This article was originally posted on WomenLearnThai.com.
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Doraemon Comics in Thai…
In the last Successful Thai Language Learner’s interview, Rick Bradford’s mention of reading Doraemon Comics in Thai got me interested so I contacted him for more:
The Doraemon comics are a good way to get a first foot on the ladder of reading Thai.
They’re aimed at children, so the vocabulary is fairly basic. Equally important, the speech bubbles contain only a few words each, so you aren’t faced with a block of daunting impenetrable Thai script.
The stories are quite funny, as well.
In my rush to leave Thailand I briefly stopped by a few bookstores to see what Doraemon Comics I could source. Asia books was closed at the time but I did managed to pick up a Doraemon Thai language edition by Ned Comics. The books are large, the Thai script is a nice size, the covers are matt laminated, and the artwork is easy on the eye.
Then at Villa Market in Aree I found an English-Thai set, also by Ned Comics. Again, the covers are matt laminated (I like). Learning English is the focus so the English is in the speech bubbles with tiny Thai script translations across the top and bottom of the individual cartoons. The script might be too fiddly for beginners to suss some of the words.
Curious about the English-Thai versions, I went back to Rick:
The ones I bought are all in Thai, published by Nanmee Books.
The Thai script is very clear in these, and I started reading these from a basic level.
I think these may be a cut above some other versions given the price (90 baht) and some extra educational text (described as เสริมความรู้) which is added to some of the stories.
For example, a story called ผจญภัยในร่างกาย. there is extra text and diagrams about the circulatory and digestive systems which was probably added to turn the books into a semi-educational resource.
I bought mine at B2E, I think.
This week I’ll look for Nanmee’s version of the Doraemon Comics in Bangkok and leave an update in the comments. Asia books is a good bet. There’s also a Thai book fair at Queen Sirikit’s National Convention Center: Book Festival for Thai Youth: 13-17 July 2011. I absolutely plan on attending the book fair but I need to kick this cold first (oh, the joys of international travel).
NED Comics Application for iPad…
Everyone seems to be getting on the iPhone / iPad wagon. Excellent.
Price: Free
Author: Ned Comics
Date: 10 March 2011
Version: 1.1
Size: 400+ mgs
Classic Thai legends are now available in iPad from NED Comics, a subsidiary of Nation Multimedia Group Thailand.
NED Comics Free app comes with popular Thai manga.
Key features:
• The application comes with popular Thai manga.
• You can read the first chapter for free!
• You’ll have access to constantly growing library of brand new and exclusive titles.
• Once you delete the comics you have bought, you can download again from the server for free.
Note: I haven’t had time to review this app (it’s still downloading) so I’ll leave my comments until later. Ok? But if you do get a chance to play around with it please let me know what you think in the comments.