Learn about Greek proficiency tests
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: Is there a common Greek proficiency test? |
| Chrissi: And is it worth taking? |
| Michael: At GreekPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following situation: Emma is talking to Jack about her attempts to motivate herself to study Greek harder. She says, |
| "I will take the CGL exam for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek soon." |
| Έμμα Ευθυμίου: Σύντομα θα κάνω την εξέταση για την πιστοποίηση ελληνομάθειας του ΚΕΓ. (Síndoma tha káno tin exétasi ya tin pistopíisi elinomáthias tu KEG.) |
| Dialogue |
| Έμμα Ευθυμίου: Σύντομα θα κάνω την εξέταση για την πιστοποίηση ελληνομάθειας του ΚΕΓ. (Síndoma tha káno tin exétasi ya tin pistopíisi elinomáthias tu KEG.) |
| Τζακ Τζόουνς: Εννοείς του Κέντρου Ελληνικής Γλώσσας; (Enoís tu Kéndru Elinikís Glósas?) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Έμμα Ευθυμίου: Σύντομα θα κάνω την εξέταση για την πιστοποίηση ελληνομάθειας του ΚΕΓ. (Síndoma tha káno tin exétasi ya tin pistopíisi elinomáthias tu KEG.) |
| Michael: "I will take the CGL exam for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek soon." |
| Τζακ Τζόουνς: Εννοείς του Κέντρου Ελληνικής Γλώσσας; (Enoís tu Kéndru Elinikís Glósas?) |
| Michael: "You mean the one from the Center for the Greek Language?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In Greece, there is only one officially recognized certificate of modern Greek. It's called "Certificate of Attainment in Greek" and it is issued by the Centre for the Greek Language (CGL). There are six levels of attainment in Greek: |
| Chrissi: Α1 (Álfa éna), Α2(Álfa dío), Β1 (Víta éna), Β2 (Víta dío), Γ1 (Gámma éna), and Γ2 (Gámma dío). |
| Michael: In English, those correspond to A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. There are various examination centers across Greece, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, North and South Africa, Asia, and Australia. |
| Chrissi: The examinations at the moment take place once a year, usually in May. |
| Michael: You might be wondering "Do I need to do this examination?" Well, apart from doing it to just prove to yourself your true level of Greek, there are a number of other reasons why you might want to get your Greek tested. |
| Chrissi: Firstly, if you are a professional and wish to offer your services in Greece, you might have to obtain the certificate in order to get permission to do this. It depends on the profession. If you want to work for the Greek government, then it is compulsory that you gain a C1 Level Certificate of Attainment in Greek. |
| Michael: Secondly, if you wish to study at a Greek university, you will need to have at least a B2 level certificate. |
| Chrissi: Another reason to go through this examination is a certain type of residency permit in Greece that requires an A2 level of Greek in order to be granted. |
| Michael: Finally, the Certificate of Attainment in Greek is implemented in the Seal of Biliteracy. This is an award given by an American school, school district, or county office of education to students who have become proficient in two or more languages by their high school graduation. So is it worth taking this examination? |
| Chrissi: Well, it depends on why you are learning the language in the first place. Keep in mind that going through any type of examination can be stressful, even more so when it's in a foreign language; however, it can also be a very rewarding experience regardless of the result! |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after Chrissi, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how to say "I will take the CGL exam for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek soon?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Σύντομα θα κάνω την εξέταση για την πιστοποίηση ελληνομάθειας του ΚΕΓ. (Síndoma tha káno tin exétasi ya tin pistopíisi elinomáthias tu KEG.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi: Σύντομα θα κάνω την εξέταση για την πιστοποίηση ελληνομάθειας του ΚΕΓ. (Síndoma tha káno tin exétasi ya tin pistopíisi elinomáthias tu KEG.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Σύντομα θα κάνω την εξέταση για την πιστοποίηση ελληνομάθειας του ΚΕΓ. (Síndoma tha káno tin exétasi ya tin pistopíisi elinomáthias tu KEG.) |
| Michael: And do you remember how to say "You mean the one from the Center for the Greek Language?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Εννοείς του Κέντρου Ελληνικής Γλώσσας; (Enoís tu Kéndru Elinikís Glósas?) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi: Εννοείς του Κέντρου Ελληνικής Γλώσσας; (Enoís tu Kéndru Elinikís Glósas?) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Εννοείς του Κέντρου Ελληνικής Γλώσσας; (Enoís tu Kéndru Elinikís Glósas?) |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion (Optional) |
| Michael: The Certificate of Attainment in Greek was institutionalized rather recently, in 1998. |
| This was due to the fact that Greece started to experience a significant increase in the number of foreigners who chose Greece as their home around that decade. |
| Chrissi: Right. I think it was from the 1990s onwards when we started to observe a change in the social fabric, with Greece becoming every year more and more of a multiethnic society. Today, a simple stroll in the center of Athens will let you come across people from all over the world. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Chrissi: Γεια χαρά! (Ya hará!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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