English for oral transactional communication: a case study of financial office personnel

Abstract

Since the 20th century, English had spread through many countries used as an international language which is frequently used for a wide range purpose in public and personal needs. This case study aimed to identify the use of language(s) for communication between staff and student and to assess possible solutions to help staff improve their English communication skills as the use of English for oral transactional communication, a case study of financial office personnel. The conversation transcriptions were collected as the data for analyzing; these conversations were analyzed by adapting the CANCODE corpus model focusing on spoken discourse analysis. The main issue was on the use of language for both L1 and L2 in the process of the transactions. By analyzing each transcription in detail, it revealed the movement of the transaction between the participants and how English and Thai were used in the communication process. The use of translanguaging seemed to help the financial personnel offcers to overcome certain difficulties in communication when faced with the level of transactional interaction required in their job. However, the lack of ability to explain financial technical term to the 'clients' lead to misunderstandings in the conversation.