English Laboratory for National Army

CHISINAU, December 2, 2011 — Alexandru cel Bun Military Academy has got a new modern English language laboratory inaugurated Friday, December 2. This is a forth generation language learning laboratory estimated at nearly 850 thousand MDL and donated to the Ministry of Defense by the US Government through the International Military Education and Training Program (IMET).

The laboratory called Sony Virtuoso was inaugurated within the Language Center of Alexandru cel Bun Military Academy. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was conducted by Deputy Minister of Defense Igor Panfile and the US Ambassador to Republic of Moldova, William Moser.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Defense thanked the US Government for the considerable donation stating the National Army personnel’s language training is a priority of the defense institution.

“Our goal is to make our servicemen communicate with their foreign fellows without any language barriers when interacting with them during different bilateral activities, multinational military exercises or international peacekeeping missions”, the Deputy Minister of Defense said.

“This laboratory is one more investment of the US Government in the National Army development. This action develops the continuous partnership currently existing between the governments of the two states”, the US Ambassador to Republic of Moldova, William Moser, stated. “I think this technical support would enrich the specialized equipment of the Ministry of Defense and enhance the linguistic training capacity of the National Army servicemen”.

The Laboratory Sony Virtuoso is a fully digital software-based language learning system widely used with different kind of language teaching and learning styles. All the basic functions of the laboratory are available on the screen. Thus, the teacher would focus mainly on the teaching process, while Sony Virtuoso provides the content, insuring feedback and control of the lesson. Teachers can also launch files and programs for students, control over the keyboard, the monitor and the mouse students work with.

Prior to this event, the Ministry of Defense opened six more English language learning laboratories also funded by the US Government through IMET. Nearly 700 National Army servicemen attended the army language learning laboratories so far.

The first English language learning courses in the Sony Virtuoso laboratory will start in the first quarter of 2012.