and answers must be written in the booklets provided. Do not turn this page over until instructed to do so. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 4 of 28
Task 1 Radio Discussion Your task is to identify the major issues in a discussion on a civilian topic and summarise in writing the views of the two speakers, one of whom is male, the other female. You will hear the discussion twice. There will be a silence of three minutes on your CD between broadcasts and a further five minutes at the end after the second recording. You may take notes during the recordings and the three-minute silence, and you must complete the task during the five-minute silence after the second recording. The discussion is about private and public funding. Task 2 News Item Your task is to write the gist of a radio news item. You will hear the passage once only, after which there will be a silence of ten minutes on your CD. You may take notes during the recording, and you must complete the task during the tenminute silence on your CD. The news item is about an anti-terrorist exercise. Task 3 Military Briefing Your task is to summarise a number of points from a military briefing. You will hear the briefing twice. There will be a silence of three minutes between briefings and a further ten minutes after the second recording. You may take notes during the recordings and the three-minute silence, and you must complete the task during the ten-minute silence after the second recording. What information does the briefer give about the following: 1. Deaths during training at Deepcut. 2. The fate of an unwanted ship, HMS Scylla. 3. The call-up of reservists. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 5 of 28
Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Diploma Norwegian March 2004 Tapescripts Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Radio Discussion (English Version) Radio Discussion (Norwegian Version) News Item (English Version) News Item (Norwegian Version) Military Briefing (English Version) Military Briefing (Norwegian Version) Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 6 of 28
ListeningTask 1 Radio Discussion (English Version) Private or Public Funding? 1. MARK I ve just been on to my accountant. I dread brown envelopes coming through the door. Why should I pay all this tax? I have private health care. Why should I pay for other people to go to hospital? 2. ROZ Mark, it s your decision to go private. Most people can t afford it. You re a rich man. You ve done pretty well. Don t you think you ought to put something back? 3. MARK I understand what you re saying. But how much of what I put in actually goes on patient care? And how much goes on a gang of unnecessary bureaucrats pushing forms around? 4. ROZ But do you honestly think that bureaucracy is simply confined to public organisations? What about all the appraisal and target setting that goes on in companies today? And another thing, if you start privatising one thing, where are you going to stop? Do you really think we should privatise police forces or fire services? 5 MARK Don t be silly. Of course I appreciate that public services need to be funded. But I m a businessman. I want to know where my money goes. I want to see some return for it. 6 ROZ Absolutely. Of course you need transparency. That's why the government publishes statistics 7 MARK Yeah and we all know what you can do with statistics. What I m saying is if I'm going to pay so much tax, I want to know where it goes and I want to be able to say if I disagree with what the government is doing with my money. Now I believe in education 8 ROZ And you pay for your children to go to public school 9 MARK Yes I do: it s a good investment I believe they ll get a first-rate education which will set them up for life. But I m talking about state education. I believe a country with good schools and colleges and universities has a head start over other countries in many, many fields - including business. 10 ROZ But if you think quality state education is such a good idea and I agree it is then why send your child to a private school? 11 MARK It's a good investment. We all know that the state system is lousy and until it improves, why should I jeopardise my children's future? 12 ROZ But don't you see that's part of the problem? It's just the same as with the health service. If you pay for these services, then all that will happen is the best doctors, nurses and teachers will move across to the private sector - 13 MARK - So they should, it's the laws of market forces - 14 ROZ Which means that you're widening the gap between good service and bad service. No way will you end up with the good state education service you say you believe in. 15 MARK But that patently isn't true. Look at the French health system. Some say it's the best in Europe. It's funded by insurance, which everyone pays, and there are no waiting lists at least nowhere near as big as the UK and the treatment is first class. And the British health system is even sending people for treatment there. 16 ROZ Okay fine, a particular system doesn t always work. But I'm talking about the principle. In a society you should have basic rights for everyone: access to health care; access to education; the right to feel safe in the streets Private business cannot be trusted to deliver. It has to be the state and you have to pay taxes to achieve that. It's only fair. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 7 of 28
Listening Task 1 Radio Discussion (Norwegian Version) Privat eller offentlig finansiering? 1. MARK Jeg har akkurat snakket med regnskapsføreren min. Jeg har skrekk for brune konvolutter som detter gjennom brevsprekken. Hvorfor skal jeg betale all denne skatten? Jeg har privat sykeforsikring. Hvorfor skal jeg betale for at andre folk skal komme på sykehus? 2. ROZ Mark, du har bestemt deg for å ha privat forsikring. De fleste har ikke råd til det. Du er en rik mann. Du har gjort det ganske bra. Synes du ikke at du bør gjøre litt gjengjeld? 3. MARK Jeg skjønner hva du mener. Men hvor mye av det jeg betaler går til behandling av pasientene? Og hvor mye går til en gjeng unødvendige byråkrater som bare flytter på papirer? 4. ROZ Men tror du virkelig at byråkrati bare er begrenset til offentlige organisasjoner? Hva med all den vurderingen og målsettingen som foregår i bedrifter nå for tiden? Og én ting til, hvis du privatiserer én ting, hvor ender det? Tror du virkelig at vi bør privatisere politi- eller branntjeneste? 5 MARK Ikke vær dum. Jeg skjønner selvsagt at offentlige tjenester må finansieres. Men jeg er forretningsmann. Jeg vil vite hvor pengene tar veien. Jeg vil se avkastning på dem. 6 ROZ Ja visst. Man trenger selvsagt mer innsyn. Det er derfor regjeringen offentliggjør statistikk 7 MARK Ja, og alle vet hva man kan gjøre med statistikk. Jeg mener at hvis jeg skal betale så mye skatt, så vil jeg vite hvor den tar veien og jeg vil ha lov til å si at jeg er uenig i hva regjeringen gjør med pengene mine. Jeg tror på utdanning 8 ROZ Og du betaler for barna på privatskole 9 MARK Ja, det gjør jeg. Jeg tror det er en god investering de får førsteklasses utdannelse som gir dem en god start i livet. Men jeg snakker om statlige skoler. Jeg tror at et land med gode skoler, høgskoler og universiteter ligger foran andre land på mange, mange felter inkludert i forretningslivet. 10 ROZ Men hvis du mener at gode offentlige skoler er så lurt og jeg er enig at det er det hvorfor sender du ungen på privatskole? 11 MARK Det er en god investering. Alle vet at det offentlige systemet er håpløst, og til det blir bedre, hvorfor skal jeg sette barnas framtid på spill? 12 ROZ Men skjønner du ikke at det er en del av problemet? Det er det samme med helsevesenet. Hvis du betaler for disse tjenestene, så skjer bare det at de beste legene, sykepleierne og lærerne går over i den private sektoren - 13 MARK - Som de bør, det er markedskreftenes lov - 14 ROZ Og det betyr at du utvider avstanden mellom god og dårlig tjeneste. Ikke tale om at du ender opp med det gode offentlige skolesystemet som du sier at du tror på. 15 MARK Men det er opplagt at det ikke er sant. Se på det franske helsevesenet. Noen sier at det er det beste i Europa. Det finansieres av forsikring, som alle betaler, og det finnes ikke ventelister i alle fall ikke på langt nær så lange som i Storbritannia og behandlingen er førsteklasses. Og det britiske helsevesenet sender til og med folk til behandling der. 16 ROZ Ok, greit, et bestemt system fungerer ikke alltid. Men jeg snakker om prinsippet. I et samfunn skal du ha grunnleggende rettigheter for alle: tilgang til helsevesen, tilgang til utdannelse, rett til å føle seg trygge ute Private bedrifter kan ikke forventes å kunne levere det du trenger. Det må være staten, og du må betale skatt for å oppnå det. Det er rettferdig. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 8 of 28
Listening Task 2 News Item (English Version) This is the BBC World Service at 18.00 hours Greenwich Mean Time. And now London Calling! Yesterday the heart of London's financial district was sealed off for the most realistic antiterrorist exercise Britain has ever seen. Everything was done to make the simulated emergency as much like the real thing as possible. In fact the whole operation was deliberately modelled on what had actually happened in the Tokyo underground eight years ago. In the London exercise terrorists were supposed to have struck at Bank underground station, releasing a chemical agent similar to the poisonous gas Sarin used in the Tokyo terrorist attack. The intention was to see how well the emergency services could work together. It was also their first chance to fully test the effectiveness of the new equipment introduced in the aftermath of September 11. At 11.48 am an underground train carrying 60 Police cadets who had volunteered to act as passengers, pulled out from Bank station. Fifty yards into the tunnel and 85ft below ground level, the driver became aware that a chemical attack had taken place and that passengers were collapsing. He radioed the alert and the rescue operation began. First on the scene at 11.55 were two officers from the British Transport police. They were wearing black protective suits and carrying chemical agent monitors. They remained above ground testing the area near the station entrance to see if the gas had risen to street level. Meanwhile emergency crews raced to the scene. At 11.59 five fire engines and a fire control unit arrived. But no one went underground for almost 20 minutes whilst experts assessed the danger. This was to avoid what had happened in Tokyo where ambulance staff rushed to the worst affected area only to be themselves struck down by the poisonous gas. Finally, at 12.19, fire officers in full-length chemical suits began the operation underground. They went down into the station and onto the well-lit platform. Then moving carefully and testing the air as they went they moved into the pitch-black tunnel. Above ground the normally bustling City of London was virtually a ghost town. In scenes reminiscent of a science fiction movie, police, ambulance and fire service personnel, wearing gas masks and chemical suits, took control of the streets. Everyone else was herded away. Everyone that is apart from television crews, radio and newspaper reporters and a group of government ministers. The exercise gave valuable evidence as to both the strengths and weaknesses of the emergency services response. Although the officials running the exercise insisted that response time was not being tested, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said that the fact that supposedly stricken passengers were still underground three hours after the exercise began must be a cause for concern. None of the victims would have received any medical treatment until they reached ground level. The effect of London staging such an event in front of the world's media could also be an issue. It was claimed that the images shown on television around the world could frighten foreign tourists and deter them from visiting the capital, as happened earlier this year, when Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 9 of 28
Tony Blair ordered tanks to guard Heathrow. However, both the transport secretary, Alistair Darling, and Ken Livingstone insisted that the exercise was essential if London was to be able to respond quickly and effectively to a real terrorist assault. 560 words Marking guidelines: 1. Anti-terrorism exercise to protect London (similar to Tokyo attack) essential 2. Testing: emergency services kit employed 3. Some detail that it took place underground 4. Outcome: valuable lessons learnt (Mayor s concerns) effect on tourism Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 10 of 28
Listening Task 2 News Item (Norwegian Version) Dette er BBC World Service kl 18.00 Greenwich Mean Time. Og nå London Calling! Hjertet av Londons finansdistrikt ble i går avsperret i forbindelse med den mest realistiske antiterrorøvelsen Storbritannia noen gang har sett. Alt ble gjort for å gjøre den simulerte nødssituasjonen så lik en virkelig situasjon som mulig. Hele operasjonen var faktisk modellert på det som virkelig skjedde på undergrunnen i Tokyo for åtte år siden. I øvelsen i London skulle terroristene ha slått til på Bank undergrunnstasjon, og sluppet ut et kjemisk stoff som lignet på den giftige saringassen som ble brukt i terrorangrepet i Tokyo. Hensikten var å se hvor godt de forskjellige redningstjenestene samarbeidet. Det var også den første anledningen til å teste fullt ut effektiviteten på det nye utstyret som ble introdusert etter 11. september. Kl 11.48 forlot et tog Bank stasjon, med 60 frivillige politiaspiranter som passasjerer. 45 m inn i tunnelen og 25 m under bakken, ble togføreren oppmerksom på at det hadde funnet sted et kjemisk angrep og at passasjerene falt om. Han slo alarm, og redningsoperasjonen begynte. To offiserer fra det britiske transportpolitiet var de første på åstedet, kl 11.55. De hadde svarte vernedresser og hadde med seg apparater som målte kjemiske midler. De ble over bakken og testet området nær stasjonsinngangen for å se om gassen hadde steget til gatenivået. I mellomtiden raste redningstjenestene til åstedet. Kl. 11.59 ankom fem brannbiler og en brannkontrollenhet. Men ingen gikk ned i undergrunnen på nesten 20 minutter mens ekspertene vurderte faren. Dette var for å unngå det som skjedde i Tokyo der ambulansepersonale skyndte seg til de verst påvirkete områdene, bare for å oppleve at de selv ble slått ut av den giftige gassen. Kl. 12.19 begynte brannmannskap i kjemiske kjeledresser operasjonen under bakken. De gikk ned på stasjonen og inn på den godt opplyste plattformen. De gikk så forsiktig fram og testet luften mens de gikk inn i den beksvarte tunnelen. Over bakken var den normalt travle City of London omtrent som en spøkelsesby. I scener som minte om en science fiction-film, tok politi-, ambulanse- og brannmannskap med gassmasker og kjemiske dresser over kontrollen av gatene. Alle andre ble ført bort. Dvs. alle unntatt fjernsynsfolk, radio- og avisjournalister og en flokk ministere. Øvelsen ga verdifull informasjon om både styrken og svakheten på redningstjenestenes respons. Selv om de som ledet øvelsen insisterte på at responstiden ikke ble testet, sa Londons borgermester, Ken Livingstone, at det faktum at såkalte rammete passasjerer fremdeles var nede på undergrunnen tre timer etter at øvelsen begynte, må være grunn til bekymring. Ingen av ofrene ville ha fått legehjelp før de kom opp til bakkenivå. Virkningen av at London arrangerte en slik øvelse foran verdens medier kunne også være et problem. Det ble hevdet at bildene som ble vist på TV rundt hele verden kunne skremme bort utenlandske turister og hindre dem fra å besøke hovedstaden, slik det skjedde tidligere i år da Tony Blair beordret tanks til å vokte Heathrow flyplass. Men både transportministeren, Alistair Darling, og Ken Livingstone presiserte at øvelsen var helt nødvendig dersom London skulle kunne reagere raskt og effektivt på et virkelig terrorangrep. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 11 of 28
Listening Task 3 Military Briefing (English Version) Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. You are, of course, aware that there has been considerable speculation in the media about the causes of the deaths of four young soldiers during basic training at Deepcut Barracks. As a result of this media attention and to a certain extent because of the activities of some of the victims families, the police launched an independent and wide-ranging investigation into these deaths. We have been informed that their enquiries are now complete and that the report has been passed to the relevant authorities. From the outset, the Army adopted an attitude of complete openness and has fully co-operated with the police in every respect. We had after all nothing to hide and have maintained throughout that any lessons that can be learnt, will be learnt and actioned immediately. It is, however, reassuring to note that the number of suicides in the Armed Forces is well below that of the national average. The second topic concerns the efforts of the MOD to assist in enhancing wildlife habitats by recycling unwanted ships. The former frigate, HMS Scylla, has embarked on the first stages of her new life she will be used as a sunken reef in order to create a wildlife habitat as well as provide a site for use by leisure divers. The frigate, which was taken out of service in 1993 has been towed to Devonport, where she will be prepared for her final trip in April next year - a short move out to sea where she will be sunk to create an artificial reef. For the past decade Scylla has operated out of Portsmouth Harbour, which she left this weekend for Devonport where she was built - she was incidentally the last ship to be built there - and will undergo extensive work to prepare her for her new role. In her day she had a high standard of accommodation and was used as a fast anti-submarine platform. She saw action during the Cod Wars off Iceland in the 1970s and was involved in humanitarian operations following a hurricane in the Caribbean. My final theme for today concerns the recent statement in Parliament by the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the further call-up of reservist personnel for duty in the Gulf. In his statement Mr Hoon praised the contribution that reservists had made in Iraq, supplementing the work of the regular Armed Forces. He noted, however, that the transition to democracy would take longer than originally anticipated and that this would place a strain on manpower in some areas. Consequently the MOD had decided that it would be necessary to call-up a further 1,000 reservists who would be used to replace many of the reservists who were coming to the end of their tour of duty. In particular, these reservists will be used in two main roles: to provide force protection for the three principal Headquarters on the ground and to bring some of the regular fighting units up to combat strength. The MOD wishes to stress, however, that this call-up will not result in increased numbers of reservists being deployed. In fact, the reverse is true and the overall number of reservists mobilised has been reduced by 50% since the end of hostilities. TOTAL = 543 words (about 3.5 mins @ 160 words a min) Task What information does the briefer give about the following: 1. Deaths during training at Deepcut. 2. The fate of an unwanted ship, HMS Scylla. 3. The call-up of reservists. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 12 of 28
Listening Task 3 Military Briefing (Norwegian Version) God morgen mine damer og herrer. Dere vet helt sikkert at mediene har spekulert mye på årsakene til at fire unge soldater døde da de var på rekruttskolen ved Deepcut Barracks. Som et resultat av oppmerksomheten, og til en viss grad pga. det noen av ofrenes familier har gjort, satte politiet i gang en uavhengig og omfattende gransking av dødsfallene. Vi er blitt informert om at etterforskningen nå er fullført, og at rapporten er sendt til de aktuelle myndighetene. Fra begynnelsen av handlet hæren helt åpent, og har samarbeidet fullt ut med politiet på alle måter. Vi hadde jo ikke noe å skjule, og har hele tiden hevdet at hvis vi kan lære noe av dette skal vi lære det med én gang, og handle deretter. Det er imidlertid beroligende å merke seg at antall selvmord i de væpnende styrkene er godt under landsgjennomsnittet. Det andre emnet gjelder forsvarsdepartementets anstrengelser med å bidra til å forbedre dyrelivets naturlige tilholdssted ved å resirkulere uønskete skip. Den tidligere fregatten, HMS Scylla, har tatt de første skrittene mot et nytt liv hun skal brukes til et sunket rev for å skape et naturlig tilholdssted for dyrelivet i tillegg til å være et sted som kan brukes av sportsdykkere. Fregatten som ble tatt ut av tjeneste i 1993 er slept til Devonport, der hun skal gjøres klar til sin siste tur i april neste år en kort tur til havs der hun skal senkes og bli et kunstig rev. I de siste ti årene har Scylla seilt ut fra Portsmouth havn, som hun forlot denne helgen for å seile til Devonport der hun ble bygget hun var forresten det siste skipet som ble bygget der. Det må gjøres et omfattende arbeid på HMS Scylla for å gjøre henne klar til den nye rollen. I sin tid var innkvarteringen av en høy standard, og hun ble brukt til en rask antiubåtplattform. Hun gjorde tjeneste i torskekrigen utenfor Island på 70-tallet, og var involvert i humanitære operasjoner etter en orkan i Karibien. Det siste emnet i dag angår den nylige uttalelsen som Forsvarsministeren gjorde i Parlamentet angående ytterligere innkalling av vernepliktige til oppgaver i Den persiske bukt. I uttalelsen roste mr Hoon bidraget fra de vernepliktige i Irak, som et tillegg til arbeidet til de vanlige væpnede styrkene. Han sa at overgangen til demokrati imidlertid ville ta lengre tid enn opprinnelig antatt, og at dette vil legge press på mannskapet i noen områder. Derfor hadde Forsvarsdepartementet besluttet at det ville bli nødvendig å innkalle ytterligere 1000 vernepliktige som skal brukes til å erstatte mange vernepliktige som nærmet seg slutten av tjenestetiden. Disse vernepliktige skal særlig brukes til to viktige roller: å gi beskyttelse til de tre viktigste hovedkvarterene på bakken og til å bringe noen av avdelingene av yrkessoldater opp til full kampstyrke. Forsvarsdepartementet ønsker imidlertid å understreke at denne innkallingen ikke vil føre til at et økt antall vernepliktige blir satt inn. Det motsatte er faktisk tilfellet, og totalt antall mobiliserte vernepliktige er blitt redusert med 50 % siden fiendtlighetene opphørte. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 13 of 28
Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Diploma Norwegian March 2004 Writing Task 1 Task 2 Social Letter Translation of a Report Time allowed 90 minutes Candidates should attempt all the questions. All notes, rough work and answers must be written in the booklets provided. Do not turn this page over until instructed to do so. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 14 of 28
Task 1 Social Letter Below is an English translation you have made of a letter in Norwegian that was sent to your CO. Your CO has made some numbered comments, and has asked you to draft a reply on his behalf in Norwegian. Read the letter and comments, and then draft your reply. You are advised to spend approximately 30 minutes on this task. Note: In your answer to this question, you must show that you have referred to all the points made in the comments. Dear Col Brown, Thank you for the outline programme sent to us in reference to the proposed visit by the foreign minister. After due consideration we suggest the arrangements as outlined below. Could you please confirm these arrangements. ➊ Sat 13: 10.00 arrival 10.30 meeting with heads of units 12.00 lunch ➋ 13.30 visit joint exercise HQ 14.30 press briefing at HQ ➌ 15.30 visit units in the field (photo opportunity) ➍ 17.00 departure. Could you also take charge of any security arrangements and liaise with the minister s security staff? ➎ Many thanks, Foreign Office Under Secretary ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ Generally confirm all arrangements Lunch in mess or in the field? Press briefing better in press centre not HQ Photo opportunity arrange with military equipment away from exercise area (too many photographers) ➎ Will contact staff about security arrangements Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 15 of 28
Task 2 Translation of a Report Prepare a draft translation of the following report. Your report should accurately convey the content of the text. You should include headings as suggested by the notes and your report should be culturally appropriate. You are advised to spend approximately 60 minutes on this task. The conclusions of a study examining more effective and efficient logistic support to the Armed Forces was announced today by the Armed Forces Minister. The review of logistic support to Land and Air forces has concluded that changes are needed to meet the needs of front line operational commanders more effectively, and the demands of expeditionary warfare. Experience from various operations over the past decade, including in Iraq, has shown that there is clear scope for providing better logistic support to our front line Servicemen and women. In addition, it is imperative that we make every pound spent on defence count. This means that logistic support must be provided as efficiently as possible, freeing up resources for reinvesting in the front line and providing our personnel with the equipment and material they need to do their job. Opportunities exist both to improve the service to the front line, and to save money for investing in other defence priorities. Key points from the Review are: Logistic support should be configured for the most likely operational scenario but must have the flexibility to cope with the most demanding. Support facilities should be concentrated where they can deliver the Armed Forces' needs as effectively, flexibly and efficiently as possible. The supply chain should be streamlined to reduce excess capacity and duplication. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 16 of 28
Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Diploma Norwegian March 2004 Speaking Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Time allowed Task 1 Preparation Transaction Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Transacting Business General Conversation Consecutive Interpreting Situational Interpreting 55 minutes (maximum) 10 minutes 15 minutes approx. 10 minutes approx. 5 minutes approx. 10 minutes approx. The use of dictionaries, glossaries, or any other reference material (whether printed or personal) is not permitted during the preparation phase or at the oral examination board. Mobile phones must be handed in at registration. If you take any reference materials or notes into the preparation room, please make this known to the invigilator immediately. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 17 of 28
Task 1 Transacting Business Candidates Brief Scenario: You have been sent to meet an NGO official following reports that they are unhappy with the arrangements for military support. You have 10 minutes to prepare before meeting the NGO official. On completion of the transaction you have 5 minutes to brief your commanding officer (played by the Service Colleague) in English on the outcome. FROM: Your CO TO: You RE: Military support for NGOs We have learned that some of the NGOs in the area are expressing dissatisfaction with the level of support they are receiving from us. We have received a list of points from them regarding what we agreed and the arrangements for convoy protection. We need to know: If there is a problem with the arrangements (if not what is the problem) Information about any specific incidents What they think the agreement states Whether they understand the complexities of our role here Do they have any solution for the apparent difficulties Would they like a high level meeting to discuss overall support strategies (I would be happy to meet them if they wish). The NGO needs to understand that our situation is complex and that we have finite resources. Our understanding is that all figures in the arrangements would be ideal scenarios, not fixed guarantees. Sometimes personnel are prioritised elsewhere. We will look into any specific case, but where numbers of personnel detailed to support convoys is concerned, ambushes will happen regardless of how many soldiers accompany the patrol. Report back on your return. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 18 of 28
Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Diploma Norwegian March 2004 Examiners' Pack Speaking Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Time allowed Task 1 Preparation Transaction Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Transacting Business General Conversation Consecutive Interpreting Situational Interpreting 55 minutes (maximum) 10 minutes 15 minutes approx. 10 minutes approx. 5 minutes approx. 10 minutes approx. Contents Page 1 Cover Sheet Page 2 Task 1 Transacting Business Examiners Brief Page 3 Task 1 Transacting Business Service Colleagues Checklist Page 4 Task 1 Transacting Business Candidates Brief Page 5 Task 1 Transacting Business Comparison Sheet Page 6 Task 2 General Conversation Examiners Brief Page 7 Task 3 Consecutive Interpreting Examiners Brief Page 8 Task 3 Consecutive Interpreting Examiners Brief (Norwegian Version) Page 9 Task 4 Situational Interpreting (English Version) Service Colleagues Brief Page 10 Task 4 Situational Interpreting (Norwegian Version) Examiners Brief Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 1 of 28
Task 1 Transacting Business Examiners Brief Scenario: Meeting between NGO official and British military to discuss provision of military support. British serviceman/woman I understand that you are unhappy with the arrangements for military support to your operations. Confirm you have received list. Ask for specific example about recent incident. Inform official that matters are in hand. Express doubt that a larger number of soldiers would have prevented attack. That is not what we agreed. It was explained that the figures would be ideal scenario ones. Often our personnel are on active duty elsewhere. State you can t think of a solution. Find out if NGO official has got a solution. Will pass concerns back to CO. Arrange another high level meeting for CO. For the time being he will have to live with the current arrangements. Will be in touch once the date of meeting is arranged. NGO official No, the arrangements are fine. We agreed those ages ago. No. The problem is that you don t keep to the arrangements. Just as an example, last month we had a food convoy going into the mountains only no guard. What happened? The convoy was ambushed and half the food stolen. That s not the point. It is our understanding that we agreed fixed numbers of military personnel to accompany NGO officials. We know that the job of the military is very complex in this situation, but not supplying the manpower you agreed to supply only makes it worse. What cannot happen is for us to organise an operation and then to find that it is jeopardised through lack of protection. We would like to see meetings before each operation to discuss logistics and an agreement made to deploy a certain number of men. We would supply you with a list of the personnel and their duties and you would do the same We would welcome this. But this sort of thing takes time. In the meantime we would like you to honour your previous agreement and supply enough personnel to ensure the safety of our missions. Tomorrow would be fine. Please can it be in the morning, say 10.30. I have to travel in the afternoon. CO (service colleague) Arrangements are fine implementation a problem. Many examples. Last month food convoy ambushed and attacked, half the food was taken. They think we agreed fixed number of military personnel for NGO operations. Understand the complexity of military s role, but situation can t continue as operations are threatened. They want meetings before each operation. Transparency over who is deployed and the duties of each person. A meeting would be fine but they want some commitment for now. Meeting arranged for 10.30 tomorrow. Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 2 of 28