English teacher with poor pronunciation sparks online storm

[malathione]

17 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

Many people fail to understand that Thai people are learning English as a second language and NOT first language.

 

It's perfectly normal not to speak perfect English as long as people can understand them.

 

I've known many foreigners who still can't speak perfect Thai after many years of studying Thai.

 

 

 

What a ridiculous assertion. It isn't the students who're being judged here; it is the teacher.

Edited May 20, 2020 by malathione

[dlclark97]

Recently my daughter was given homework to rearrange the words in 10 disorganized sentences into proper English sentences.  The teacher was a native Thai.  Unfortunately (maybe fortunately) I did not see this homework before she turned it in.  I did see the 'corrected' paper when it was returned.  Of the ten disorganized sentences my daughter correctly rearranged one but she received an OK checkmark on all ten sentences.  Having a native Thai who knows a few English words but has no clue as to sentence structure and by the video I just watched, no knowledge of proper pronunciation is a disservice to any Thai actually wanting or needing to learn English.  Like it or not English is the international language used in business and especially in all airlines for effective communications.  It needs to be properly taught if Thai students are to succeed in the future of international commerce.     

[Rookiescot]

7 minutes ago, Phil McCaverty said:

I have a big problem with it when my son's homework comes home with some spellings corrected from English to American English. Who on earth calls corriander "cilantro"?

Yes but your son is not learning English. He is learning American English.

As I have posted earlier there is nothing wrong with that.

[bluesofa]

11 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

This is sounding like prejudice speaking. American English is English, whether it's a derivative or not. Yes, it originally came from British speaking settlers.

As an aside, I was reading that a lot of the US English spelling originated from the UK - favor I think was an example.

It was after the first British settlers had left, that UK English spelling changed and began using 'favour'.

 

BTW, I'm a Brit.

P.S. Don't ask me for a link - you'll have to find it yourself.

 

[Burma Bill]

Would have made a good "voice over" in this UK children's TV show:-

 

[bluesofa]

11 minutes ago, johnarth said:

my wife gets mixed up with the days and nights but she doing pretty good with the rest, I do not teach her to much because I speak Australian 

Huh?

It's dead easy: Sun = day. No sun = night.

[pineapple01]

1 minute ago, Burma Bill said:

Would have made a good "voice over" in this UK children's TV show:-

 

i listened to them with a Dutch translation not much  different from the original.????

[Presnock]

That is why a native speaker of any language being taught is a necessity!  I myself have studied many languages and have had both native speakers and non-native teachers of some of those languages and learned very early the necessity of having a native speaker, hopefully one from a "neutral" speaker of that country.  An English teacher from the UK/Australia would find it difficult teaching spoken English in the US just as an English teacher from New England or Texas, or Tennessee trying to teach someone English speaking.  That is why most broadcasters in the US are from the central region of the US and speak without any kind of accent!    Why do most singers (other than country) lose their accent when singing? My opinion anyway.

[beau thai]

1 hour ago, kwak250 said:

I remember my son coming home from school and was told he was wrong when he answered a question saying "batteries"

The teacher said he pronounced it incorrectly and it should be 'bal-eries"

My son was getting so many questions wrong like this in verbal and written tests when in fact it was useless teachers.

I could have got my Labraor to do better a job.

That's ruff

[phutoie2]

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

Geography !!  Behave yourself, this is Thailand, only country in the World that matters.

My wife school director, asked me is Turkey next to England.

She has absolutely no idea about World geography.

She's not alone, 96% of Americans believe Irony is a country in Africa.

 

 

nb: oldie but one of my favs 55

[IvorBiggun2]

18 minutes ago, dlclark97 said:

Like it or not English is the international language

May be so but not in Thailand.  

 

Quote

Chinese most popular foreign language for Thai students

 

[lamyai3]

42 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

My wife school director, asked me is Turkey next to England.

I'm sure she does.

She must know all the countries that border Thailand.

It's well known that England invaded Turkey for Christmas. 

[brian2f2f]

18 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I suggest that she is indicative of the average teachers ability, and completely explains the poor English capability of students here.   

Ive come across more thai english teachers with a degree in english they cant even talk with me and turn to look at others to translate what im saying to them into thai.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I suggest that she is indicative of the average teachers ability, and completely explains the poor English capability of students here.   

Correct, I am English and at times I had to think what word she was using... her pronunciation is at best poor, very often not using the "plural when required but just the singular word" ie students as apposed to student.

No wonder kids are struggling they learn by "listening & repeating what they hear" and in this case are being let down badly.

[IvorBiggun2]

4 minutes ago, phutoie2 said:

96% of Americans believe Irony is a country in Africa.

My missus thinks 'Sherlock Holmes' is a block of flats in London.

[ebean001]

i in the belief if you want to learn another language then the teacher must be native to that language.

 

[bluesofa]

7 minutes ago, phutoie2 said:

She's not alone, 96% of Americans believe Irony is a country in Africa.

nb: oldie but one of my favs 55

Irony aw! That's where all the metal comes from.

[Artisi]

in one word

 

"appalling"

[bluesofa]

8 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

It's well known that England invaded Turkey for Christmas. 

Invaded? They decimated it and stripped it to the bare bones.

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by bluesofa

[CaptainCarrot]

 

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

Both are right. 

....................

So which one is best?

Since there are only two options the correct English would be "So which one is better?"

 

Just saying ????

[ChipButty]

51 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

'in a couple of years the whole world will be speaking Thai'

You've been listening to our illustrious leader again haven't you.

Who else?

[Pilotman]

16 hours ago, scorecard said:

A twist of that some 10 years back, sons' uni buddy had to submit his thesis in Thai and English. He took the Thai version to a 'translation shop' down a soi opposite Pantip Plaza, Bkk on hard copy and on a thumb drive. And paid the quite expensive fee. My family lived at that time in a condo quite nearby.

 

A few days later he got an e-mail, with the English translation, and he came to our condo and asked me to look at the English, It was quite a mess. 

 

My son opened Google translate and they put the Thai version in the Thai box, the English translation was 100% same as had been given to sons' buddy by the trans, shop.

 

Son, his buddy (nice kid) and myself spent half a day changing the Google version to somewhere near correct English. He submitted it and passed. 

and that in many ways is why I don't trust the medical profession here, especially those 'trained and qualified ' in Thailand.  God only knows where they get their 'medical education' from and to what depth.  

[ChipButty]

Someone said to me there's 2000 jobs in Jeopardy best we go then

[Phil McCaverty]

4 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Invaded? They decimated it and stripped it to the bare bones.

 

Then the ship's cat ate the bones.

[DPKANKAN]

18 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I suggest that she is indicative of the average teachers ability, and completely explains the poor English capability of students here.   

That is why some of the netizens supported her because they thought her krap ingrish was jorry gudt!! ????????????????????????????????

[Phil McCaverty]

4 minutes ago, CaptainCarrot said:

 

Since there are only two options the correct English would be "So which one is better?"

 

Just saying ????

"Which one is the better option?"

 

just sayin' 555

[fruitman]

17 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Airline pilots are required to be at ICAO Level 5 English to fly internationally. 

Except Thai pilots from Air Asia...

[Orac]

 

I couldn’t get past the “Do you have breakfat this morning” and “Are you furring hellty”.

 

if I had to watch the whole 1 hr 50mins of it i would probably need therapy.

 

 

 

[Artisi]

36 minutes ago, dlclark97 said:

Recently my daughter was given homework to rearrange the words in 10 disorganized sentences into proper English sentences.  The teacher was a native Thai.  Unfortunately (maybe fortunately) I did not see this homework before she turned it in.  I did see the 'corrected' paper when it was returned.  Of the ten disorganized sentences my daughter correctly rearranged one but she received an OK checkmark on all ten sentences.  Having a native Thai who knows a few English words but has no clue as to sentence structure and by the video I just watched, no knowledge of proper pronunciation is a disservice to any Thai actually wanting or needing to learn English.  Like it or not English is the international language used in business and especially in all airlines for effective communications.  It needs to be properly taught if Thai students are to succeed in the future of international commerce.     

What are you talking about, the current leader of this country is on record saying that Thai will become the worlds leading language - so why worry about a language that will fade into obscurity .

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, OnTheRun said:

Agreed, also when Thais mispronounce English most of us can get the jist of what they are saying. The other way round not so, which I find both funny and frustrating at the same time.

  18 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

Many people fail to understand that Thai people are learning English as a second language and NOT first language.

 

It's perfectly normal not to speak perfect English as long as people can understand them.

 

I've known many foreigners who still can't speak perfect Thai after many years of studying Thai.

 

 

 

Sorry I cannot agree. My family pays good money for the kids to get good education. For the cost we expect that the kids learn correct English, to give them better study and career opportunities and give them the capability to interact in society, anywhere, in correct English.

 

As a comparison, would anybody accept that a Thai teacher teaches science in English (very poor English) and the result is that the kids learn things which are not correct? Cannot be OK.

Edited May 20, 2020 by scorecard