According to research by Dean R. Hoge, PhD, and Aniedi Okure,
OP*, the most common remark made by U.S. parishioners about their
international priest pastors is the difficulty in understanding
their accents.
*International Priests in America: Challenges and
Opportunities; Liturgical Press, 2006, p. 51
The IPP's 12-week accent modification program, which uses online
video technology to provide individual, face-to-face
training, uses the Compton P-ESL accent
acquisition method, which has been used successfully by
thousands of clients in areas such as film, customer service and
international business.
How It Works
The training consists of 12 weekly one-hour sessions that focus
on the specific target sounds needing the most work. The majority
of students are scheduled for training during the summer (mid-May
through August). The IPP also accepts students outside this
timeframe in accordance with our instructors' availability.
Training takes place face-to-face over the Internet. Your
computer will need a high-speed Internet connection, webcam,
microphone and speakers.
At the conclusion of training, you (and your sponsoring diocese
or religious community) will receive a comprehensive report with
the percent of improvement on your individualized target sounds and
recommendations for specific target sounds requiring continued
practice.
The IPP's accent modification training provides lifetime access
to online materials for continued practice.
Typical Results
If the method is practiced one hour daily for the span of the
training, typical results of at least 50 percent better clarity and
accuracy in North American speech can be expected.
Assessing Your Accent
If you're unsure whether you could benefit from accent training,
start by taking this short
initial screening online. After our trainer reviews
the screening, you will be contacted by email with the trainer's
recommendation regarding your need for training.
Cost and Registration
The cost of accent modification training is $1,000 for each
participant.
We recommend that you first complete the initial screening to
determine your accent training needs. After receiving the results
from your initial screening, if you decide to register for
training, the IPP will email you a link and instructions for
completing and submitting the full online phonological
assessment.
You will be contacted by our trainer with your results and to
set up a schedule for training.
For more information, contact the Institute for Priests and
Presbyterates:
