Letting down the language

[PeteC]

Letting down the language
Marquie Leelatham
Special to The Nation July 13, 2012 3:02 pm

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Le ... 86006.html


Thai kids at Bangkok's international schools risk getting 'lost in translation'

Bangkok's international schools pack a surprise for first-time visitors, and it's not short skirts or vulgar language, which are in fact nowhere to be found. The surprise is how little Thai is spoken and how poorly - by the Thai students.

Most Thai student attending international schools can speak English reasonably well, but their Thai vocabulary and grammar is worryingly bad.

While Bangkok is proud to have 75 entries on the International Schools Association's list of local institutes, there's no cause for celebration in the fact that so many of the Thais enrolled mispronounce Thai words and can't write the language properly.

The problem alarms teachers and parents not so much because the youngsters fumble the pronunciation of mahassajarn and sassatrajarn but because the students are Thai and ought to know better. They've been hearing the language since they were born, after all.

It's become evident that these schools' native Thai students are now speaking Thai less fluently than their second or third languages.

The surprise in the situation is mitigated somewhat by the fact that Thais make up only about a fifth of the student population at many of the international schools, such as Bangkok Patana, so they're constantly surrounded by people who speak Thai little, if at all.

The timetable of a typical Thai secondary student at Bangkok Patana might amount to just four periods per week, totalling less than three hours. And in the IGCSE (secondary-level examinations) the Thai language is not considered a key subject and is thus less important in the eyes of the students.

Asked why she and her fellow Thai students often find Thai so hard to master, 15-year-old Pakpinya at Bangkok Patana says the alphabet is difficult. "And I speak English with my friends and sisters and I've never been to a Thai school, so my whole life has been spent speaking English," she says. "I listen to English songs and watch English TV, so I don't really get to practise any Thai."

Leela, 14, offers a similar explanation. "My Thai friends have been educated the British way since kindergarten and get the minimal amount of Thai at school each week, so they haven't had the same education that Thai schools give Thai students.

"Besides, I have foreign friends who only speak English, so I don't really get to speak Thai that often," she says.

The prevailing Western influence in music, films, literature and the news media means international students are, for example, more inclined to prefer musicians like Drake and Blessthefall over Thailand's Room 39.

The fundamental rule at the international schools is that English must be spoken at all times except during Thai-language lessons, so it's easy to neglect the native tongue. Pakpinya admits that some of the Thai students struggle with their Thai-language assignments, to the extent that they use Google Translator, an online service that's far from accurate in Thai. Thai proverbs are a complete riddle to them.

Patcharee, another 15-year-old at Bangkok Patana, fails to understand her fellow students' difficulty. "If you speak Thai on a daily basis with your family, then speaking Thai fluently and accurately isn't very hard," she says.

Pajongwart Poonkaew, who teaches Thai at Triam Udom Sueksa School, points out that the international schools usually only convey the basics of the native language. "So when the students move on to Thai schools and try to speak fluently, it can be very hard for them."

Well-known Thai-language lecturer Kijamanoch "Kru Lilly" Rojanasap has a suggestion. "It's essential to incorporate Thai into your daily life, whether it be through music, movies, books or whatever," she says.

"It's very important that parents speak Thai to their children so that they can be fluent, because it's shocking that some Thai students nowadays can't speak Thai clearly or read or write at all."

In her 10-plus years as a teacher of the language she's encountered several Eurasian and Thai students who failed the subject because they weren't using Thai in their daily lives. And yet students at the international schools can take advantage of Thai tutoring schools specifically established to tackle this issue, such as the Kru Too Centre, Kumon and Bilingual.

Nana Boonorm, a 14-year-old attending Ruam Rudee International School, agrees that Thai has to be part of everyday life. She's able to write in Thai accurately and efficiently.

"Thai workbooks can be really boring, so teenagers should listen to Thai music and pick up the lyrics, and read Thai comic books," Nana says. "They should use Thai on the social networks like Instagram or even Facebook."

Nana says her friends who play Thai video games tend to speak and read Thai better than those who only speak Thai with their families. She credits this to the games' interactive features. You can enjoy using the language and improve your command of it.

Nevertheless, she believes Thai youngsters who have been overseas since childhood will naturally struggle with Thai. It must seem foreign to them, she says. Nana reckons it's good that Thai youth embraces other cultures and English in general, but they should maintain their "Thai roots and don't forget you're Thai".

Just how solid their attachment remains to those roots might save them from becoming "lost in translation" when dealing with their mother tongue. As difficult as it is for foreigners in Thailand to get beyond the basics of the Thai language, these native children, a minority in their own Bangkok schools, are at risk of getting lost as well.

[MrPlum]

Found the same when we moved our youngster out of Yamsaard. Her Thai had fallen behind.

[GLCQuantum]

Found the same when we moved our youngster out of Yamsaard. Her Thai had fallen behind.

But isn't Yaamsaard a bilingual school?

Plenty of subjects taught in Thai at that school I believe.

I worked in an international school a couple of years ago and we had some students leaving because their parents decided they weren't getting enough contact with the Thai language. They would move down the road to Sarasas (bilingual school) which was a massive step down in terms of quality of education but... it's all about the name here. 'My little boy studies at Sarasas!'

[MrPlum]

But isn't Yaamsaard a bilingual school?

Yes it is and her Thai still suffered.

[GLCQuantum]

The problem is you can't have it both ways. If you want your child to have a very good command of the English language solely from what he/she is learning at school then he/she needs to be enrolled in an English program or an International School. This of course means that their Thai is going to suffer a little. If you want your child to speak Thai perfectly then send them to a Thai school... the 1-5 hours a week of English will of course not be sufficient for them to speak English well. In both situations here the language that is not getting as much contact should be supplemented at home (just by using that language as the spoken language in the household) or through private classes.

If you want somewhere in the middle send them to a bilingual school where they will be 'okayish' in English and 'okayish' in Thai.

[GLCQuantum]

Just to add...

After having worked as a teacher here for the last 8 years (a government school, a bilingual school, a trilingual school and an international school) I would most certainly be putting my child (if I had one ) into an english program school (wouldn't be able to afford international ) with the Thai being supplemented after hours.

I would never in a million years send my child to a Bilingual School after being witness to this type of school in Thailand for 2 years.

[Nereus]

Just to add...

After having worked as a teacher here for the last 8 years (a government school, a bilingual school, a trilingual school and an international school) I would most certainly be putting my child (if I had one ) into an english program school (wouldn't be able to afford international ) with the Thai being supplemented after hours.

I would never in a million years send my child to a Bilingual School after being witness to this type of school in Thailand for 2 years.

Can you elaborate on the terminology you have quoted please? What is the difference between "bilingual" and english program, (EP?)?

[GLCQuantum]

An English program school holds all the subjects in English just as an international school does. I think the only real difference is that there are no IGCSE's taken in an English program (that and the teachers are far better qualified in an international school).

A bilingual school has core subjects taught in both English and Thai. Ultimately you end up with an average understanding of subjects in two languages. Basically you are learning the same lesson twice... once in Thai and once again in English.

For example: An English speaking science teacher will have the students perform an experiment of some sort. The Thai science teacher will then use a whole lesson to translate the terminology into Thai.

[GLCQuantum]

Before I get myself into trouble here I should make it clear that I'm only going on my experience.

The bilingual school I did a 'stint' at was Sarasas. Sarasas is regarded as one of the best schools in Thailand in the eyes of the Thais. It was the first bilingual school in Thailand and now has dozens of schools dotted around the country. The school I worked at alone had over 8,000 students all paying their 100,000 yearly fees.

For me it is the worst school I have worked at to date. I found it to be nothing short of a money factory. Classes crammed wall to wall with students. Our lesson plans consisted of 'Make sure the students finish page 12'. Resources/materials were unheard of.... 'Just use the book' you would be told upon asking for materials. Space for activities in the class was of course non-existant. As you stroll past a kindergarten class you would expect to see the teacher singing songs whilst the little mites do their best 'Barney' impressions. Nope! Pass a Kindy class in Sarasas and you will see them copying things from the board and writing in their practice books.

I covered for a teacher at a montesorri Kindergarten for a few months once. The difference was incredible... and at nearly the same cost. If the headmaster there walked past your class and you were doing anything other than fun based student centered learning.... bye bye!

[bigideas]

What amazes me is how much money parents are prepared to waste on ways to teach their children 2 or more languages. If parents spent less and spent more time at home with their children doing with the children what they expect teachers at school to do, then they would have no problem mastering 2 languages.
My 6 year old speaks fluent English and Thai. And when I say fluent I mean Present Perfect Tense, Past Simple and Continuous Tenses, 1st conditionals, idioms, turns of phrases... just like a native English speaker, and her Thai is as natural as any kid on the block. She also reads English as well as any English kid her age and reads Thai better than most Thai kids her age. She also speaks good French (just from watching, understanding and repeating from French (Muzzy) cartoons for 30 minutes, 4 days a week since she was 5 years old. And is now doing the same with Italian. The price has been tiny and she hasn't neglected any of her other studies - her maths (IXL.com) is about a year ahead of her peer group and she plays piano well. And, NO I am not a ruthless pushy parent!
Quite simply, we homeschool!
I am at home 4 days a week and my wife 3 days a week and we simply teach the tasks we do best. I only speak English with her and have since she was born, and my wife speaks Thai. I teach English reading and writing and talk to her alot and play with her in English. I also watch French and Italian cartoons with her and practise that and do roleplay games with her. I also help her with learning songs she likes and singing on the piano. My wife does Thai reading and writing and arts and crafts and exercise and meditation and going to the temple with her.
Even if parents are both Thai, they could get tutors to teach English and other subjects everyday to their kids at home (especially if they live in Bangkok) and they would make a saving on sending their kids to these fancy "International Schools".
My kid went to Yamsaard School until she was 5 years old. She much prefers homeschool where she's more in control of what she does and when. We'll be going to England next month to start about a year or so of school there before going off to France to live for a while if things go well.

In my opinion:
1. Start early with your kid.
2. Only speak your native language with your kid and stick to it.
3. Talk to them alot while they are young.
4. Be aware of their mistakes but try not to over correct them.
5. Have a time everyday when all kids TV programs are watched in English.
6. Read to them and let them help you read just a little every day.
7. Expect slow steady progress.

[Nereus]

An English program school holds all the subjects in English just as an international school does. I think the only real difference is that there are no IGCSE's taken in an English program (that and the teachers are far better qualified in an international school).

A bilingual school has core subjects taught in both English and Thai. Ultimately you end up with an average understanding of subjects in two languages. Basically you are learning the same lesson twice... once in Thai and once again in English.

For example: An English speaking science teacher will have the students perform an experiment of some sort. The Thai science teacher will then use a whole lesson to translate the terminology into Thai.

Well, I am not sure where your information comes from, despite you being a teacher. I have not seen any school in Bangkok that advertises as a "bilingual" school. Even if they are operating with that method they will be advertising as a Thai school with an EP addition, if only to justify how much more they can charge in fees.
Below is a quote from the "academic manager" of the EP program that my Granddaughter attends:

Throughout Thailand, the words "English Program" apply to a situation where non-Thai teachers teach the core subjects: English, Science, Mathematics, and sometimes Health and/or Art. This comprises about 60% of the classroom teaching time. All other courses and activities -- indeed just about everything else beyond the subjects just mentioned -- are the purview of the Thai school that hosts the English Program.

It should also be noted that the Ministry of Education lays down strict rules about the ratio of Thai to English class time. Any complaints from parents, ie: those paying the fees, will promptly have this fact presented to them as an excuse for their own shortcomings.

From my experience in trying to provide a better alternative to a basic government school, I have come to the conclusion that the EP program should be called the BS program!

Thanks for your post.

[GLCQuantum]

As I said Nereus I'm just going by my own experience working within these schools - I'm certainly no expert on the matter.

Throughout Thailand, the words "English Program" apply to a situation where non-Thai teachers teach the core subjects: English, Science, Mathematics, and sometimes Health and/or Art.

This is correct but... I believe it becomes 'bilingual' when you also have those core subjects 'translated' as such into Thai. For example, I am currently working in a Trilingual school where on the schedule you will see 'Eng-Math' but also 'Thai-Math'. This is the same with Science. In an English Program I don't think you will get this. I haven't seen it anyway.

From what I have seen a bilingual school has a lot more subjects throughout the week that are taught in Thai than that of an EP school. Again just going from experience.



Edit: A good example would be to look at Somtawin (EP) and Yaamsaard (Bilingual) and notice the difference. I think there's still a difference anyway - it's been a while!

[oldandbald]

nereus quote "Well, I am not sure where your information comes from, despite you being a teacher. I have not seen any school in Bangkok that advertises as a "bilingual" school."

I can confirm that Sarasas when I worked for them around 2000/2001 did stress and advertise the fact that were a 'bilingual school'. It was the latest fashion then and the Sarasas group of schools were expanding very quickly.

Whether or not they still use the term 'bilingual' I don't know but at the time it certainly seemed to catch the parents attention

[Nereus]

....................................................'Eng-Math' but also 'Thai-Math'. This is the same with Science. In an English Program I don't think you will get this. I haven't seen it anyway

Well, that is exactly the case with the school my Granddaughter is attending, an EP program! What is the difference in Maths between Thai and English????????
Oh, I am forgetting myself here, with Thailand being the centre of the universe I guess they have such advanced Maths that it cannot be taught in anything other than Thai.

[GLCQuantum]

What is the difference in Maths between Thai and English????????

They are basically translating the words used (plus,minus,division,pie chart etc).

In my opinion you don't need a whole other lesson for this. The kids can do this themselves with dictionaries and weekly spelling tests during homeroom time where they spell the word in both languages. For me that 50 minutes could be used much more constructively - but that's just me.