Thailand ranks near bottom in English proficiency

AsiaOne ^ | 11/10/2013 | AsiaOne

[TexGrill]

THAILAND - Thailand ranks near the bottom in an English proficiency survey, showing the persistence of one of the key competitive weaknesses of the Thai economy.

Out of 60 countries and territories where English is not their mother tongue, Thailand manages only 55th place - outdoing only Panama, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, according to the EF English Proficiency Index.

The survey on adults was conducted by the global leader in international education, EF Education First, which is based in Zurich, Switzerland.

Poor English skills indicate the small base of competent adult English speakers necessary for a globalised workforce.

"Comparison of countries with their neighbours, trading partners and rivals provides a fascinating study in divergent national priorities and educational policies worldwide," Christopher McCormick, head of EF's Academic Affairs and Research Network, said last week.

"We found that by engaging in a national dialogue about English, stakeholders can help align goals, improve incentives and focus on teaching English for communication. The economic impact of such a coordinated programme is clear."

All over Asia, Thailand's ranking is only above Kazakhstan. Leading the regional league is Malaysia with a score of 58.99 score, followed by Singapore. The others - India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and China - are all over 50 points, while Thailand gained only 44.44.

[TexGrill]

Global business tip

[Utilizer]

Somebody obviously neglected to include "Mexico" in their study. Unless, of course, Mexico no longer counts as a country.

At a guess, and this is based upon first-hand experiences in Silicon Valley over many years, the illegals consider this part of the country actually a part of Mehico del Norte, and sneer at any suggestions that they need to learn English at all.

After all, why would they need to? Barky already mandates that even his signature website is translated to over 150 languages by his own admission!

[cynwoody]

At a guess, and this is based upon first-hand experiences in Silicon Valley over many years, the illegals consider this part of the country actually a part of Mehico del Norte, and sneer at any suggestions that they need to learn English at all.

A little something to remember, next time the liquor cabinet needs replenishing ...

Voda Maker Appologizes ...

[Captainpaintball]

The US is 61?

[Rodney Dangerfield]

If I retire to Thailand, I will be sure to learn Intermediate reading, writing and comprehension of Thai.

A little goes a long way and gets us “falangs” a lot of respect if we make an effort.

[lee martell]

That reminds me. I need some beginner lessons for Mandarin, showing phonetic pronounciation and emphasis. Symbols I can learn later. Be Prepared is my motto.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I am one of the Farangs living in a village in Isaan, it is amazing the lack of English speaking Thais. While children are taught English in schools, they don't use it.

My TW says that Thais are afraid to speak wrong, so they don't use English.

On the other hand, a lot of farangs move here and they wall up in there fortresses. Here's a link if you are interested:

http://forum.thepattayaclub.com/index.php?/topic/122800-fortresses-in-thailand/

Also, some great photos here:

http://forum.thepattayaclub.com/index.php?/topic/119162-my-views-of-isaan/