What Should We Teach Native English Speakers?

While EL2 pilots must attain ICAO ELP Level 4 and are tested for the comprehension of a variety of accents, NES pilots are not. We explore the different ways in which NES and EL2 student pilots approach AE and learn to communicate while learning to fly. We discuss how to prepare NES pilots to not only master radiotelephony phraseology in their production, but also how to understand EL2 pilots and EL2 ATC. Training for NES pilots should include comprehension of a variety of accents and an understanding of the difficulties EL2 pilots may experience

What Should We Teach Native English Speakers?

While EL2 pilots must attain ICAO ELP Level 4 and are tested for the comprehension of a variety of accents, NES pilots are not. We explore the different ways in which NES and EL2 student pilots approach AE and learn to communicate while learning to fly. We discuss how to prepare NES pilots to not only master radiotelephony phraseology in their production, but also how to understand EL2 pilots and EL2 ATC. Training for NES pilots should include comprehension of a variety of accents and an understanding of the difficulties EL2 pilots may experience

Aviation English Training for Native English Speakers: Challenges and Suggestions

While non-native English Speakers (NNES) are trained in aviation communication and they must attain a certain English proficiency level before being awarded an aeronautical licence, native English speakers (NES) are not in practice subject to the same requirements. This paper discusses some of the issues posed by NES not following the standard aviation phraseology and examines the English Language Proficiency and radiotelephony requirements for NES in English speaking countries. The recommendations of ICAO (2010) concerning the responsibilities of NES are rarely implemented. Practical suggestions for the training of NES were made by participants of the 2018 ICAEA workshop and are augmented with suggestions coming from flight training experience. The main recommendation is for mandatory training and testing of aviation phraseology and communication procedures for NES pilots and Air Traffic Controllers. Training should include language awareness and testing should include understanding of NNES transmissions and production of transmissions intelligible by NNES

Author Profiling for English and Arabic Emails

This paper reports on some aspects of a research project aimed at automating the analysis of texts for the purpose of author profiling and identification. The Text Attribution Tool (TAT) was developed for the purpose of language-independent author profiling and has now been trained on two email corpora, English and Arabic. The complete analysis provides probabilities for the author’s basic demographic traits (gender, age, geographic origin, level of education and native language) as well as for five psychometric traits. The prototype system also provides a probability of a match with other texts, whether from known or unknown authors. A very important part of the project was the data collection and we give an overview of the collection process as well as a detailed description of the corpus of email data which was collected. We describe the overall TAT system and its components before outlining the ways in which the email data is processed and analysed. Because Arabic presents particular challenges for NLP, this paper also describes more specifically the text processing components developed to handle Arabic emails. Finally, we describe the Machine Learning setup used to produce classifiers for the different author traits and we present the experimental results, which are promising for most traits examined.The work presented in this paper was carried out while the authors were working at Appen Pty Ltd., Chatswood NSW 2067, Australi

Author Profiling for English and Arabic Emails

This paper reports on some aspects of a research project aimed at automating the analysis of texts for the purpose of author profiling and identification. The Text Attribution Tool (TAT) was developed for the purpose of language-independent author profiling and has now been trained on two email corpora, English and Arabic. The complete analysis provides probabilities for the author’s basic demographic traits (gender, age, geographic origin, level of education and native language) as well as for five psychometric traits. The prototype system also provides a probability of a match with other texts, whether from known or unknown authors. A very important part of the project was the data collection and we give an overview of the collection process as well as a detailed description of the corpus of email data which was collected. We describe the overall TAT system and its components before outlining the ways in which the email data is processed and analysed. Because Arabic presents particular challenges for NLP, this paper also describes more specifically the text processing components developed to handle Arabic emails. Finally, we describe the Machine Learning setup used to produce classifiers for the different author traits and we present the experimental results, which are promising for most traits examined.The work presented in this paper was carried out while the authors were working at Appen Pty Ltd., Chatswood NSW 2067, Australi

The Proceedings of the International Civil Aviation English Association (2018) Conference

The 2018 International Civil Aviation English Association (ICAEA)1 hosted its annual conference at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University2 in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. The conference, entitled “Building on the ICAO LPRs– Communication as a Human Factor: New Perspectives on Aviation English Training and Testing,” explored issues beyond the ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) including: incorporating communication strategies into best practices for training and testing, the effect of language and culture on communication as a human factor, considerations for future policy developments in language and communication. The event featured plenary presentations, Q&A panels, interactive panel presentations, practical workshops, and poster sessions. With more than 120 participants from 35+ countries, this was one of ICAEA’s most internationally-attended recent events. Attendees included representatives from airlines, flight training organizations (FTOs), air navigation service providers (ANSPs), civil aviation authorities (CAAs), universities, and training and testing providers from all over the world. These proceedings feature seven articles written by eight of the conference’s presenters, summarizing their practical experiences and research findings which were shared at the conference. This publication is recommended to anyone interested in aeronautical communication

The Proceedings of the International Civil Aviation English Association (2019) Conference

Hosted by All Nippon Airways (ANA) in Chiba, Tokyo, Japan, the 2019 International Civil Aviation English Association (ICAEA) annual conference focused on exploring the aviation English training needs of ab-initio pilots and air traffic controllers, as well as aircraft maintenance personnel. Globally, much of the demand for new pilots and air traffic controllers is located in areas of world for which English is not a first or national language. Exploring this resulting need to train non-native English speaking personnel was a primary focus of the 2019 ICAEA conference, including consideration of the language proficiency required for success in initial training, test design and implementation, instructional techniques, and the actual language used by this target population. Further, although the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) do not directly apply to maintenance personnel, the widespread use of English in the international aviation maintenance industry necessitates language-training solutions. For the first time, the ICAEA conference included a specific track for presenters to share their knowledge and experience related to training aircraft maintenance personnel which, until now, has been an underrepresented and underdeveloped area of aviation English. The conference featured plenary presentations, Q&A panels, and practical workshops. More than 100 participants from over 35 countries attended ICAEA’s first event in Asia in seven years. Attendees included representatives from airlines, flight training organizations (FTOs), air navigation service providers (ANSPs), civil aviation authorities (CAAs), universities, and training and testing providers from all over the world. These proceedings feature six articles written by seven of the presenters, summarizing their practical experiences and research findings which were shared at the conference. This publication is recommended to anyone interested in aeronautical communication. The accompanying presentation materials, as well as shorter summaries of other presentations and workshops, can be found on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Scholarly Commons page

Suitability of text-based communications for the delivery of psychological therapeutic services to rural and remote communities : scoping review

Background: People living in rural and remote areas have poorer access to mental health services than those living in cities. They are also less likely to seek help because of self-stigma and entrenched stoic beliefs about help seeking as a sign of weakness. E-mental health services can span great distances to reach those in need and offer a degree of privacy and anonymity exceeding that of traditional face-to-face counseling and open up possibilities for identifying at-risk individuals for targeted intervention. Objective: This scoping review maps the research that has explored text-based e-mental health counseling services and studies that have used language use patterns to predict mental health status. In doing so, one of the aims was to determine whether text-based counseling services have the potential to circumvent the barriers faced by clients in rural and remote communities using technology and whether text-based communications, in particular, can be used to identify individuals at risk of psychological distress or self-harm. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive electronic literature search of PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC, and Web of Science databases for articles published in English through November 2020. Results: Of the 9134 articles screened, 70 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that text-based, real-time communication with a qualified therapist is an effective form of e-mental health service delivery, particularly for individuals concerned with stigma and confidentiality. There is also converging evidence that text-based communications that have been analyzed using computational linguistic techniques can be used to accurately predict progress during treatment and identify individuals at risk of serious mental health conditions and suicide. Conclusions: This review reveals a clear need for intensified research into the extent to which text-based counseling (and predictive models using modern computational linguistics tools) may help deliver mental health treatments to underserved groups such as regional communities, identify at-risk individuals for targeted intervention, and predict progress during treatment. Such approaches have implications for policy development to improve intervention accessibility in at-risk and underserved populations