Translation and the Teaching of English in Thailand

Authors

Thiraboon Somboontakerng

Publication Date

1981-01-01

Abstract

"Translation" seems to be popularly employed by Thai teachers of English as the main teaching technique in all levels of education throughout the kingdom. Three years ago, while I was working for the Ministry of Education, my duty allowed me to make various visits to secondary schools in every part of the kingdom. One of the main purposes of the trips was to observe English classes conducted by both Thai teachers and Peace Corps volunteers. From my observations, I learned that the Thai teachers used a lot of Thai to explain the grammatical function of English words and English structures, and to translate reading texts and some comprehension questions for their students. Some Peace Corps volunteers, sometimes, also used Thai, Flavoured with American accent, to translate simple questions like, "What's your name ?" to elicit prompt response.

DOI

10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.11.1.2

First Page

10

Last Page

13

Recommended Citation

Somboontakerng, Thiraboon (1981) "Translation and the Teaching of English in Thailand," PASAA: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.11.1.2
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/pasaa/vol11/iss1/2