The Alaap Basic Course (ABC) is an exhaustive, 15-module English voice and accent training course that equips participants to imbibe globally accepted English enunciation and diction. Each module is a one-hour session that covers a specific topic. Two modules are covered every week, with the entire course spanning seven weeks.
ABC is highly customized in a way that no textbook or classroom session can achieve. Our trainers spend quality individual time with you to address minute accent flaws. As the course is conducted over the Internet, participants are assured of privacy and convenience to enable them to concentrate better. Further, our trainers take every effort to make you feel completely at ease and encourage you to make best use of their expertise.
On subscribing to a course, you will be allotted a personal trainer. Participants enjoy the flexibility of arranging a convenient time and day to conduct the sessions.
Eligibility: To participate in the ABC, it is mandatory for the participant to have subscribed to the Alaap Assessment Test (AAT) and secured the required score.
Technical Requirements:
- You are required to have access to a computer running the Microsoft Windows operating system (Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista).
- Your computer must be equipped with a set of good headphones and a microphone and located in a noise-free environment.
- The computer should be equipped with a broadband Internet connection and software installed to play back audio files (examples: Apple iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp Media Player, etc.).
- Training sessions are conducted online over Skype, a third-party software that enables you to make free PC-to-PC calls over the Internet. Hence, it is mandatory that you get yourself a free Skype account to enable the course to progress.
- If your computer is installed with Mac OS or Linux, please ensure that you are completely familiar with and in control of the operating environment and are equipped with the appropriate software including browsers, software for playing back audio files, and the appropriate version of Skype.
- It is recommended that you browse the Alaap website using updated versions of any of the following browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. Please enable JavaScript on your browser (for help, view the screenshot).
- Your computer must be installed with updated versions of Adobe Flash Player (download) and Adobe Acrobat Reader (download). For best results, please test these programs on your computer and ensure that they are working properly before you take the AAT.
Program Overview:
The ABC consists of 15 sessions of one hour each, conducted twice a week. The course typically takes seven or eight weeks to complete, at a schedule specified by the participant.
Module 1: The introductory module offers a general introduction to the course and walks you through its finer points. The trainer establishes a good rapport with you and conducts simple, specific exercises to improve your diction and accent.
Modules 2, 3 and 4: In these sessions, you are introduced to the primary English vowel phonemes and trained in them. Module 4 encompasses a recap of modules 2 and 3.
Modules 5 and 6: In these sessions, you are introduced to more, elaborate English vowel phonemes and trained in their proper use and pronunciation.
Module 7: Your progress in the modules covered thus far is tested and you are given appropriate suggestions and feedback. You are then introduced to English consonants.
Module 8: This session introduces you to plosive consonants and the right way of uttering them.
Modules 9, 10 and 11: These sessions train you in the correct usage and application of consonant phonemes.
Module 12: This module teaches you to handle word stress and syllable stress along with a brief allusion to your unique problem areas.
Module 13 and 14: Your personal trainer addresses your specific problem areas in detail and trains you rigorously until your errors are rectified.
Module 15: In this module, the trainer conducts the final test of your proficiency and provides useful and appropriate feedback. Upon completion of the sessions, Alaap's voice and accent experts shall conduct a stringent review to assess your progress and measure your accent proficiency. A score and certificate are also awarded.
Payment Process:
- On clicking 'subscribe' you will be transported to the Alipay payment gateway. Upon successfully completing your payment, you will be returned to this website.
- Payment must be made in full prior to taking the test. Partial or fractional payments are not accepted.
- Payment may be made by means of credit card, debit card or Alipay account if you are in China.
- You may also choose to make your payment by cheque/ draft or wire transfer to Alaap's HSBC bank account no. 071516439511 (SWIFT code: xxx)
- In case you decide to make your payment by cheque/demand draft/wire transfer, you will be allowed to take the test once the payment is realized. Please ensure that your user id and AAT is mentioned correctly on the wire transfer. You are also advised to send an e-mail to accounts@alaap.biz providing the required details of the wire transfer such as the remitting bank, remittance number, user id, date of transfer, etc.
Scheduling Sessions:
- Upon remitting the payment successfully, you shall be returned to this website where Alaap shall allot you a personal trainer.
- You shall now be asked to indicate six schedule preferences. If your preferred slots are unavailable, Alaap shall suggest alternative schedule options. However, Alaap does not guarantee that it can meet your timing preferences. For any reason, if Alaap is unable to match any of your preferred time slots, Alaap shall refund your course fee within two business days, less 5% administrative charges.
- Upon signing up for the course, you shall not be allowed to change the course schedule without agreement with your trainer.
- Under no circumstances may participants insist on a particular time slot.
- In conformity with extant laws in the country of incorporation, Alaap shall not schedule training sessions on Saturdays and Sundays. If Alaap chooses to amend this provision in future, participants shall be informed appropriately via e-mail.
Results:
- On successful completion of the Alaap Basic Course, Alaap shall issue you with a company-attested certificate.
- The course certificate from Alaap shall have your name printed in your native language (as specified in your registration form) as well as in English.
- The certificate shall enlist an assessment of your proficiency across the 44 sounds of the English phonetic alphabet.
- Results of the ABC are the confidential property of the participant. However, upon the explicit approval from the participant, the same results may be shared with a potential employer or an academic institution where the participant may seek to pursue further education. Sharing the ABC results in such a manner mandates the explicit permission of the participant via e-mail, sent from the same e-mail address that was provided at the time of registration. E-mails instructing Alaap to share a participant's ABC certificate must contain the full name of the intended recipient, his/her title or designation and his/her complete postal address including e-mail and contact phone numbers.
- ABC Certificates shall not be provided as printed copies or in any non-electronic form.
Refunds:
- If Alaap's trainers are absent for two consecutive sessions, a participant may opt to discontinue the course and demand a refund of the balance fee for the remainder of the course. Alaap shall refund the balance course fee within two business days, less 5% administrative and processing charges.
- No refund shall be processed if the participant is absent for two consecutive sessions. As such, the course shall be discontinued with immediate effect and the participant shall forfeit the balance course fee.
- For credit card or debit card payments, the refund shall be made to the same card number that was used to make the payment for the course.
- For refunds of ABC payments that have been made vide cheque/ demand draft/ wire transfer directly into Alaap's bank account, you are requested to contact our China administrative office with proper credentials. Administration and processing deductions (5% of the course fee) will continue to be applicable in case of such payments.
- A participant whose ABC has been discontinued may reapply for the course as a fresh participant. He/she may take the entire course afresh after remitting a full payment at any point in time in the future at his/ her convenience, subject to meeting the prerequisite conditions.
Price: Japanese ¥ 58,000 (for India-based trainers) and ¥ 140,000 (for UK or US-based trainers)
You may wish to ascertain, prior to subscribing, if the schedules of our UK and US-based trainers are convenient to you owing to the difference in time zones.