Nakhon Ratchasima Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

A Study on Translation Strategies for Technology and Environmental Terms in Chinese–Thai News

Kullayanee Kittopakarnkit, Xinyi Liu — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This study is a qualitative research investigating translation strategies for technology and environmental terms from Chinese into Thai. The study analyzed 50 bilingual Chinese-Thai news articles (2020-2025) from CRI Thai and CATTI resources, comprising 68 technology terms and 89 environmental terms. Newmark’s (1988) translation theory framework was employed for analysis. The results indicate that strategies differ according to term type. For technology terms, literal translation was the most frequently used strategy (47.06%), followed by multiple-method translation (27.94%), free translation (17.65%), and transliteration (7.35%). For environmental terms, literal translation dominated (79.78%), followed by multiple-method translation (14.60%), while free translation (2.25%) and transliteration (3.37%) were comparatively rare. These findings suggest that environmental terms often have structures that are more directly translatable than technology terms. Overall, the choice of translation strategies depends significantly on the nature of the content and the complexity level of terms in each field. This highlights that strategy selection is influenced by content characteristics, term universality, and communicative context. The findings provide practical guidance for translators and media practitioners to enhance the quality of Chinese-Thai news translation and cross-languagecommunication.

Instructional Management Using Songs and Music Videos to Enhance Students’ Understanding of Mediation under the Mediation Act A.D. 2019

satid Jumrern, Thitari Premvilaisuk Boonsak, Walairut Photisan — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This research entitled “Instructional Management Using Songs and Music Videos to Enhance Students’ Understanding of Mediation under the Mediation Act A.D. 2019” aims to: 1) examine the consistency between the lyrics and music video of the song “Rao Khui Kan Dai” and the concepts and principles of dispute mediation; 2) compare students’ learning achievement before and after the instructional management using songs and music videos; and 3) investigate students’ satisfaction with this instructional approach.

This study employs a mixed-methods research design. The Documentary research was conducted to analyze the consistency between the song lyrics and the relevant concepts, theories, and legal principles related to dispute mediation. Quantitative research methods were used to examine students’ learning achievement and satisfaction. The sample consisted of students enrolled in the course on Alternative Dispute Resolution. The research instruments included pre-test and post-test achievement tests as well as a satisfaction questionnaire regarding the instructional management. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and comparative analysis of pre-test and post-test scores.

The findings reveals that the lyrics and music video of the song “Rao Khui Kan Dai” reflect key concepts and principles of mediation, including negotiation, conciliation, peaceful communication, and the resolution of disputes through amicable means. The comparison of learning achievement indicates that the students’ post-test scores were higher than their pre-test scores at the .05 statistical significance level, demonstrating that the use of songs and music videos as instructional media effectively enhanced students’ understanding of mediation processes. Furthermore, the results of the satisfaction assessment showed that students reported the highest level of satisfaction with the instructional approach. They indicated that such media made the lessons more engaging, easier to understand, and more closely connected to real-life situations. The results suggest that integrating creative media such as songs and music videos into legal education can effectively enhance students’ learning outcomes and promote a better understanding of alternative dispute resolution processes.

Reforming the Thailand Higher Education Transition System: Toward a Competency-Based and Entrepreneurial Model

Amirhossein Taghipour, Assoc. Prof. Dr.Sanya Kenaphoom — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

Thailand's higher education system continues to face graduate unemployment, skill misalignment, and insufficient transitions from education to employment, despite ongoing advancements in curriculum development, quality assurance, and outcome-based education. Recent reforms have predominantly concentrated on employability through disparate initiatives, such as curriculum enhancements, internships, and entrepreneurship programs; however, they have not sufficiently integrated competency development, work-integrated learning, university–industry collaboration, and entrepreneurial support into a unified transition system. This study aims to assess structural deficiencies in Thailand's higher education transition system, examine relevant international transition models, and propose a competency-based and entrepreneurial transition framework adapted to the Thai context. The study utilizes documentary research and comparative policy analysis to synthesize evidence from higher education policy documents, labor market surveys, global best practices, and scholarly literature. The findings indicate four major structural deficiencies: a misalignment between curriculum and labor market demands, inadequate university-industry collaborations, insufficient entrepreneurial assistance, and the absence of a unified national transition framework. This study's innovative contribution is the invention of the Competency-Based and Entrepreneurial Transition Framework, which connects macro-level governmental incentives, meso-level institutional reform, and micro-level student competency advancement. The paradigm advances modern reform dialogues by shifting higher education from degree acquisition to structured career and entrepreneurial development trajectories. It offers practical implications for performance-driven university governance, employer partnerships, graduate assessment, regional innovation ecosystems, and the sustained competitiveness of Thailand's workforce.

A Study on the Intentional Use of Chinese Idioms in the Historical Drama Love Like the Galaxy

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This research, entitled A Study on the Intentional Use of Chinese Idioms in the Historical Drama Love Like the Galaxy (《星汉灿烂》), aims to examine the communicative intentions behind the use of Chinese idioms (成语) appearing in the dialogues of the historical Chinese television drama Love Like the Galaxy, which was broadcast in 2022 and gained considerable popularity in Thailand. The study seeks to analyze the contextual meanings and communicative functions conveyed through idiomatic expressions in different conversational situations.

The data were collected from all 56 episodes of the drama streamed on the WeTV application between June and July 2025. A total of 114 Chinese idioms were identified and analyzed based on contextual usage and communicative intentions through a qualitative content analysis approach grounded in pragmatics.

The findings revealed six categories of communicative intentions in the use of Chinese idioms: 1) warning intentions: 20 idioms (17.54%); 2) sarcastic intentions: 16 idioms (14.04%); 3) opinion-expressing intentions: 13 idioms (11.40%); 4) admonishing intentions: 30 idioms (26.32%); 5) appreciative intentions: 12 idioms (10.53%); and 6) other intentions: 23 idioms (20.18%). Among these categories, idioms expressing admonishing intentions appeared most frequently. This finding may be attributed to the dramatic themes of political conflict, interpersonal tension, strategic survival, and criticism of characters’ behaviors throughout the series.

The study demonstrates that Chinese idioms function not only as artistic linguistic devices but also as important communicative tools reflecting emotions, attitudes, interpersonal relationships, cultural values, and social perspectives in Chinese society. Understanding the communicative intentions behind idiom usage contributes to deeper knowledge of Chinese language use, intercultural communication, Chinese language learning and teaching, and translation studies.

Development of Policy Proposals for Economic, Social, and Environmental Development in Thailand: A Case Study of the Provincial Economic Development Zone in Maha Sarakham

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This article examines the spatial development process of Maha Sarakham Province through the analysis of policy integration, spatial governance, and the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of provincial development. The article argues that the development of provincial economic development zones in Maha Sarakham can be sustained effectively only through collaborative governance mechanisms that integrate universities, public agencies, local communities, and place-based development strategies within the context of a knowledge-based economy.The analysis demonstrates that Maha Sarakham has evolved into an “Education City” that functions as a regional hub for human capital, knowledge production, and service-sector expansion. In the policy dimension, provincial development has increasingly emphasized integrated area-based governance and cross-sector collaboration. In the economic dimension, the concentration of educational institutions has stimulated service industries, creative economies, local enterprises, and OTOP-related activities. In the social dimension, cooperation among universities, government agencies, and community networks has strengthened community participation, local capacity-building, and knowledge transfer processes. In the environmental dimension, spatial development initiatives have promoted sustainable agricultural practices, cultural tourism, and greater awareness of resource management at the local level. Nevertheless, the analysis also identifies several structural constraints, including fragmented coordination mechanisms, budget limitations, uneven spatial development, and the continued dependence of the provincial economy on the student population and public-sector activities. These conditions indicate the need for a more adaptive and collaborative provincial governance model capable of balancing economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. The article contributes to the literature on area-based development and provincial economic governance by proposing a contextualized framework for knowledge-based provincial development in Thailand.