AY Honors/Language Study/Answer Key

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.

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:

You may also visit the Main Page of the Wikibooks website and find a list of languages in the left column. Clicking on one of those links will lead you to the Wikibooks main page for that language.

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 topic of 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.

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.

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

Template:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Pledge and Law

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.

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 How to Learn a Language.