US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA821

UNCLAS  BRATISLAVA 000821 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR FSI/SLS/CTT ILDIKO COSSICH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT, LO 
SUBJECT: Direct Funding Initiative Proposal for Embassy 
Bratislava Language Program 
 
Ref: State 166935 
 
1. SUMMARY: Embassy Bratislava would like to continue 
offering Slovak language learning opportunities for eligible 
family members (EFMs) and State Department officers and 
specialists who did not receive FSI training, as well as 
courses to maintain the investment of FSI training put into 
other officers.  We would like to continue on a yearlong 
basis our post-funded language class program, and supplement 
this with short immersions in Bratislava and the countryside 
and a continuation of our video-development series.  The 
total cost of these programs, after Post contribution is 
accounted for, will be $21,480, with classes as the highest 
priority. 
 
2. POINT OF CONTACT FOR THE PROGRAM: Aaron Schwoebel, Post 
Language Officer, e-mail SchwoebelAM@state.gov, phone (421- 
2) 5922-3232 
 
3. CURRENT POST LANGUAGE PROGRAM: Bratislava now provides 
four different level of instruction, each with two hours of 
class per week.  Students are in Beginner, Advanced 
Beginner, Advanced Intermediate, and Conversational classes. 
The Beginner and Advanced Beginner classes are EFMs and 
officers/specialists who had no previous language training, 
or only the FAST course.  Advanced Intermediate students 
generally came to post with a 2/2 and are trying to maintain 
or improve their proficiency; Conversational students 
generally came to post with a 3/3.  It is important to note 
that it is quite easy for officers to fall back on English 
in Bratislava, and it is vital to provide continued Slovak 
language training to encourage them to maintain their skills 
and use them in meetings and public events (especially 
outside Bratislava) in order to promote goodwill and mutual 
understanding.  Spouses, meanwhile, spend more time among 
Slovaks and need basic Slovak to get around town, purchase 
goods for the home, and so on. 
 
4. POST CONTRIBUTION: Post is committed to spending $6,000 
of Program and ICASS funds on the language program, broadly 
speaking.  However, individual lessons for the new 
Ambassador, who is highly committed to learning Slovak in a 
short period of time, will at the current rate use $3,000 of 
these funds.  Therefore, $3,000 will be put towards the 
budget items for language classes, immersion, and videos 
listed below. 
 
5. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROGRAM: Embassy Bratislava does 
use post funds on the language instruction program, but asks 
for Direct Funding support in order to keep all class 
running 12 months a year.  Also, we would like to have 
immersion programs available for non-FSI trained officers 
and EFMs to enhance post-acquired learning, plus some 
additional immersions for FSI-trained officers to brush-up 
on their language skills.  Finally, we would like to 
continue the video series began last FY. 
 
6. TARGET AUDIENCE: Language Classes: Primarily EFMs and 
employees without language training; also employees who wish 
to enhance and maintain language skills previously acquired. 
Immersions/Field Trips: EFMs and employees who have gone 
through some basic language training and want to rapidly 
build on that in a real-world environment; also employees 
who wish to enhance and maintain their skills in a dedicated 
environment. It should be noted that the Marine Security 
Guards currently pay for their own language class using the 
same contract-teacher as the PLP. 
 
7. DETAILED BUDGET, LISTED BY PRIORITY: 
 
INSTRUCTION ($9,480): 
Post is using available funds to continue to provide 
language instruction in Fiscal Year 2006, with an emphasis 
on beginners (EFMs and officers who did not receive language 
training at FSI).  We would like to continue the program 
through the summer transfer season, as more officers and 
EFMs will be arriving, and many new ones have arrived this 
year and need significant training to master basic 
interactions.  Thus we request funding to augment post 
resources and keep the classes running 12 months.  Classes 
would continue to be divided into four levels: Beginner, 
Advanced Beginner, Advanced Intermediate, and 
Conversational.  $15 an hour, times 8 hours (2 per class) a 
week of instruction and a matching 8 hours a week of 
preparation time = $12,480 for the year.  Post funds will 
cover approximately $3,000. 
 
IMMERSIONS AND FIELD TRIPS ($4,000): 
Post would like to maintain a consistent schedule of field 
trips and immersions during the year, to provide a 
significant improvement in confidence and in fluency to 
students studying in the Beginner and Advanced Beginner 
classes, and to help maintain skills for the Advanced 
 
 
classes.  Field trips, oriented towards encouraging Beginner 
students in their first few months, would consist of an 
outing in the company of native speakers, to introduce them 
to the community.  Immersions, oriented towards Beginner 
students with some vocabulary and grammar under their belts, 
as well as more advanced students, would range from one to 
four day trips outside of Bratislava, using Slovak with the 
teacher and with "real people" in a variety of settings. 
 
VIDEOS ($8,000): 
Last year post contracted to have 8 videos produced of 
people having standard conversations in Slovak (shopping, 
restaurant ordering, small talk) in real settings around 
Slovakia.  These were modeled on similar videos produced 
elsewhere in the region, which covered 16 episodes.  The 8 
videos have been received recently, and should be widely 
used in the Embassy community.  Although they are expensive, 
they will be useful for many years to come, and so Post sees 
value in continuing to program to the completion of the 16 
episodes.  At $2,000 each, Post would like to do 4 
additional videos this year. 
 
8. Post appreciates the opportunity to submit this proposal 
for FSI's Post Language Program Direct Funding Initiative, 
and looks forward to FSI's favorable consideration. 
 
VALLEE 
 
 
NNNN