Preface: This article is now nearly 14 months old, but I would ask the question: Has there been a vast improvement during this time?
The Mayor/Governor of Buriram has made it quite clear that he and various other high ranking figures in the city want to make Buriram a number 1 tourist attraction. An excellent idea as it brings with it prosperity to the hotels etc. in the city. However with the ASEAN community imminent there is a great deal to do to make sure that visitors to the city can find their way around easily.
This is where the English Language comes into its own. However when one goes around the city there are very few signs in both Thai and English. There are countless signs on the roads but 90% are in Thai only. The only real dual signs are those indicating where the race circuit and football club are!
99% of advertising on boards etc. around the city are in Thai only. Sometimes there are a few odd words in English such as ‘sale’, but what is on sale is written in Thai only! An example of the misuse of English was the advertisement near the PPT garage on the way to the football stadium. It read ‘Luxury is Your’. Your what?? If an ‘S’ had been added it would have made sense, but there is not enough care taken to make sure the language used is correct. I have found that when I get my students to read a passage with words ending in ‘S’ they never pronounce the (S), nor do they write it when it is needed 90% of the time!
The two city hospitals, (especially the Ekachon which is the ‘Private Hospital”), are also sadly lacking in dual signs. Surely such places need to be catering for visitors from other Asean and other countries who take ill whilst visiting or living here.
I hope that the leaders of the ‘council’ in Buriram do make sure that all signs are clear and correct in both languages in the near future. I would also urge all firms etc. that do advertise, make sure that they use the English Language correctly. In a city with many fine educational establishments such as BRU and BCAT (leading examples), there must be many students who could be asked to proof read signs and advertisements in English before they are printed.
Dave Dittmar. 15th November 2014 (January 2016).