Thailand ranks bottom of the pile with ASEAN English score

[Chris Daley]

Yeah if you remove the corruption Thailand is at the bottom.

 

The exams are fake, the points are changed, national competitions are rigged.  But you will always see a wall of busy body Thais pushing paper around.  If you remove them the students can not compete in English.

[brewsterbudgen]

14 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Because native English teachers in Thailand are mostly sex tourists.

 

Just wondering, have you ever went to Mega Bangna, Ekkamai, Charoen Krung.... or any spot where there are so called quality international schools? Most student there speak excellent English. Yes, this is not the majority of Thailand, but it is what it is. Quality teachers - quality education.

 

Then there are other schools where teachers take sex videos with 16 year old students and give them gonorrhea . 

 

Tourists by definition are not here long enough to make a difference.   Even so, I would hope a native-speaker sex-tourist teacher would not teach "have you ever went to..."!

[brewsterbudgen]

9 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Anything to back that up? Or did you forget to preface your post with 'In my opinion' rather that stating it as a fact?

 

There is nothing to back it up; it's just that some are obsessed with sex!   Anyone would think teachers shouldn't have sex!

[Sydebolle]

1 hour ago, Presnock said:

Years ago (at least 48, I was assigned to Thailand with my family.  There was a radio station that played the English soundtrack for foreign movies, news programs, etc.  Prior to that, there were many US bases here in Thailand with 100's of thousand of US military.  Yet during those times too, one would think that English would have at least gotten off the ground but TIT and their xenophobia.  Instead of fighting those different, they appear to sign treaties with foreigners but only to keep a certain distance from them so that the powers that are can better control the masses.  My opinion anyway as I havelived/worked  in most of the ASEAN except for Cambodia and yes, over a span of 50 years Thailand always has ranked the lowest on the locals' English speaking.  Many can read English but I am

not always sure that they understand it.  The folks that do speak English usually have gone to schools outside of Thailand and they went to internal schools that probably had a fairly good English

program or private tutoring.  My younger daughter at first went to elementary schools that had a reputation for English language but we learn fairly quickly (or not so quickly as we changed schools often) but finally found a reasonably affordable international school with a great program - all English except for the Thai classes.  And yes, I speak Thai well enough to go anywhere and talk about just about any

subject.  I make mistakes but we laugh together.  This is still paradise to me.

Well, that makes two of us. I remember the news on the Thai telly, while the radio would provide a - more often than not - delayed English soundtrack. Some funny moments were enjoyed by one and all. On the way to work in the morning I listened to the English news by Radio Thailand. It took a spoilt brat of a Phooyai to read the news, unfortunately they had not the slightest exposure to a native English-speaking person which had a more than entertaining element on the wireless. Agricultural produce like vegetables got verbally converted to furniture as veghee table; strawberries got announced as "sa-tra-bellee", a promotional support by the department of export on "pa-la-sa-teek" referred to plastic industrial issues etc. etc. etc. 
Still here, still enjoying while being slightly melancholic seeing, that the next generation is even worse on the issue of foreign languages and wondering, how they will manage the challenges ahead of them in the decades to come 

[Celsius]

4 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

Tourists by definition are not here long enough to make a difference.   Even so, I would hope a native-speaker sex-tourist teacher would not teach "have you ever went to..."!

 

I am not a teacher an English is not my first language. Did you ever go to....

[Accidental Tourist]

Mmmh...what about Lao language then...

 

[herfiehandbag]

44 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I fully agree with you. I've long thought it's kind of funny that those who speak the best English are Thailand's 'entertainers'.

At the same time, I think there are a considerable number of 'hidden' English speakers. They just don't use it. I've experienced it with health personnel (although also many don't speak a word of English), and in one case someone in the area I lived in Bangkok who assisted me when his dog ran out and bit me, taking me to a clinic and paying the bill - the only time in my 26 or so years here that I've seen a Thai take responsibility for anything. Others are perhaps too shy to use what they know.

It is very often a question of being prepared to try.

 

The young lady who runs the frozen food store in our "mini metropolis" always tries. She says " I only speak a little English", but although sometimes idiosyncratic it works. If she woke up stranded in an English speaking country she would survive - surely the acid test? I shop there every few days, and she was able to understand, when she announced "I now have Cheddar cheese", and I explained that originally Cheddar cheese got its taste from milk produced by cows which grazed on salt marshes, and through being aged and matured in caves which are at a constant temperature year round. She promptly proudly translated it for her father who owns the shop. Mind you, she then went and changed the bag of frozen chips I had selected because " these fries are not beautiful!"  Over the last couple of years her English has improved, simply because she tries to use it regularly. Many of the 7/11 girls are similarly keen to try their English. 

 

It is so often about trying! Many, teachers and pupils simply don't.

 

The bulk of foreign English teachers who work in Thailand are not trying to teach advanced grammar, but teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL); giving the children the basic grounding they need to use the language simply. For that task, the requirement of a degree and a basic TEFL course ( albeit not "online"), along with enthusiasm, patience and interest suffice. Dismissing them as "backpackers" and "sex tourists" says more about the critics than it does about the TEFL teacher.

[Celsius]

5 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

There is nothing to back it up; it's just that some are obsessed with sex!   Anyone would think teachers shouldn't have sex!

 

Ok. So in your honest opinion most native english teachers in Thailand are excellent educators?

[JensenZ]

5 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

The UK education system has declined to abysmal levels and they all speak English .. throwing the correlation into doubt me thinks.

Probably, for universal understanding, UK English is one of the worst considering all the local accents that are difficult for outsiders to understand.

 

Cockney, Geordi, Brummie, Scouse, Estuary, Scottish, Welsh... the list goes on. Don't get me wrong... I enjoy hearing the variety, but it's hard work for many foreigners to understand. I even have trouble with some of them.

[JensenZ]

No one has mentioned the exceptional penmanship of Thai people. Most English speakers can barely scribble.

 

It's ironic that they write in English far better than English speakers even if they cannot speak it very well. It puts my writing to shame.

[brewsterbudgen]

2 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Ok. So in your honest opinion most native english teachers in Thailand are excellent educators?

 

In my experience (and I've been teaching English in Thailand since 2005) there are both good and bad native-speaker teachers in Thailand, just like in any profession.  Thailand does attract more TEFLers than a lot of other countries and inevitably some are teaching for the wrong reasons.  That said, even the less committed ones can make a difference with pronunciation, fluency and getting their students to be more confident about speaking English.

 

However, the vast majority of teachers of English in Thailand are Thai.  Hence the problem.

[newbee2022]

33 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I hope you're joking. English is a universal language. Thai is spoken almost exclusively in one country. Those in the UK and US (and other countries where English is the main language) can opt to learn another language if they want to, but they don't need to. Thais really, really need to learn something other than Thai if they want to exist outside of their little bubble.

Thank you to agree with me. However, as someone in a foreign country you should speak that language, at least quite a bit, in particular when living permanently in that country. So do many non native speakers when entering US or UK. And....the main language in your desired destiny - if it's Thailand - is Thai language. And why Thais should not expect you to speak Thai when you expect foreigners visiting your country speaking English?🧑‍🎄

[alex8912]

24 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

It is very often a question of being prepared to try.

 

The young lady who runs the frozen food store in our "mini metropolis" always tries. She says " I only speak a little English", but although sometimes idiosyncratic it works. If she woke up stranded in an English speaking country she would survive - surely the acid test? I shop there every few days, and she was able to understand, when she announced "I now have Cheddar cheese", and I explained that originally Cheddar cheese got its taste from milk produced by cows which grazed on salt marshes, and through being aged and matured in caves which are at a constant temperature year round. She promptly proudly translated it for her father who owns the shop. Mind you, she then went and changed the bag of frozen chips I had selected because " these fries are not beautiful!"  Over the last couple of years her English has improved, simply because she tries to use it regularly. Many of the 7/11 girls are similarly keen to try their English. 

 

It is so often about trying! Many, teachers and pupils simply don't.

 

The bulk of foreign English teachers who work in Thailand are not trying to teach advanced grammar, but teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL); giving the children the basic grounding they need to use the language simply. For that task, the requirement of a degree and a basic TEFL course ( albeit not "online"), along with enthusiasm, patience and interest suffice. Dismissing them as "backpackers" and "sex tourists" says more about the critics than it does about the TEFL teacher.

She understood your cheddar cheese story? 
Hmmm

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, Mike Lister said:

My Thai language abilities are irrelevant, I'm not teaching a class full of ten year olds a language and pretending to be qualified.

Well, I suppose your standard of obtaining qualifications are different from those here in Thailand? Compare it with a situation to teach Thai in US eg. To teach basic English is not rocket science. So I think it's better to have an English teacher than to have none.

Btw. I reckon your ability in speaking Thai is on the lowest level? Just asking for a friend🧑‍🎄🌲😂

[Mike Lister]

8 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Well, I suppose your standard of obtaining qualifications are different from those here in Thailand? Compare it with a situation to teach Thai in US eg. To teach basic English is not rocket science. So I think it's better to have an English teacher than to have none.

Btw. I reckon your ability in speaking Thai is on the lowest level? Just asking for a friend🧑‍🎄🌲😂

Go bait somebody else.

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

HAHA... I have encountered Singaporeans whose native language is english and they do not speak it very well... much like the british with all that mumbling

No true.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, radiochaser said:

And the vernacular of American English is, the sidewalks are the concrete pathways on either side of the pavement, which is a paved road or highway.  

I did have to look for the definition of chav.

My devices are set for UK English and that's just fine. 

[newbee2022]

1 minute ago, Mike Lister said:

Go bait somebody else.

Thank you for your kind reply. Obviously a speechless, happy, non grumpy man😂😂😂

[Mike Lister]

4 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Thank you for your kind reply. Obviously a speechless, happy, non grumpy man😂😂😂

You can't stay on topic, instead you want to make me the topic of debate, I'm not playing, now you're forever gone from my view....Byee.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

Well, that makes two of us. I remember the news on the Thai telly, while the radio would provide a - more often than not - delayed English soundtrack. Some funny moments were enjoyed by one and all. On the way to work in the morning I listened to the English news by Radio Thailand. It took a spoilt brat of a Phooyai to read the news, unfortunately they had not the slightest exposure to a native English-speaking person which had a more than entertaining element on the wireless. Agricultural produce like vegetables got verbally converted to furniture as veghee table; strawberries got announced as "sa-tra-bellee", a promotional support by the department of export on "pa-la-sa-teek" referred to plastic industrial issues etc. etc. etc. 
Still here, still enjoying while being slightly melancholic seeing, that the next generation is even worse on the issue of foreign languages and wondering, how they will manage the challenges ahead of them in the decades to come 

 

Well we have an old aunty who speaks about 10 words of English and gets very angry when anybody tries to improve her pronunciation.

 

E.g: She insists the word is sabaghetti, not spaghetti.

       And insists the correct word is com, not computer.

 

She's tried to insist my Thai son (native speaker of Thai and English) correct the teachers at the schools his 3 kids attend, all of which have excellent well qualified and experienced native English teachers. The best are mid 20's, from the UK, relate well to the kids and keen to do good work. 

[newbee2022]

11 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

You can't stay on topic, instead you want to make me the topic of debate, I'm not playing, now you're forever gone from my view....Byee.

😂😂😂You tried to avoid giving an answer to the topic. 🤣🤣🤣

[mberbae]

My son is majoring in English at a University here in Chiang Mai.

The teacher will NOT let him see his test results to see which

answers he may have gotten wrong. She only gives the students

their grade.  HOW is one supposed to learn from their mistakes

this way ?

[ChipButty]

19 minutes ago, scorecard said:

My devices are set for UK English and that's just fine. 

Mine are too, I even correct my wife sometimes if she comes out with that American slang.

[spidermike007]

When you have an educational system that refuses to fail students, when you have a system that does not allow students to question teachers, when you have a system that stifles curiosity, and when you have a society that is utterly obsessed with the stunningly cowardly practice of saving face, you have a recipe for disaster. There are no surprises in the results of this survey.

 

Thailand will never be able to move forward without addressing these issues. 

[Cake Monster]

 

Because English is the premier and preferred language across the Globe for conducting Business, and  also many digital tools for enhancing Business and making it more efficient and profitable are also in English, IMHO this is the prime reason Thailand is loosing its share of the Global Market

Things are not going to improve any time soon as long as Dinosaurs at the top make such comments as " Thai will be the premier language spoken all over the World "

[chuang]

No Have...

[The Cyclist]

3 hours ago, it is what it is said:

 

how about employing qualified, experienced teachers?

 

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

 

and what good would that do if the students are just not interested in learning. 

 

Any teacher worth their salary, should know and be able to:-

 

" Promote and maintain the desire to learn "

 

The difference between real teachers and classroom drones.

 

Children are inquisitive little creatures by nature and are a proverbial sponge at soaking up information.

 

Start them early on the correct path and very few will look back.

 

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Anything to back that up? Or did you forget to preface your post with 'In my opinion' rather that stating it as a fact?

 

There is nothing to back it up; it's just that some are obsessed with sex!   Anyone would think teachers shouldn't have sex!

 

That isn't what you said. You stated that native English teachers in Thailand are mostly sex tourists, not that teachers should have sex the same as anyone else. And I asked you if you have anything to back that up, apart from it being your personal opinion rather simply stating it as a fact. It is your opinion, nothing more, but you stated that the teachers ARE mostly sex tourists.

[ChipButty]

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

When you have an educational system that refuses to fail students,

I have never understood that, cant fail, how would you class a student with a grade "F"? I would say that's a complete failure

[Bangkok Barry]

56 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Thank you to agree with me. However, as someone in a foreign country you should speak that language, at least quite a bit, in particular when living permanently in that country. So do many non native speakers when entering US or UK. And....the main language in your desired destiny - if it's Thailand - is Thai language. And why Thais should not expect you to speak Thai when you expect foreigners visiting your country speaking English?🧑‍🎄

Has it occurred to you that many people do not have the aptitude to learn a foreign language, in the same way that not everyone can has the ability yo learn math or science - or English. It isn't as simple as saying 'you should'.