English is widely used as a communicative
device by people across the globe. Crystal (2008)
states that the number of English users worldwide
is estimated to reach two million people. Crystal
further adds that the figure of non-native speakers
of English is significantly greater than English native
speakers’.Thus,thestatusofEnglishismorenoticeable
as a lingua franca over the world. In Thailand,
English also plays a leading role as a lingua franca
(Baker, 2009) because it is mostly used by Thais to
interact with people whose first language is not
English, particularly in the Thai tourism industry
(Todd,2006).Furthermore, thiscan bemostobviously
seenwiththeestablishmentof theASEAN Community
in 2015, when English will become an official tool
for communication among the ASEAN member
countries and its counterparts.
Thus, English is extremely important for
Thais for communicating with people from various
countriesand multicultural backgrounds. Inorder to
prepareThais for this situation, developingeffective
Englishusers for interculturalcommunicationhas to
be taken intoconsideration. It can be said that Thai
Englishteachers whoareinchargeof providingThai
studentswithknowledgeand skillsforcommunication
in English may have the most significant role.
Consequently, this paper proposes someimportant
recommendationstoThaiEnglishteachersin providing
students with skills and knowledge for more
successful intercultural communication in the era
of English as a lingua franca in Thailand.