Esperanto Language Blog

Esperanto exam in Russia

Did you know that you can take an Esperanto exam to prove that you can read and write at a certain level? On June 8, people will be taking Esperanto exams around the world, which are legally recognized by the Hungarian state. Hungary makes sense, because 5,000 people receive diplomas there every year to prove their Esperanto abilities.

There are times when it is useful to be able to prove your skills, such as when applying for an international project or an Esperanto-speaking job. Fortunately, the exams have been painstakingly created under the same conditions and standards used by other great language institutions such as Goethe and Alliance Française.

Ready for the challenge in Tijuana, Mexico

Previously, there were many different language level systems between countries, which made it difficult to compare language test results internationally. Then, in 1991, a conference on “Transparency and Coherence in Language Learning in Europe: Objectives, Evaluation, Certification” was held in Switzerland to discuss this and similar issues. There the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages was founded, establishing six standard language levels now accepted worldwide:

A Basic User

A1 Breakthrough or beginner

A2 Waystage or elementary

B Independent User

B1 Threshold or intermediate

B2 Vantage or upper intermediate

C Proficient User

C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced

C2 Mastery or Proficiency

Esperanto exams can be taken in the following levels: B1, B2 and C1. Once you decide on your language level to be tested, you need to find a testing location. You can find the complete list of testing locations online, which will hopefully have a location near you. Such exams could also potentially be useful if you want to create an independent study for Esperanto at your university and need to prove your proficiency at the end of your studies. If you pass the exam, you’ll receive a diploma certifying your achievement written in Esperanto, English, French and German.

Completing the exam in Tokyo

If there is no testing location near you and you would like to organize the exam, act quickly, since there is now less than a month left until the exam day. To run an exam, you will need an organizer and an assistant (preferably non-Esperanto-speaking) who can help with local preparations. It is highly recommended that the organizer does not participate in the exam themselves to ensure the integrity of the exam session. Also, there needs to be at least five people ready to take the exam in your city, so the exam can take place. If you would like more details about organizing a session, you can find out more on edukado.net (free edukado account needed).

In any case, it is critical for Esperanto speakers to take these exams to show that there is a demand for them, so they will continue to be offered in the future. If you are serious about Esperanto, this diploma can prove that this is more than just your hobby, so you can be sure to be taken seriously, such as when you represent Esperanto at international organizations or projects. Even if you personally don’t need the diploma, these exams have also helped others hear about Esperanto, thus resulting in interviews on Russia and Serbia television.

Whether you can participate or not, I think we all can agree that these official exams are good to help Esperanto be treated like other foreign languages. Having this opportunity can only encourage Esperanto’s use in academia and commerce. If you are taking the exam, then I wish you the best of luck, and if in Berlin, we can pass it together there.

If you haven’t yet registered and would like to join us, please fill out the form for your city on the KER-exam registration page!

If you want to know who is giving concerts in Esperanto these days, here is a collection of concert videos that can also serve as an introduction to Esperanto music. Many of these were recorded very recently, during the Youth Esperanto Week (event for young people between Dec 28th 2012 and January 4th 2013). Presenting only one song per group – explore more!

Click on the image above to see more. Also, feel free to upvote videos you like to help your favorites rise to the top!

Today, I’ll be taking a quick detour from my usual fare to bring you something different, because last night I attended the opera. If you’ve read the headline, then you have correctly guessed that this opera was entirely in Klingon! When I first heard about it, I was skeptical, but even though I’m not a trekkie, I decided I really can’t pass up going to a Klingon opera!

The lights dimmed and the director came out and said, “The Klingon Terran Research Ensemble presents ‘u’, an authentic Klingon opera, ready for its last performance on earth.” He then explained that Klingon culture places a high value on opera and that Klingons all over the planet love this art form. One of the Klingons sitting in front of me enthusiastically yelled out “Yes!” in agreement. He went on to tell us that Klingon opera is divided into three acts, of which I remember the third is called the “impact act”. We were also informed that audience participation is required, as that we were to scream along during the actor’s battle cry. In Klingon culture, it is considered rude to be silent during these moments.

Klingons love opera

So, you’re probably wondering how can you enjoy an opera, if you can’t understand a word of it. Well, before each act, the screen behind the set displayed a summary of what would happen in English. Each summary was around 5 paragraphs. It reminded me of the surtitles that are displayed over many “ordinary” opera performances, so you can understand all the words.

The director has chosen, however, to let us bask in the Klingon language from the beginning. From what I know of Klingon, I could tell the language was well pronounced. The woman sitting next to me had studied some Klingon, and said that she had never heard it pronounced so clearly.

Klingon instruments

The Klingon “orchestra” started to play with music that fit the scenes perfectly. It had an otherworldly sound to it, and was magnificent. Several sounds came close to sounding like an emergency signal from a spaceship, while other parts had heavy percussion to follow along a battle scene. This was often accompanied by the actors and actresses singing in Klingon. Truly a sight and sound to behold!

To give you a feel for the opera, you can view this clip from a Dutch news broadcast about their first performance (starting at 0:35).

In the third act, the crowd really got into the battle cry and the entire theater erupted in a giant primordal scream from the audience… to show respect for the Klingon arts, of course! All in all, the experience was very enjoyable and would highly recommend attending if they perform near you. They said, unfortunately, that that would be their last performance on earth, but one can always hope that they’ll gear up again sometime!

Marc Okrand (right) and me

There was one last surprise though. During the curtain call, one man stood up in the audience to take some pictures and he was none other than Marc Okrand himself, an American linguist who invented the Klingon language! I later learned that he had actually written the script for the entire opera. Even though he denied the request to go on stage for a bow, he was very kind in giving out autographs and having his picture taken with members of the audience. His name was mentioned in the event’s description online, but I don’t think anyone expected him to be there!

Since this is an Esperanto blog, after all, I guess I should have to say I have to wonder if the world of experimental theater would be open to such a play in Esperanto. While not having the concrete cultural background of Klingon, it would have the advantage that carefully chosen words and ways of acting them out could be understood by an audience who can’t speak Esperanto. A brilliant example of this is a performance by Daniel Soloman in his piece La seksa vivo de helikoj (the sex life of snails), given to an audience who can’t speak Esperanto near Stuttgart, Germany. Another idea would be to develop an Esperanto play for the public with surtitles in the local language. What do you think?