MINISTRY OF DEFENCE LANGUAGES EXAMINATIONS BOARD

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1 MINISTRY OF DEFENCE LANGUAGES EXAMINATIONS BOARD ADVANCED CERTIFICATE DANISH OCTOBER 2008 Reading Task 1 Task 2 Time allowed Military Document Newspaper Article 45 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. Danish Reading 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 1 of 5

2 Task 1 Military Document Read the report and answer the questions overleaf in English, using full sentences. The report is about the situation in Colombia. Landmineproblemet i Afghanistan og Iraq er en velkendt trussel mod det britiske militær for ikke at tale om lokalbefolkningen, som bor de steder. Men landet med det største antal ofre for landminer er imidlertid Colombia. Her har et team af British Royal Engineers for nyligt givet deres erfaring med minerydning videre til det colombianske militær. Colombia er først nu begyndt at implementere minerydningsprocesser. Den colombianske regering underskrev Ottawa Mineforbudstraktaten i I henhold til traktatens bestemmelser er 2011 regeringens deadline for at rydde alle fodfolksminer i områder under dens jurisdiktion eller kontrol. Teamet fra British Royal Engineers assisterer med denne opgave. Minerydning i områder som Afghanistan og Balkanlandene har givet Royal Engineers en meget nyttig erfaring og ekspertise. Royal Engineers har oplært medlemmer af en colombiansk minerydningsenhed på omkring 130 af hærens ingeniører. Colombia tegner sig for 57% af alle verdens ofre for militærlandminer med i gennemsnit 2 militærtjenestefolk såvel som 3 civile, der kommer til skade eller dræbes hver dag. På grund af den usikre sikkerhedssituation i Colombia foretages al minerydning af militæret. Det største problem i Colombia er både minelægning i flæng og improviserede miner. De bliver lagt ud af ikke-statslige bevæbnede styrker på steder som omfatter brønde og endog skoler. British Royal Engineer teams har fokuseret på at oplære de colombianske ingeniører i at rydde de 34 minefelter, der er blevet lagt rundt om de vigtigste regerings- og militærinstallationer af militæret selv. Ingeniørerne ved da mere eller mindre, hvor minerne befinder sig, og hvilke typer der er blevet brugt. Der kræves officerer, som er specialister i sprængstofrydning til at rydde minerne, der er blevet lagt ud af ikkeregeringsstyrker. Danish Reading 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 2 of 5

3 Questions 1. For what is Colombia infamous? 2. What did the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty oblige the Colombian government to do? 3. How have the Royal Engineers developed such high levels of expertise? 4. Who have the Royal Engineers been training? 5. Why is de-mining always carried out by the Colombian military? 6. Who is responsible for planting indiscriminate mines and improvised devices and where do they plant them? 7. What is the focus for the Royal Engineers? 8. Who is required to remove the indiscriminate mines and improvised devices? Danish Reading 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 3 of 5

4 Task 2 Newspaper Article Read the extract from a newspaper article and answer the questions overleaf in English, using full sentences. This article concerns a visit by President Musharraf to Europe. Pakistans Præsident Musharraf er begyndt et 8-dages besøg i Europa. De vigtigste punkter på dagsordenen er demokrati og kampen mod terror. Det er Præsident Musharrafs første besøg i udlandet, siden hans kontroversielle genvalg og mordet på Pakistans oppositionsleder Benazir Bhutto. Hans mål er at bringe orden i misforståelser omkring de seneste begivenheder i Pakistan, sagde han. Præsident Musharraf er uhyre upopulær i sit hjemland. Mange pakistanere ser Præsident Musharraf og hærens dominerende rolle i landets politiske liv som årsagen til den manglende stabilitet. På mandag skal Præsident Musharraf tale til Europaparlamentets indflydelsesrige udenrigsudvalg i Bruxelles. Han vil utvivlsomt blive stillet nogle vanskelige spørgsmål vedrørende arrangementerne omkring det udskudte parlamentsvalg, der efter planen skal afholdes i næste måned. EU-embedsmænd ser turen som en charmeoffensiv, der skal vise, at Præsident Musharraf stadigvæk er i kontrol. Hans troværdighed er blevet undermineret af mange måneders manglende stabilitet og voldsomme begivenheder i Pakistan. Embedsmænd har sagt, at Pakistan stadig har meget der skal ordnes for at sikre, at valget næste måned bliver et frit, fair og gennemsigtigt valg. Det forventes også, at udvalget vil stille spørgsmål om Præsident Musharrafs hensigter hvad angår demokratiske reformer såvel som hans præstation i kampen mod ekstremister både i Pakistan og nabolandet Afghanistan. Den Europæiske Union er Pakistans vigtigste handelspartner med en årlig handel til en værdi på $9 billioner. Sammen med NATO, som leder en styrke på tropper i Afghanistan, har EU en strategisk interesse i stabiliteten i Pakistan, som besidder atomvåben. Rapporter i den spanske presse har forbundet anholdelsen af 14 hovedsageligt pakistanske mistænkte terrorister i Barcelona med Præsident Musharrafs besøg. De mener, at terroristerne havde planlagt angreb i flere europæiske lande, som skulle finde sted samtidigt med Præsident Musharrafs besøg. Til trods for denne mediespekulation har de belgiske myndigheder erklæret, at de sikkerhedsforanstaltninger, der er truffet, ville være helt de samme som ved et besøg fra ethvert andet statsoverhoved. Danish Reading 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 4 of 5

5 Questions 1. What are the main issues on the agenda for President Musharraf s visit to Europe? 2. What is President Musharraf aiming to do during the visit? 3. How do Pakistanis view President Musharraf and the army s role in Pakistan? 4. Which issue is the European Parliament s Foreign Affairs Committee likely to ask questions about? 5. What has recently happened to President Musharraf s credibility and why? 6. Which two policy areas will EU officials raise with President Musharraf? 7. What interest do both the EU and NATO share in Pakistan and why? 8. What link has the Spanish media made between the arrests in Barcelona and President Musharraf s visit? Danish Reading 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 5 of 5

6 MINISTRY OF DEFENCE LANGUAGES EXAMINATIONS BOARD ADVANCED CERTIFICATE DANISH OCTOBER 2008 Listening Task 1 Task 2 Time allowed Military Briefing News Item 50 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. Danish Listening 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 1 of 2

7 Task 1 Military Briefing Your task is to answer a number of questions on a military topic. You will be given 1 minute to study the following questions covering 8 points in the passage. You will then hear the passage twice; there will be a pause of 3 minutes between readings. You may make notes throughout the two recordings and you will be given 10 minutes at the end to complete your answers. This item is on the recent deployment of the Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) on Exercise Helium Mercury 08. Questions 1. What is the aim of the exercise? 2. Name 3 categories of military personnel who have joined JFHQ. 3. Who met the personnel from JFHQ when they arrived in location and how long had they been there? 4. Where was the exercise originally intended to take place and why was the location changed? 5. What is the exercise scenario? 6. What percentage of time will be apportioned to the planning and execution phases of the exercise? 7. What should the Commander be able to confirm at the end of the exercise? 8. When were JFHQ personnel last deployed to this station en masse and why? Task 2 News Item Your task is to write the gist of a radio news item. You must identify the theme and its development through the passage. Candidates should be able to complete the summary in approximately 120 words. You will then hear the passage TWICE; there will be a pause of 3 minutes between readings. You may make notes throughout the two recordings and you will be given 10 minutes at the end to complete your answer. The article is about strikes in Argentina. Danish Listening 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 2 of 2

8 MINISTRY OF DEFENCE LANGUAGES EXAMINATIONS BOARD ADVANCED CERTIFICATE DANISH OCTOBER 2008 Writing Task 1 Task 2 Time allowed Communication Draft Translation 75 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. Danish Writing 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 1 of 3

9 Task 1 Communication Your Commanding Officer has asked you to compose a letter inviting a former colleague (Colonel Sørensen) to attend the Regimental weekend. Your CO has produced some notes for you to include: 1. Incredible - 18 months have passed since served together in Afghanistan. 2. Understand that he is in the UK for a few weeks in the autumn attending a course at the Defence College. 3. Coincides with the Regimental weekend here, a number of sports matches and an all-ranks party. Many members of the Regiment he met in Afghanistan will attend. 4. Could he attend and perhaps give a short speech? 5. Can promise an excellent weekend and wonderful opportunity to reminisce over Afghanistan! You are advised to spend approximately 30 minutes on this task. Danish Writing 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 2 of 3

10 Task 2 Draft Translation Prepare a draft translation of the following report. You need to: convey the meaning and content of the passage attempt to recreate the style and tone of the English in your version. You are advised to spend approximately 45 minutes on this task. Jungle warfare tests the skills of the very best, as soldiers from The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment found out during a large-scale exercise in Belize. The six hundred soldiers spent five weeks in dense jungle and rainforest, learning how to survive and fight in a hot, humid and challenging environment. The soldiers formed the main force among a larger, 800-strong battle group deployed on Exercise Tropical Storm in Belize. The remaining 200 soldiers included men and women from attached units of artillery, engineers, logistics and medics. Under the guidance of British Army instructors and Belizean military experts, they gained a unique insight into the art of soldiering and staying alive in the jungle. The jungle warfare specialists taught the soldiers in a range of skills. They learned how to find food, source water and make fires. In addition, they practised evacuating casualties after being ambushed by enemy forces. The training has also seen them trying to avoid the many dangerous wild animals of the jungle. As if that wasn t bad enough, the soldiers were kept awake at night by the loud and distinctive noise of the monkeys which inhabit this part of the world. Danish Writing 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 3 of 3

11 MINISTRY OF DEFENCE LANGUAGES EXAMINATIONS BOARD ADVANCED CERTIFICATE DANISH OCTOBER 2008 Speaking Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Time allowed Task 1 Preparation Transaction Task 2 Task 3 Transacting Business General Conversation Situational Interpreting 45 minutes maximum 10 minutes 15 minutes approx. 10 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. This paper may be taken into the examination room. Notes can be made on this paper but it must be returned to the Service Colleague along with any other notes you have written at the end of the examination. Mobile phones must be handed in at registration. Danish Speaking 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 1 of 2

12 Task 1 Transacting Business Candidates Brief Scenario: You have been sent on a fact-finding mission by your Commander in preparation for your unit taking over a military camp currently run by a foreign unit. Your Commander has provided you with a list of questions that he would like you to find answers for. You have arranged a meeting with the 2IC but know that s/he is only available for a short amount of time. You open the conversation. Explain that our unit will be taking over the camp in 6 weeks time. Ask when they are going to vacate the camp. We want a proper handover of the camp and will send the quartermaster and his team ahead of the unit if necessary. How long will this take? Find out how many locals they employ on camp and in what capacities. We would be keen to retain them if they are reliable. Ask what measures are in place to check reliability of locally employed civilians. Arrange for a more in-depth meeting later time at this initial meeting will be limited. You start by introducing yourself. You have 10 minutes to prepare for the meeting. On completion of the transaction you have 5 minutes to brief your Commander (played by the Service Colleague) in English on the outcome. Include in your back brief any additional information that is given to you. Danish Speaking 1008AC Ministry of Defence Languages Examinations Board Page 2 of 2