Thai adults learn english via translation

Abstract

With the approaching full form of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, while some Thais may still keep their traditional way of living, but many others have to be faced with English requirements, especially in the internationally competitive arena of global trade and business. Both the unemployed and the employed have to accordingly adjust themselves to the ongoing change in terms of linguistic competence. Nonetheless, there is rare research delving into how Thai adults learn to translate from Thai to English. This paper thus aims to report the attempt and learning process of a group of employees who tried to upgrade their English proficiency to cope with such significant alteration. Conducted with 18 adult learners, this qualitative research study used a questionnaire, a follow-up informal talk, and a comparison of the participants’ final examinations at intermediate and advanced level. The training course was provided at a state-owned telecommunication company in Thailand. At the time of the study, the subjects’ average age was 46.6 years. The research findings revealed that translation practices could help these learners to develop a higher degree of English proficiency after the one-and-a-half-year translation course.