Home culture travel writing makes intercultural competence visible among Thai learners of Indonesian as a foreign language

Most of us learn a foreign language by imagining ourselves as visitors. We study the customs, history, and daily life of the place where that language is spoken, preparing to step into someone else's world. In language classrooms around the globe, the goal is often to help students understand and navigate a target culture, usually English, as if they were tourists arriving in a new city. But this approach leaves out a vital part of the picture: the ability to act as a host. It rarely asks students to explain their own homeland to an outsider, especially when they are writing in a language that is neither their native tongue nor English. This gap matters because true communication is not just about receiving information; it is about translating one's own reality for someone who does not share it.

A new study explores what happens when language learners flip this script. Instead of writing about the country they are visiting, a group of Thai university students wrote travel articles in Indonesian about their own home in Thailand, specifically for readers in Indonesia. The researchers wanted to see if this unusual task revealed a different kind of skill, one where the learner acts as a bridge between cultures. The study focuses on a concept called intercultural competence, which is the ability to understand, respect, and effectively communicate across cultural boundaries. It looks at how well these students could take complex Thai traditions, explain them clearly, and make them feel welcoming to an Indonesian audience, all while using Indonesian as their tool.

The researchers gathered fourteen travel articles written by undergraduate students from Walailak University in southern Thailand. These students were participating in an Indonesian language program at a university in Malang, Indonesia. As part of their coursework, they were asked to write a travel piece introducing a Thai destination, festival, or tradition to an Indonesian newspaper. The articles covered a wide range of topics, from the famous Wat Arun temple in Bangkok and the Khon masked dance to local food like Pad Kra Pao and community villages in the south. The students published these pieces in a real regional newspaper, giving their writing a genuine purpose beyond just a grade. The researchers then read these texts closely to see how the students handled the difficult task of explaining their own culture to a foreigner.

What the students produced was a masterclass in cultural translation. Every single article showed a clear effort to act as a knowledgeable host. The writers did not just list facts; they anticipated what an Indonesian reader might not understand and filled in the gaps. For instance, when describing a Thai festival, they explained the specific items used, such as banana leaves and flowers, and the reasons behind the rituals, like asking forgiveness from a water goddess. They treated the reader as a guest who needed guidance, offering warm invitations and practical advice. One writer reassured a potential visitor not to worry about hunger or thirst, while another urged readers to plan a holiday immediately. This attitude of hospitality was woven into the very fabric of the writing, showing a deep pride in their own heritage and a genuine desire to share it.

The most striking finding was how the students acted as mediators, constantly translating not just words, but entire concepts. They took Thai terms that had no direct equivalent in Indonesian and explained them in plain language. They converted prices from Thai baht into Indonesian rupiah so the reader could understand the cost. They described the history of a building or the meaning of a dance move, turning unfamiliar cultural objects into something accessible. In doing so, they used a strategy known as translanguaging, which means drawing on their full range of languages and cultural knowledge to make meaning. They kept some Thai words but immediately explained them, creating a bridge that allowed the Indonesian reader to cross over into the Thai world without getting lost. This was not a simple translation; it was an act of cultural interpretation.

The students also brought in the voices of local people to make their stories feel real. Thirteen of the fourteen articles included quotes from locals, such as a dancer explaining that their art comes from the heart, or an elder reflecting on the importance of family gatherings. By including these voices, the students moved beyond being just writers; they became reporters and guides, letting the culture speak for itself. They provided practical details like travel routes, opening hours, and the best seasons to visit, showing that they understood the needs of a traveler. These moves demonstrated that the students had acquired a deep knowledge of their own culture and could apply it in real-time to help someone else.

However, the study also found a clear limit in what the students achieved. While they were excellent at explaining and promoting their culture, they were less likely to offer a critical perspective. Half of the articles included some thought about preserving traditions or the impact of tourism, but the majority of the writing remained purely celebratory. The students were so focused on making their homeland look attractive and welcoming that they rarely questioned the downsides of tourism or the tensions between modern life and tradition. The researchers suggest that this is not a failure of the students, but rather a natural result of the task. When you are writing to invite someone to visit, the goal is to be warm and enthusiastic, which can make it difficult to also be critical or to point out problems. The genre of travel writing itself encourages a promotional tone, which can overshadow the more complex work of evaluating cultural practices.

This research suggests that asking language learners to write about their own culture for a third-party audience is a powerful way to develop intercultural skills. It forces them to become mediators who must think deeply about what their readers know and do not know. The study shows that these students were fully capable of mobilizing their cultural knowledge, explaining complex traditions, and connecting with an audience from a different country. It also highlights that while they could easily act as hosts, they needed more support to become critics of their own culture. For teachers, this means that simply asking students to describe their home is not enough; they may need specific guidance to help students look at their culture with a questioning eye, balancing the warmth of a host with the insight of a thinker.

The study does not claim to prove that all language learners can do this, nor does it suggest that this is the only way to learn a language. The group of students was small, and the analysis was based on finished articles without seeing the drafting process. Yet, the results are clear: when learners are asked to explain their own world to outsiders, they reveal a rich set of skills that are often hidden in traditional language classes. They show that they can navigate the space between cultures, translating meaning and building bridges. This approach offers a new way to think about language education, one that values the learner's own background as a vital resource for communication, rather than just a stepping stone to another culture.