General Suggestions:

Avoid translating from the Thai language.

Thai writers and speakers of English often think first in Thai language and then try to translate their thoughts into English. This can result in eccentric, non-standard Thai English. For example, a common phrase in English discusses the law of supply and demand. Any literate person in English-speaking countries knows about the law of supply and demand and it has become a very familiar expression. Yet in Thailand, even veteran economists get the expression wrong, calling it the “law of demand and supply.” What is the reason for this peculiarly Thai problem with a simple English phrase? In the Thai language, the word for demand precedes the word supply in the equivalent expression. So when Thai speakers of English think of this phrase, they naturally think of the order of words in the Thai version and then try to translate or adapt them in their written or spoken English. The result is a non-standard and uniquely Thai way of misstating a common expression in English. This is just one minor example, but there are many such instances where thinking in Thai and trying to translate the results into English can cause problems. The best approach wherever possible is to use the English vocabulary you have and your own sense of the English language to create sentences directly in English, rather than translate from a Thai original. If you work within your own limits, which you know better than anyone, it is more likely you will produce clear and simple phrases that will have fewer errors than if you tried other approaches.

How to have a better sense of English phrases and vocabulary.

To become an expert on film, it is necessary to see a lot of films. To know a lot about heavy metal music, you have to listen to it. To get a good grasp of English language matters, students and ajarns must immerse themselves in the English language by reading and hearing it as much as possible. Anyone who has been part of an international program in Thailand knows that such programs are ambitious and in some ways admirable symbolic exercises, rather than offering a real English-speaking atmosphere. In such a Thai international program, a Thai ajarn speaks in Thai English, sometimes with a heavy accent and non-standard vocabulary, to Thai students who speak to each other in Thai or text their friends in Thai during the class. After the class is over, some students will approach the ajarn and ask questions in Thai language, requesting highlights of the lecture to be translated back into Thai language for them. The rest of the day outside class is spent entirely occupied with Thai language. Then students wonder why their English language skills do not improve, even though they are enrolled in an international program.

Spend some of your sanook time each day on English.

International programs, however well-meaning and sincere, must be supplemented by every student and ajarn’s own personal efforts with English. Everyone at a university is busy with immediate tasks and responsibilities, and most understandably choose to spend time with subjects they are good at, not English. What remains is everyone’s sanook time. To improve your English, as much sanook time as possible should be spent in using the English language. Students or ajarns who enjoy a recreational activity, whether it is watching films, sports, cooking, travel, history, or other subjects, can easily find material online to read in English.

Make your own reading list.

A Google search for best websites about food, for example, should give some ideas about possible favourite sites to visit daily for new information. If every day you spend twenty minutes reading in English about something you enjoy, you will remember it better than required assignments given to you in a formal English class. Many Thai people watch American or British action and science fiction films while reading Thai subtitles. Try turning off the Thai subtitles and making sense of a TV show or film without them. In real life, there are no subtitles in Thai language. That means if you suddenly travel to London or New York, people there will not be able to translate their words into Thai language. You will be totally immersed in the language and it is more likely that you will learn on your own what unfamiliar English words mean and how to put them together in sentences. As long as you rely on subtitles, you will never need to learn how to put words together into a sentence and really understand what they mean. Without subtitles, you may miss much of what is going on at first. In real life, you may also miss many conversations in London or New York, at least for the first few months. Then your ear will probably become more accustomed to what people are saying.

Join an English-speaking group.

Since most Thai students enjoy group activities, why not join one of the on-campus English-speaking groups, like the Thammasat Speakers’ Union?

https://th-th.facebook.com/tuspeakers.union

If one does not exist that you like, create your own informal group with your friends, concentrating on whatever subject you enjoy most. With mutual support and encouragement, you may achieve your goals faster than if you try to improve alone. With your friends, you may be able to find some enjoyment through using English after all.

Always double-check spellings.

One of the greatest challenges for any Thai writer of English is the lack of basic identification with the Roman alphabet, which is used to write words in English. Small children in English-speaking countries are taught how to read, write, and speak English by sounding out words according to the way they are spelled. For Thai students of English, this is almost impossible because of the way Thai English developed. As you know, Thai words are often spelled in English without any clear connection with the way they are pronounced, due to the influence of Sanskrit and other languages. So if your name is spelled Praipol, it is pronounced closer to Praipon. If your name is spelled Poolsook, it is pronounced more like Poonsook. If you visit your aunt at the hospital whose name is spelled Siriraj, that is pronounced something like Sirirat. Small wonder that Thai people, from young students to emeritus professors, often feel little connection with the English language, since they cannot identify with basic elements of spelling and the pronunciation of letters. To correct this problem, a new standardized system of phonetic spelling of Thai words in English would be needed. Based on current conditions, this is highly unlikely. For now, an extra effort is needed for Thai people to acquire better English language spelling skills.

Be thankful for Google search.

Fortunately, there is Google search which in less than one second will produce spellings for any word you are unsure about. It is particularly useful in finding correct spellings for names. There is no excuse for misspelling names of experts since double-checking now takes so little time. Previously, people who wanted to know the meaning of a word or to see how it is spelled, had to find them in a dictionary. Today’s students can do an online search with only a vague idea of how a word is spelled, even spelling it phonetically, and Google will turn up the correct spelling in less than one second. Online dictionaries such as Merriam Webster’s also include computerized recordings of how words are pronounced. As with any search engine, you must apply human intelligence to decide on a final spelling, for example depending on whether you are using British or American English.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).