AY Honors/Language Study/Answer Key

Language Study

Skill Level

2

Year

1938

Version

29.11.2024

Approval authority

General Conference

1

Read and translate from sight a passage of at least 300 words from a book or mag­azine in a language not native to you.

To earn this honor requires achieving reasonable proficiency in a language that is not your native language.

Translating by sight means that you must be able to translate the passage without the use of a foreign-language dictionary.

If you have difficulty finding an article in the language of your choice, try visiting one of Google's news pages hosted for a country where that language is spoken:

• Spain
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• China, etc.

You may also visit the Page of the Wikipedia website and find a list of languages in the drop down menu. There are millions of articles in numerous languages there. You will find translation much easier when you choose an article about a familiar topic.

2

Carry on a simple but sustained conversation in a modern foreign language for a period of not less than five minutes.

The requirement that the selected language be modern reminds us that this honor is in the Outreach category. The purpose of this honor is so that the Pathfinder will be able to share the gospel with speakers of this language, so a dead language (such as Latin, Ancient Greek, or Ancient Hebrew) does not qualify.

If you are new to the language, you might find this requirement easier if you choose a topic ahead of time. For example, you might wish to talk about a recent camping trip or a recent vacation. Just remember that this is supposed to be a conversation, not a monologue. You can also talk about family or school:

• How many brothers do you have?
• Sisters?
• How old is your father?
• Mother?
• Where were you born?
• Where were your parents born?
• Where do (did) you go to school?
• What is your favorite subject?

These topics of conversation help to establish a relationship with another person. Once that has been accomplished the Pathfinder may venture into the other topics (such as the gospel).

3

Listen to an address or statement of not less than two minutes’ duration made by a person to whom the foreign language is a native tongue, and translate the same into your own language.

If you are new to the language, you might find it helpful to watch a video of the speaker. That way you can back up and re-listen to any parts that gave you difficulty. If you have access to a broadband Internet connection, you can find videos in other languages on Youtube at the following locations:

• Mexico (Spanish)
• Brazil (Portuguese)
• France (French)
• Germany (German)
• Netherlands (Dutch)

Youtube is available for many more countries than those listed here. To find them, visit http://Youtube.com and look for the "Site" link in the upper right hand corner. Clicking that link will display a drop-down menu showing which countries are available.

Of course it may also be possible to bring a native speaker to a meeting and have him or her address your club in person.

4

Write a simple letter in the foreign language of your choice, telling what contacts you have been able to make with persons whose native tongue is the language you have chosen.

When this requirement was written, getting Pen Pals was a very popular pastime. Children would send in their names and addresses to Guide Magazine in hopes that another child would write them a letter. Sometimes these pen pals would become lifelong friends, keeping in touch well into adulthood, or even serving as a member of their pen pal's wedding party. In this day and age though, publishing a child's name and address is considered extremely dangerous, so the practice has been discontinued.

However, we now have the Internet. You can easily find a message board or a forum that uses the language you have chosen to study and correspond with them that way. An extended conversation of at least 500 words over multiple posts should be sufficient.

5

Know and repeat from memory the Pathfinder Pledge and Law in this foreign language.

We present the Pledge and Law in several languages here. If the language you have chosen is not represented here, we encourage you to add so others can benefit.

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In Spanish, the Pathfinders calls themselves Conquistadores.

Spanish Source: Recursos y Materiales del Ministerio de Clubes JA
Pledge	Law
Voto Por la gracia de Dios, Seré puro, bondadoso y leal. Guardaré la ley del Conquistador, Seré siervo de Dios y amigo a la humanidad.	Ley La ley del Conquistador me manda a: Observar la devoción matutina Cumplir fielmente con la parte que me toca Cuidar mi cuerpo Tener una mirada franca. Ser cortés y obediente Andar con reverencia en la casa de Dios Conservar una canción en el corazón Trabajar para Dios

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In Portuguese, the Pathfinders call themselves Desbravadores.

Portuguese Source: Site oficial dos Desbravadores
Pledge	Law
Pela graça de Deus Serei puro, bondoso e leal. Guardarei a Lei dos Desbravadores, Serei um servo de Deus E um amigo de todos.	A Lei dos Desbravadores ordena-me: Observar a Devoção Matinal. Cumprir fielmente a parte que me corresponde. Cuidar do meu corpo. Manter a consciência limpa. Ser cortês e obediente. Andar com reverência na casa de Deus. Ter sempre um cântico no coração. Ir aonde Deus mandar.

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In French, the Pathfinders call themselves Explorateurs.

French
Pledge	Law
L'ENGAGEMENT DE L'EXPLORATEUR Avec l'aide de Dieu, avec votre aide et dans la joie, je veux être le serviteur de Dieu, je veux respecter et aimer les autres, je veux observer la loi des Explorateur J.A. et en approfondir les valeurs.	LA LOI DE L'EXPLORATEUR L'explorateur souhaite... Rencontrer Dieu chaque jour dans la prière et l'étude de la Bible. Respecter le lieu où, ensemble, nous adorons Dieu. Être droits et sincère. Être attentifs aux autres pour les aider. Être purs dans nos pensées, nos paroles et nos actes. Prendre soin de notre corps et dire non à tout ce qui le détruit (tabac, alcool, drogue, etc...) Aimer la nature, la respecter et la protéger activement.

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In Italian, the Pathfinders call themselves Esploratores.

Italian Source: Gioventù Avventista
Pledge	Law
Impegno Con la grazia di Dio voglio essere amabile, leale e puro voglio essere servitore di Dio e amico di tutti, voglio osservare la legge degli Esploratori.	Legge L'Esploratore legge la Parola di Dio e prega ogni giorno L'Esploratore è un nuon compagno, onesto e sincero L'Esploratore è amabile e servizievole L'Esploratore si sforza di essere puro nei suoi pensieri, nelle sue parole e nei suoi fatti L'Esploratore ha cura del proprio corpo, si astiene dall'alcool, dal tabacco e da ogni droga L'Esploratore rispetta il luogo di culto L'Esploratore rispetta la natura

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German
Pledge	Law
"Im Vertrauen auf Gottes Hilfe will ich christliche Pfadfinderin/christlicher Pfadfinder sein und nach unseren Regeln mit Euch leben."	Das Pfadfinderregeln des BdP (Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder) .. Ich will hilfsbereit und rücksichtsvoll sein. .. Ich will den anderen achten. .. Ich will zur Freundschaft aller Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder beitragen. .. Ich will aufrichtig und zuverlässig sein. .. Ich will kritisch sein und Verantwortung übernehmen. .. Ich will Schwierigkeiten nicht ausweichen.(Ich will Problemen nicht aus dem Weg gehen) .. Ich will die Natur kennen lernen und helfen, sie zu erhalten. .. Ich will mich beherrschen. .. Ich will dem Frieden dienen und mich für die Gemeinschaft einsetzen, in der ich lebe. Quelle: Bundesordnung des BdP (Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder)

6

Write or tell orally about the foreign population in your vicinity and what opportu­nity you have to converse with those who speak the language you have studied.

You may have to do a little digging to discover this information about your area, and it is entirely possible that your vicinity does not have a foreign population speaking your language of choice. If this is the case, see if you can discover the nearest community of people who do speak that language.

Note: After your choice of a modern foreign language has been made, obtain a suitable textbook in that language and study it thoroughly.

Wikibooks provides several textbooks to help English speakers learn other languages. These are in various states of development, but some are suitable for this purpose now. You can find a list here.

General guidance on learning a new language can be found in Wikibooks [How to Learn a Language].