Thai Language Programs in Krabi, Southern Thailand

Lanta International Language School, Krabi:
Lanta International School provides intensive programs for people who want to learn the Thai language. Our sole purpose is to ensure that our students have fun, and that they learn the Thai language quickly and effectively. After months of research into the latest scientific findings in educational science we have developed and tested our new courses in order to create programs that meet our objectives of fast, fun and effective.

We have chosen these methods for 3 reasons - the methods are fast, effective and fun.

FAST: According to Dr. James J. Asher, who is the originator of one of the methods, you learn 4-5 times faster this way compared to traditional teaching.

EFFECTIVE: Your learning will be deeper which means that you will get quicker mental access to your new knowledge and better retention over time.

FUN: It is fun to study and it is fun to teach this way. This makes the course enjoyable for both students and teachers, and it is much easier to study while you are having fun.

We do not use one single teaching method in our Thai language courses as that would bore you to death. Instead, we use a combination of proven and well-researched methods to give you a varied experience that supports most learning styles.

The research that we have based most of our teaching on is that of Dr. James J. Asher, Blaine Ray, Prof. Stephen Krashen and Dr. Paul Pimsleur. All of them are well known in the field of foreign language acquisition. After studying their work, we have adapted their ideas to our students’ needs and tested the outcome to create the best possible language course.

The computer plays an important role when you study Thai at Lanta International Language School. It is so important that you will need your own laptop when taking part in our courses. The school can provide a laptop for those of you who do not have your own.

Why do you need a computer when you study Thai with us?

1. Practicing pronunciation
Thai is a tonal language. This means that the tone you use when you say a Thai word can change the meaning of that word completely. It is therefore essential to start practicing the correct pronunciation from the start, and for this, you need to listen. You need to listen to the tones, to the intonation and to the new sounds of the Thai language. Of course, you will listen a lot to your teacher during lessons, but if you want to progress quickly in your Thai studies you will need more practice outside of the classroom. This is where your computer will become your invaluable helper. We will stuff your laptop full of sound files, videos and games from our library, giving you a full arsenal of tools for practicing pronunciation.

2. Study Thai by listening rather than reading
When you study Thai as a beginner, you are unable to read the language until you have learned the Thai alphabet. This limits your ability to absorb as much understandable Thai as possible, because you cannot learn by reading. Your computer will help you to solve this problem too. The sound files, videos and games have been developed to gradually build your vocabulary and grammar knowledge. During the early weeks (and later on too) you will study Thai by listening rather than reading. This will give you much more exposure to understandable Thai and help you to learn a lot of vocabulary quickly, without having to read. Another positive spin off from this approach is that when you are ready to read, you will already have a good foundation of the Thai language, and will understand much more if you had tried to read from the start. It is much more fun to read when you can understand what you are reading!

3. Have fun while repeating words and grammar
Language learning consists of a great deal of repetition. In our method, you receive this repetition by watching movies, listening to sound files and playing games. This is a lot more fun than memorizing vocabulary lists and grammar paragraphs. When you are having fun, you will repeat more and when you repeat more, you will learn faster. Learning fast will make it even more fun to study Thai, and you will find yourself motivated and ready to excel in no time.

In Summary: When you study Thai at Lanta International Language School, we want you to learn fast and easily while having fun. By using computers and multimedia you will:

Improve your pronunciation - fast

Have easy access to many ways of practicing the Thai language without the need to read

Find it easy and enjoyable to receive the repetition you need in order to learn the language.

The use of computers in this way will make your experience very enjoyable, AND it will give you an enormous advantage in your studies of the Thai language.

Learning Thai the way that gives you the ability to "Think in Thai"

Imagine that you have been learning Thai for some time and you want to tell your Thai friends about your new telephone. One of two things can happen:

1.  You have the thought and then say, “Look, I have a new telephone”. Your friends are impressed and you continue to have a conversation about the telephone - where you bought it, how much it was etc.

2.  You think about your new telephone and what it is called in your native language. Then you try to say it in Thai by translating each word of your native language to create a sentence in Thai. Your Thai friends will be impressed but the conversation will stop because it takes too long to wait for you to construct your sentences.

In example number one you went from having the thought to speaking Thai. In example number two you went from having the thought to thinking in your native language, to translating to Thai and to constructing the sentence by applying the grammar rules that you know.

Which example do you think is more fun and more rewarding?

When you learn Thai at Lanta International Language School we will help you to become the speaker in example number one.

Your brain is able to learn from all of your senses.   Teachers on traditional Thai language courses will often present the course material in just written and oral form, which limits you to using only your eyes and ears to learn.

At Lanta International Language School we will not limit your learning experience to just your visual and auditory senses. You will learn by doing, touching, imagining, smelling, tasting, looking and listening. By involving all of your bodily senses in the learning process, you gain a deeper understanding of every word.

Some examples:

When you hear the Thai word for “laughing” you will not think of the translation “laughing”. Instead, you will remember the feeling of laughing as that was what your teacher made you do when you heard the word in class.

When you want to ask for a discount in a Thai shop, you will feel like you have done it tens of times before as you remember the role-play you used to do in class.

When you see text written in Thai you will easily read the letters as you have used your imagination and picture memory to learn them.

If you use all of your senses to learn you will multiply your learning speed and retention. PLUS, the experience is far more fun than if you were only reading from a book.

Who can study Thai at Lanta International Language School?
Anyone between 18 and 80 years old can study Thai at LILS. You need to know the basics of how to use a computer (open programs, find documents in folders, how to use a mouse etc) and you need to be able to walk up the stairs to the classroom.

How long are the courses?
The full course runs for 13 weeks, but this year we have broken it down into stages so you can choose to study just part of the full program.  Now you can join us for any length of time, starting from 3 weeks.

When do courses start?
Courses start at the beginning of January, end of April, and the middle of September, every year.

How many lessons are there per day?
Each day of study lasts for four hours and consists of five lessons.

What is included in the course fee?
260 hours (325 lessons) of tuition, all course material including books, movies, sound files, and computer games. You will also receive a certificate on completion of the course.

What is not included in the course fee?
Flights, visa, insurance, accommodation and food are NOT included in the course fee. You will also need a computer to follow the course. Either bring your own or borrow at the school.

How do I pay?
You can pay by cash at the school, PayPal or bank wire directly into our Thai bank account. Alternatively, if you live in Sweden, you can pay straight into our Swedish bank account by bank giro.

What level of language skills do I need?
You don't need to know any Thai to start the Beginners course. To take part on the Intermediate course you need to be able to read Thai and know around 1500 words. To start the advanced course you need to be a good reader and you should already be able to communicate in Thai in most situations.

What should I expect to learn?
The goal of the Beginners course is for you to learn around 2000 words and get a good foundation in Thai grammar. You will also learn how to read and how to communicate in the most common scenarios.

The Intermediate and Advanced courses continue to build your knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension. You will also practice writing in Thai.

Which dialect of Thai will I learn?
You will learn the standard Thai dialect. It is the same dialect that is used on TV and radio, and the same dialect that all Thai children are taught at school.

Where do I stay?
You can choose between a hotel, bungalow, villa, apartment or room. Rooms and bungalows are generally the cheapest. We can help you find a suitable place to stay if you fill in the accommodation request form.

Where is Koh Lanta?
Koh Lanta is a part of the Krabi Province in the south of Thailand. It is close to the Phi Phi Islands and Phuket.

How do I get to Koh Lanta
Most students fly to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur and then continue by a connecting flight to our closest airport - Krabi International Airport. It is also possible to fly into airports at Phuket or Trang, though they are a little further away from Koh Lanta. From any of the airports you can go by private transfer, ferry or minivan to Koh Lanta. We can arrange a transfer from the airport for you if you fill in the accommodation request form.

What kind of visa do I need?
The easiest and cheapest option is to apply for a double entry tourist visa from a Thai embassy or consulate in your own country. With a double entry tourist visa, it is possible to stay in Thailand for up to six months before needing to apply for a new visa. You will however need to go on short visa runs during that time.

You will have the opportunity to join many activities, excursions and trips at low cost. Cultural activities, elephant trekking, snorkelling, kayaking, Thai cooking are some of the activities available for which we have negotiated discounted prices for our students. The beach is only 150 meters away from the school, so you will have plenty of time to relax on the beach or swim in the Andaman Sea. If you feel the need to be more energetic there is a gym nearby offering Thai boxing, fitness training and yoga. For those of you who would like to pamper yourself, or reward yourself for learning so much, we have also negotiated discounts on local spa treatments.