Is the mastery of English really the top issue that would
hold back international development for Thailand around the AEC ? I think this is a false
problem that hides the real one.
Of course, there is room for progress. But a lot has changed
since I arrived in Asia 20 years ago. It used to be that only the lucky few
who studied several years abroad were capable to communicate in English. Great
progress has been made since, through teaching courses, exposure to
international exchanges (mostly by email) and internet-based communication
tools.
Tourism has been Thailand’s main economic pillar for years. The
level of English proficiency has not been a brake (some other things have …). In
fact, the great majority of tourists coming here don’t speak English themselves.
I recall the Italian tourist, gesticulating in rapid-fire Italian, perplexed that the hotel staff didn’t understand him. What is the worldwide leading
tourist destination ? France. Try and ask for directions in English anywhere in
France. Bon courage !
Oh, but we are talking about business, not tourism. So let’s
take a look at China. Not really on the top of the ranking as far as English proficiency is
concerned. Yet this does not seem to have stopped them from doing business with
the world ! And no, the rest of the world has not learned Chinese in the last 20
years. People just live with and struggle through the language issues that
occur anywhere in the world when people communicate in a language other than their mother tongue.
I don’t believe English is the main challenge for Thailand
going forward. I have a pretty clear idea of what it is, and it will be the
subject of my next blog. In the meantime, I invite any of you reading this to share your
thoughts on what you think this main challenge is ! Let me know in the comment section or email me directly at peter@asioconsulting.com . I look forward to the comments !
What would hold back international development? Being overly protective!
ReplyDeleteIt is much easier for foreign companies to invest and do business in other Asian countries, e.g. Singapore or Hong Kong.
The idea of protecting the own market by making the (working) life of foreigners so difficult in Thailand is very short-sighted, and Thailand will suffer economically from it in the long run.
What? I need four Thai employees per foreign work permit? I need to leave the country every 3 months, if when I have a work permit and proper visa? Even if all I need for my work is a notebook and internet access you force me to rent an office? - No thank you, let me pay my taxes elsewhere.
Better English skills would be nice to have. It's definitely not the number 1 challenge that Thailand is facing.
Depends on which perspective you judge from. For a "Farang" then the visa, work permit, rules on ownership etc are a big issue. Other countries are much more "investor friendly" and will facilitate investment. Thailand is prorective and makes it difficult. I know several people who are moving there businesses to more "friendly" countries in region.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Thai perspective then English is a big inhibitor. Thailand has one of the lowest proficiencies in English and will suffer when competing with Malaysia, Myamar and Philippines. English teaching is still very variable in quality and standard. The Thai education system also has weaknesses in relying on teaching by rote which does not ecourage learning through challenge and discovery.
There are more people currently learning English in China than the population of the UK! I first visited China over 20 years ago. There has been a massive increase in the level, quality and number of English speakers over the years - a very steep learning curve.
Thailand continues to only look inwards. Other ASEAN countries will develop tourism in a big way and Thailand will need to be much more competitive, open, and willing to change to compete.
The issue is Thai--AEC countries' interaction/competition; not so much falang-Thai-Falang. While the latter highlights some concerns, they are not necessarily unmanageable or unchangeable if the rewards of change are high enough.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, if the lingua franca is to be English in AEC then, in my humble experience, the Filipinos and Malaysians are far more proficient and will move more quickly. (I'm astounded at how well 'working class' Filipino immigrants in BKK speak English.)
I don't know if the comparison with China works: the Chinese have the vantage point in most of their business relationships; the Thai do not.