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It's like talking your way through Iraq!
Mission to Iraq teaches you how to communicate effectively
and safely in Iraq. It is perfect for anyone living or working
in Iraq performing personal and professional tasks such
as general business, civil and governmental affairs, construction,
security, and relief aid.
It is an immersive, self-paced training program to learn Arabic.
Numerous research-based pedagogic and technologic innovations — including
interactive 3D video game simulations — teach you
what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Instead
of focusing on tedious, abstract "repeat after me" grammatical
exercises, you learn by listening to and speaking in practical,
day-to-day Iraqi Arabic, getting immediate feedback and
guidance.
The course is valuable as either a self-study course or a
supplement to classroom instruction. It accommodates both
those who are constantly on-the-go and who have extra time
on their hands. Whether you’re a beginning or an advanced
student, after just a few hours of study you learn
and retain spoken communication skills in the Iraqi dialect
of Arabic regardless of your self-perceived learning aptitude
or prior knowledge of Arabic language.
You play fun, immersive, interactive 3D video games that simulate
real life communication by role playing with animated believable "socially
intelligent virtual Iraqis" that recognize your Arabic speech,
gestures and behavior. If you speak and behave correctly,
the virtual Iraqis become trustful and cooperative, and
provide information that you need to advance. Otherwise,
the virtual Iraqis are uncooperative and prevent you from "winning" the
game.
The storyline's drama and elements of surprise include many
opportunities for you to learn from getting into trouble
and trying to gracefully get out of it. Moreover, not all
virtual Iraqis are the same. Each behaves according to its
individual personality, emotions and intent, consistent
with the storyline and in response to your actions. For
example, in one scene your disrespect towards two virtual
Iraqis elicits a passive response from one and insults from
the other, but you can fix the problem if you know how to
react to the Iraqi's complaints.
Language instruction emphasizes practical vocabularies and
pronunciation, covering grammar and written language only
when required. It tolerates incorrect pronunciation and
guides you extensively on how to improve it.
Acting as a comprehensive cultural tutor, the course teaches
practical Iraqi cultural knowledge, sensitivity and awareness — including
non-verbal gestures, etiquette, and norms of politeness — that
are critical for successful communication. For example,
in one scene you can speak perfect Arabic and still offend
your virtual Iraqi host by not asking him to enter the house
first or by later talking to his wife without observing
Iraqi cultural protocols.
Numerous exercises, quizzes and tests continuously monitor
progress and measure your level of proficiency, helping
you stay motivated. The course adjusts itself automatically
to your rate of progress, letting you advance at your own
pace.
Mission to Iraq takes as long as you want to complete
it. You don't have to reach the end of the course to benefit;
results start happening after just 5-10 hours. Practicing
every lesson and game takes about 60-80 hours, but the course
is so varied and dynamic that you can go over the material
many times and always learn something new without getting
bored.
The course's three modules were scientifically designed and
tested to teach Arabic quickly and enjoyably:
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SKILL BUILDER
One-on-one interactive tutoring environment
to study Arabic task-oriented vocabularies;
pronunciation; and cultural behaviors, their
meaning and uses.
Provides the foundation of skills needed to
play the Arcade and Mission Games.
Within minutes your ears "soften" to
the sounds and meaning of Arabic words and
phrases, soon followed by your tongue.
Thirty-two lessons covering 1100 words, and
hundreds of phrases and sentences.
Sixty pages of cultural notes rich with illustrations
and pictures.
Each lesson takes between one and two hours
to complete, for a total of 30-50 hours of
instruction and practice.
» Topics
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ARCADE GAME
A maze and the streets of an Iraqi town are
the settings for interactive arcade-like
games to practice and learn the Arabic vocabularies
for colors, numbers, and understanding and
giving directions.
Two modes of play: listening, where
you follow instructions spoken to you, and speaking,
where you speak the instructions.
The Arcade Games challenge you to listen and
speak quickly and correctly to score maximum
points.
In beginner mode you get assistance. In advanced
mode you play solely based on your skills.
Eight games — four in speaking mode and
four in listening mode — for a total
of 4-10 hours of play-time.
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MISSION GAME
Interactive, highly engaging 3D video game
that simulates authentic social situations
in an Iraqi town where you learn and practice
spoken dialogs, gestures and non-gesture
cultural interactions with "socially
intelligent virtual Iraqis".
You win by convincing the sheik to support
your reconstruction project. Requires you
to develop rapport with him and other Iraqis.
Their trust and cooperation depend on your
knowledge of spoken Iraqi Arabic, and the
courtesies, customs, body language and other
idiosyncrasies of Iraqi culture.
In beginner mode you can ask your "virtual
aide"for suggestions on what to say
or do if you get stuck. In advanced mode
you play solely based on your skills.
Six scenes, each concluding with a major milestone.
One final exam. Typically 5-10 hours of play-time.
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» Topics
» Results
» System
requirements
» Frequently
asked questions
» All
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Topics
Lessons focus on practical Iraqi Arabic
language and culture topics relevant
to day-to-day living and working in
Iraq:
- Meeting strangers
- Introducing other people
- Explaining you project
- Making inquiries
- Getting directions
- Numbers, colors, and compass points
- Describing yourself
- Building rapport
- Defusing a tense situation
- Compliments
- Invitations
- Offering and insisting politely
- Being a guest in an Iraqi home
- Arab hospitality
- Duties of a guest
- Establishing a relationship
- Business and family
- About your host
- Closing a meeting
- Repair needs
- Planning repairs
- Inspecting a school
Results
Mission to Iraq uses the same pedagogic
and technologic innovations of our Tactical
Language & Culture Training Systems,
which have been successfully used since
2006 by over 20,000 defense and national
security personnel in the U.S. and Australia
to learn Iraqi Arabic language and culture.
Outcomes have been and continue to be
excellent. For instance, an evaluation
by the U.S. Special Operations Command
found that trainees learn Arabic to
an Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR)
proficiency level of 0+ ( ACTFL proficiency
level of novice high) after as little
as a week of study. Many rate our courses
better — and more fun — than
other self-study and instructor-led
classes.
The course is equally valuable as either
a self-study course or a supplement
to classroom instruction.
System requirements
Mission to Iraq requires a Windows
XP laptop or desktop computer with the
following minimum technical specifications:
PROCESSOR
2GHz 32-bit processors: Intel Pentium-4
or Core Duo, AMD Athlon.
Not compatible with 64-bit processors.
RAM
1GB.
Might operate with less but you will
likely not be pleased with system response
time.
AVAILABLE HARD DISK SPACE
1GB.
VIDEO CONTROLLER CARD
Must be compatible with Microsoft DirectX
9 and have dedicated memory.
Suitable choices: NVidia GeForce 4 5900,
ATI Radeon 9800.
Does not always operate correctly with
integrated video controllers with shared
RAM like the Intel Accelerator.
 HEADSET
Very important! Noise-canceling
digital headset with microphone.
We recommend: Plantronics
.Audio 750 DSP.
We do not recommend analog headsets.
WINDOWS VISTA
Works on most computers running Vista:
Must be a 32-bit computer, not 64-bit.
Must install DirectX 9. Vista includes DirectX 10.
Might need more than 1GB RAM because Vista uses more RAM than Windows XP.
Must have dedicated video controller card.
APPLE MACINTOSH
We do not provide technical support
to users who run our courses on
Apple Macinstosh computers. However,
we have received many reports that
the courses run successfully on
MacPro, iMac and MacBookPro computers
with Intel Core 2 Duo processors
and Windows XP running under Apple's
Boot Camp program. We have not
received reports of success running
the courses Windows XP under Parallels.
We have received mixed reviews
from some users who ran the courses
with Windows XP under Fusion. Regular
MacBook laptops (not MacBookPro
models) don't run our courses because they
use a shared-memory graphics card,
even though they have the Intel
chip and can run Windows. And,
unfortunately, this is also the
case with the new MacBook "Air" super-thin
laptops: an insufficient graphics
card. We have not tested nor support
the use of Mission to Iraq on
Macs, but some of our customers
successfully run the program on
the newer Intel-based Mac Pros
and MacBook Pros running Windows
XP under Boot Camp. The iMac and
the regular MacBook don't have
the required video controller card.
Frequently asked
questions
WILL YOU BECOME FLUENT IN ARABIC?
Mission to Iraq by itself cannot
make you fluent in Arabic, but it will
provide you with extensive spoken and
cultural communication skills to ensure
you establish rapport safely and effectively
with native Iraqis who don't speak English.
It can serve as a foundation for subsequent
study to reach higher fluency levels.
HOW DO YOU PURCHASE THE COURSE?
If you are a member of a U.S. or non-U.S.
defense and national security institution,
visit our subsidiary Tactical
Language Training LLC. Otherwise,
read the Purchase
information sidebar at the
top of this page.
DO WE OFFER A TRIAL OR DEMO VERSION?
We offer something better: You get to
use the full version for up to
30 days with a full money-back
guarantee if you're not satisfied.
WHERE DID WE GET THE COURSE'S LANGUAGE
AND CULTURAL CONTENT?
AND IS IT ACCURATE?
We ensured our content was accurate
and authentic by working very extensively
with many native Iraqis and non-Iraqis
who have lived in Iraq, including linguists
who have published books on Iraqi Arabic
language and culture. We have shown
the course's quality with over 25,000
students of the Tactical Iraqi Language & Culture
Training System, the defense and
national security counterpart to Mission
to Iraq.
WHAT OTHER LANGUAGES DO WE OFFER?
None at the moment other than a pilot
version of our Mission to France course.
We welcome partnerships to co-publish
products ranging from full-length
courses to supplemental materials
for classroom instruction. We are
particularly interested in co-publishing
courses that teach English to Spanish,
Chinese and Arabic speakers, and
Spanish and Modern Standard Arabic
to English speakers. We have partnered
with a major publisher of educational
materials to co-produce a cutting-edge
course to teach Chinese to English
speakers. When released in 2008-2009,
it will feature a fully integrated
series of task-based materials
for use both in and out of classrooms,
including books; our game-, web-
and iPod-based products; a broadcast
television series; and original
songs. We are also available both
to provide course-production services
and to license our technology for
you to publish your courses for
either in-house use or resale.
One of our recent clients is Thornton
Media Inc., which hired us and
licensed our technology to produce
the Rez World courses to
study Native American languages.
The first in the series is for
learning Cherokee. » More
on Rez World
DO YOU GET TECHNICAL SUPPORT?
Yes. Our tech team supports customers
around the world. Online and email
support is included at no additional
cost with the purchase of Mission
to Iraq.
DON'T FIND AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION?
Please contact
us.
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