Tactical French

[nichols]

I conducted an In Progress Review meeting with the Tactical Language people yesterday. They delivered the Alpha drop for Tactical Sahel French.

Anyone interested in being a tester?

The company needs voice data files that the software records IOT fine tune the voice recognizer.

[wierdbeard]

what are your reqs for this?

[nichols]

You need a computer with at least 1 gig of RAM and a headset/microphone with noise canceling capabilities. A game based video card is a plus. To capture the data you need to:

COLLECTING AND SUBMITTING USER DATA FILES

Collecting Audio Recordings

The system saves the audio recordings of every utterance spoken by a trainee while using the program (when the 'Record' function is triggered); and it is identified by the login user name, date and time. If you are asked to submit this data, do the following:

§ Click on the My Computer icon on the Windows Start menu to open a window.

§ Double-click on the "C:" disc icon; double-click the "Program Files" directory; double-click the "Tactical Pashto Army 1.0 [3.2.02]" directory; double-click the "System" directory. At this point, the path in the 'Address' field will look something like:

C:\Program Files\Tactical Pashto Army 1.0 [3.2.02]\System

*Note: Different Tactical Language programs (language and version) will have different names for their main directories, but otherwise the path will be similar to what has been described above.

§ Within that directory you will see many icons for files and other directories (or a list of files if the directory view set on "list"). One of them is labeled Recordings.

§ Right-click on "Recordings". Click "Send To". Select "Compressed (zipped) Folder". The system creates Recordings.zip. It appears at the end of the list of files.

Collecting Progress Report Data

The system also keeps a progress report data file for each trainee who logs onto the program. This data would be collected in the same manner as the Recordings, but from a different directory. If you are asked to submit this data, do the following:

§ From the System directory double-click the "pedagent" directory; double-click the "LM" directory. Now, the path in the 'Address' field will look something like this:

C:\Program Files\Tactical Pashto Army 1.0 [3.2.02]\System\pedagent\LM

§ From inside of this LM directory select the directory named data, and perform the same procedure you used to "zip" the data directory.

Delivering the Recordings and Progress Report Data

Deliver the Recordings.zip file and the data.zip file to support@tacticallanguage.com. As the content of this directory can be very large in terms of memory usage, we recommend using an FTP data delivery service such as "YouSendIt.com" to deliver the zipped files. Go to: http://www.yousendit.com and use the email address as your recipient.

Another option is to burn the zipped files you have created onto a CD-Rom and mail it to:

Tactical Language Training, LLC
11965 Venice Blvd., Suite 402
Los Angeles, CA 90066

This will work on all of the languages that the Corps has now:

Tactical Iraqi
Tactical Pashtu
Tactical Iraqi Marine Scenario Requirement
Tactical French

If you're going to volunteer for this, I need to be kept in the loop because i'm the PM for this project (avoids wirebrushing from my government boss;)).

[marct]

If you can use a Canuck for this, I'm game (in between learning Arabic :D)

[Stan]

If you can use a Canuck for this, I'm game (in between learning Arabic :D)

:D Now that was a good one !!!
In 94 after more than 10 years of speaking French, DIA intended to send me to French refresher training before my last assignment. French refresher training, I asked ? What, are you kidding ?

Yes, Stan, but you're going to Canada, he responded !

Nichols, I have one better:
How about an American that learned Belgian French in Zäire :rolleyes:

I'm game too...but, Exactly what is Tactical French ?

Do I need Marc's 'nano-secret' coin during the test :eek:

[nichols]

If you can use a Canuck for this, I'm game (in between learning Arabic :D)

Marc,

It depends, if you have an "American" English accent, then yes. If you have a "French" english accent, then no. They have to fine tune the voice recognizer for a typical US bubba.

But alas, all is not lost my friend, that company is about to do some Iraqi work for the Canuck's MOD.......me thinks they would like to collect your data files from the Arabic sim.

Now off to reply to Stan:D

[nichols]

:I'm game too...but, Exactly what is Tactical French ?:

Tactical French you ask........

Well, it's a well known event that when the bakery finishes making the baguette at 10:00 everyday, by 13:00 they can not be eaten but thown as rocks. There is that little 30 minute window (between 10:00 WAWA/UTC and 10:30 WAWA/UTC) when the Warm African Baguette is possible the best bread in the world. Alas, since we are talking WAWA/UTC, the 30 minute window could occur sometime in a three hour span. Now keep in mind the daily protest riots from the university always start at 11:00 local time, not WAWA/UTC (for some reason the students always were on time).

So, now you see the need to shop, move, and communicate.:)


:Do I need Marc's 'nano-secret' coin during the test :eek:

That reminds me, there was a no kidding Master Engraver living in Bangui when I was there. supposedly there was under 50 worldwide at the time:confused:

Anyways, I bought a rod of copper had him slice it IOT make 35 engraved USMC Bangui coins.....boy did I love the COLA.

Back to reality.

The Tactical Language Training System is a no kidding language program that originated out of DARPA, transfered over to SOCOM and then the Corps pick up management of the program. The sim is broken down into 3 sections:

Skill Builder - Standard learn one word progress up to sentences. The recognizer gives you a check roger or a check fire as you progress.

Arcade Game - I see this as the close order drill portion, the sim gives a direction you proceed.

Mission Game -

Iraqi is a CA type mission, you go through the sim world talking to avatars IOT find the head honcho and coordinate reconstruction.

Pashtu follows along the same lines as Iraqi.

French you begin at the airport, get your baggage, taxi. Get to the hotel, conduct classes to host country forces and finally talk to the Col. There is also a section that covers the MSG type questioning at post 1.....take a wild guess how that occurred?

TIMSCR consist of additional scenarios to the baseline Iraqi:
* Cordon and Search
* Entry Control Point
* Tactical Questioning
* Crowd Management
* Presence Patrol
* Team Training

All of these programs are non-kinetic, you have to use the proper cultural gestures, salutations and so on in order to complete the mission.

Word of advise Stan, if you try to hook up with one of the women in Pashtu, you immediately get kicked out of the scenario....

Here's the company's website:

http://www.tacticallanguage.com/tacticaliraqi/

Please go through me to get to them unless you have a .mil address. TECOM has not given release authorization for Tactical French other then what PM Trasys authorizes.

[Stan]

Hi Nichols !

Great post ! The Zäirian bread could be 'softened' by breaking of the end and pouring coke inside it. Now that I think about it, it was horrible.

I'll give it a shot, but I have a real strange accent that most say is very hard to place. Probably my Lingala and Estonian :D

It sounds like a great idea and should be interesting to see the initial results.

Regards, Stan

[marct]

Marc,

It depends, if you have an "American" English accent, then yes. If you have a "French" english accent, then no. They have to fine tune the voice recognizer for a typical US bubba.

While I hate to admit it, my accent is fairly close to upstate New York :o - okay, occasional BBC diphthongs, but still close


But alas, all is not lost my friend, that company is about to do some Iraqi work for the Canuck's MOD.......me thinks they would like to collect your data files from the Arabic sim.

Sim, what sim? I'm using books and tapes and plain old conversation :eek:!

Marc

[nichols]

Marc, we're using the same. The Tactical Language Sims are in addition to the standard methods of learning. I think with your current interest probably voice captures of the Tactical Iraqi Marine Scenario would be best for you.

Anyone that wants to do this, if you have a high speed internet connection and you want to download it, I'll get it hooked up. Anyone else that wants to participate but would rather get it in via snail mail, no problem. Either way pop a PM to me with your email address and or physical mail address.

S/A

For the Marines in III MEF, MWTC, or MSG. We are shipping computers out to those units, they arrive within the next 30 days. We have a support contract with the TLTS company to provide technical installation support for these laptops. The will be conducting Train the Trainer classes while there.