The English language communication in the international workplace:udan examination of Thai computer engineering professionals

摘要

Using effective English language is one of the most desired communication skills for successful internationaludengineering workplace. However, the way in which this language is used in terms of computer engineering hasudnot been much studied, despite being one of the key aspects of international business. This study aims to exploreudthe nature of international communicative situations; to identify how Thai engineers self-report their languageudproficiency, ability to perform English-related tasks and their opinions regarding language use in anudinternational workplace. The participants were Thai engineers working in companies located in the Bangkokudmetropolitan area. A mixed-methods approach was employed, and the results revealed that English languageudproficiency plays a key role in their workplace and in terms of career advancement; their interpersonaludcommunication mostly took place between colleagues in the same base, or between overseas bases, in terms ofudcooperation, teamwork, and meetings; oral communication skills were the most needed; their perceivedudlanguage proficiency level was fair, and their perceived reading skills were the best in comparison to theirudother skills; and using perfect English was not a priority, yet intelligibility was more important for reachingudtheir communicative goals. Such findings have led to pedagogical implications such as specifically designingudcourses containing realistic knowledge and skills; introducing the concept of BELF to raise awareness amongudengineering students regarding comprehensibility of non-native-like English speech; and practicing listeningudwith both native and non-native accents to be familiar with these accents and more confident communicating inudreal-life situations.