Problems in English reading and writing for professional communication among marketing staff in international insurance companies in Thailand

In the international insurance industry, misinterpreting client needs, contract drafting errors, and inadequate responses can damage a company’s image and reduce competitiveness. The objective of this study is to investigate the problems marketing staff in international insurance companies in Thailand face regarding English writing and reading for professional communication. Data collection consisted of two phases: a preliminary study and a questionnaire survey. In the preliminary study, two open-ended questions were posed to 60 participants - 33 underwriters and 27 marketing staff. 80% of the participants had more than seven years of experience in the insurance industry. Data from this study, combined with the literature review, were used to develop the questionnaire, which consisted of 33 close-ended statements related to problems for writing English and 32 close-ended statements for reading English. The questionnaires were distributed to 104 marketing staff working in different departments such as in property, business interruption, public liability, and engineering insurance. The results showed that marketing staff experienced a moderate level of difficulty with English writing (????̅ = 2.90, SD = 1.20) and reading (????̅ = 2.73, SD = 1.23). The most challenging task was reading and writing marketing documents. Additional difficulties stemmed from grammar, technical vocabulary, communication skills, and understanding policy coverage, all contributing to their struggles. The findings contribute to international insurance companies and language training providers seeking to improve English communication skills among marketing staff in professional communication.