EXPAND SKILLSETS WITH GNS
GNS designs, develops, reviews, conducts and administers foreign language tests.
GNS test specialists are foreign language experts who specialize in a variety of tests including proficiency and achievement tests. Proficiency tests measure how well one can function in a target language in real-life situations regardless of how the language knowledge was acquired. In other words, proficiency tests assess what can an individual do with the level of the target language he or she masters. Achievement tests measure the knowledge that an individual has acquired by training and particular aspects of informational awareness.
GNS test experts are skilled in developing proficiency tests based on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scales in reading, listening, and writing skills from the levels of 0+ to 5 in any target language.
In addition to written tests, GNS provides Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) testing services based on ILR and ACTFL scales by certified testers. Depending on the client’s preference, OPI tests can be conducted face-to-face or over the phone. GNS’ OPI testers also conduct 2nd and 3rd ratings.
GNS offers intensive training and teaching programs through both intimate smaller-scale and large-scale projects, including:
- Teaching foreign languages face-to-face or remotely in an immersion-based environment
- Teacher training in foreign language teaching methodology
- Designing and developing curriculum for teaching foreign languages
- Performance assessment (progress monitoring tools): Teachers assess students’ performance independently by evaluating their learning styles, learning progress, challenges, strengths, and implementing strategies for improvement
- Cultural awareness training
- Production of training, testing and certification materials
- Quality assurance and quality control plans, processes and procedures
- Production of training, testing and certification materials.
GNS provides translation and transcription services from any language into any combination of other languages, and from any source, written or recorded.
The company’s translation services range from full translation to rendering, localization, and summary.
The Company offers interpretation services –both simultaneous and consecutive– for face-to-face meetings, phone conversations, broadcasts, conferences and other circumstances that require real-time interpretation based on our clients’ needs.
GNS can provide its interpretation services anywhere in the world. We can provide the equipment necessary for simultaneous interpreting projects, ranging from portable wireless systems for smaller meetings, to booths, headsets, and microphones for more significant events.
GNS also provides en-route services with clients.
As part of its translation and transcription services, GNS edits and proofreads its work product.
The company also offers independent translation editing and proofreading services to verify a third-party’s translation accuracy and to ensure that proper terminology, correct spelling, grammar, cultural appropriateness, and style have been achieved.
Global Native Services offers cultural awareness training by expert linguists, cultural advisors, and subject-matter experts over scenario-based training exercises as well as in seminar format.
We also offer engagement and negotiation training for dealing with foreign natives. GNS’ cultural-awareness training instruction focuses on the following areas:
Using interpreters who are natives of the target language as a source of cultural awareness and cultural adaptation. Specifically, in military contexts, this includes assessing the potential impact of the command’s objectives on the intended audience and the use of culturally sensitive phrasing when presenting those objectives.
Briefing engaged interpreters to ensure his/her comprehension.
Avoiding native cultural taboos to prevent unnecessary and distracting conflicts.
Body language and hand movements that are specific to the native culture.
Background knowledge of native culture to increase the effectiveness of engagements with local leaders and population.
Methods to enhance successful communications with the intended local audience, and thus, minimize potential conflict.
GNS’ engagement and negotiation training involves training linguists and cultural advisors to establish productive and respectful relations with local people and organizations.
In military contexts, this involves local governmental, religious and civic leaders they can expect to encounter in-theater. For commercial clients, this includes local companies, trade organizations and governance entities as well as other national and municipal bodies. The objective of this training is to develop interpersonal communication skills to enhance cultural experts’ and linguists’ likelihood of success in cross-cultural engagements.
Engagement Training provides clients the opportunity to:
- Interact with cultural experts in role-play scenarios
- Learn to employ translators in interpersonal communication effectively
- Apply their knowledge and awareness of cultural differences to maintain communication effectiveness
- Receive critiques to help identify strengths and weaknesses in interpersonal communication and cultural awareness.
To enhance the authenticity and effectiveness of pre-deployment training for military units, GNS can provide personnel to act as native advisers.
This personnel role-plays as Civilians-on-the-Battlefield (COB) and Opposing Forces (OPFOR), helping military personnel prepare for foreign deployment. These role-players not only converse in the native language, but they also convey native cultural constructs to help acclimate military personnel to international regions and people. Global Native Services can assist in the design, construction, execution, and feedback at the tactical and operational levels of these military, security and disaster-response exercises as well as for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training.
Capabilities include the following:
Scenario Development: Produce storylines, planned and dynamically scripted events and steady-state operations guidelines; recommend appropriate operational environments; and provide authentic costumes and uniforms.
Exercise Construction: Develop an exercise control plan and organize and conduct development conferences and milestones. This includes creating exercise-specific role player instructions and scripts, including detailed written guidance to role players regarding dates, times, locations, uniforms, special or minimum equipment and language requirements for each event.
Exercise Control: Supervision and management of the exercise to maintain training objective parameters.
Training: Provide training and decision-making exercises to scenario participants.
Observation: Direct coverage of units participating in the exercise and recording of observations.
Analysis: Provide observational feedback and provide recommendations.
Regional and Subject-Matter Expertise: Provide cultural and geographical experience and knowledge.
Role Playing: Provide native personnel of the target region, culture, and language.
After-Action Review: Conduct formal and informal post-exercise reviews, including interim after-action reviews with key client personnel.
After-Action Report – Provide a written report of observations and recommendations after the conclusion of the exercise.
Global Native Services has an extensive network of qualified and motivated native speakers and can provide full-time and part-time employees and temporary contractors.
GNS offers complete project management services for client projects, including:
- Project and deliverable management
- Quality control plans, processes and procedures
- Some of the many languages GNS supports are:
Albanian Amharic Arabic Aramaic Armenian Belarusian Brazilian-Portuguese Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Creole Czech Danish Dari Dutch Egyptian English (American and British) Estonian Farsi Filipino (Tagalog, Cebuano, Chavacano, Tausug) Finnish French German Greek Haitian Hebrew Hindi Iraqi Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Kurdish (Kurmanji, Sorani,and Zazaki) Latvian Levantine Libyan Lithuanian Norwegian Panjabi Pashto Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Saudi Serbian Serbo-Croatian Slovak Slovenian Somali Spanish Swahili Swedish Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Uzbek Yemeni
In limited special situations, Global Native Services can provide travel logistics services to its commercial clients or military clients that are traveling in the civilian sector.
GNS can provide these services in any locale in the world, and provide local escorts as needed. Travelling in the company of a native of the region can be invaluable in clients’ efforts to get the most out of their international travel. Typical services in this area include the following:
Making travel arrangements, such as booking airline tickets, coordinating lodging accommodations and coordinating local travel arrangements;
Arranging for local meeting and restaurant accommodations;
Securing local interpreters who are linguistic, geographical, cultural, and subject-matter experts to accompany the client personnel;
Providing pre-travel documents and reports, citing pertinent details about the target region, people, culture, industries, government, and maps.
Voice-over is the art of rendering a vocal track in synchronization with video content. Voice-overs are used most often in localizing entertainment or training content for an international audience. Global Native Services offers voice-over services. If the source content needs to be translated, GNS can also provide this service (see the Translation and Transcription section above).