Why are expats so bad in Thai?

[melvinmelvin]

32 minutes ago, Zyxel said:

Most important factor in learning a new language for the majority of us is age:

 

guess that curve would look very different for persons only knowing their mother tongue

and for those who already master a 2nd, 3rd, 4th language

 

familiarity and experience with constantly learning new (challenging) stuff would also affect steepness 

[Ashto]

3 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

With the right resources and a little bit of commitment it took me approximately 40 hours to learn to read and write the Thai alphabet and read basic words.

Once I got my head past the initial ‘that’s chicken scratch’ and understood script is just another way to right letters it really does start falling into place 

I’d be interested in having a go. Can you indicate what were the right resources for you?

[Stevemercer]

It always amuses me when someone posts that speaking Thai will improve your sex life, or ability to attract ladies.

 

Christ, the last thing I (and probably most married falangs) need is something that attracts even more birds!

[andre47]

4 minutes ago, Ashto said:

I’d be interested in having a go. Can you indicate what were the right resources for you?

take a look here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/Ruedskins/playlists

 

[CALSinCM]

As a person who is married to a Thai, has a Thai family, and supports that family - I have no avenue to permanent residency and the government sees me as nothing other than a glorified tourist who must report every 90 days like a criminal parolee and is granted extensions of stay on a year to year basis.
So, as a complete outsider who will never be accepted by this culture no matter how fluent my Thai may be - I simply don't care.  I speak, read, and write to the degree where my family can understand me - everyone else can soak their heads.  Treat me as an outsider and I'll act as an outsider. 

[Rawairat]

Still trying, learning the alphabet helps, the old brain struggles, but the Thai wife leaving has forced me to try harder. I believe their is a university course in Bangkok that teaches at different levels, which I will go for that when I get time.

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Rawairat said:

Still trying, learning the alphabet helps, the old brain struggles, but the Thai wife leaving has forced me to try harder. I believe their is a university course in Bangkok that teaches at different levels, which I will go for that when I get time.

Learning central Thai to try and pickup girls whose first language is essentially Laos, seems a bit futile to me.

Only 33% of the country speak central Thai as a first language, and they ain't the ones with which we interact.

[billd766]

9 hours ago, poanoi said:

i have a friend that honestly wanted to learn,

but he just cant pick up on the tones at all,

he dont even hear them, its actually worse than that,

he does not hear them when i say exactly where it is and when i

pronounce it particularly.

he also cant pronounce the sounds here

I have tried a few times over the years but being partly deaf and more tone deaf does not help.

 

When I say something to my family or Thai friends what I said sounds different to them and quite often I simply give up and try again in English or type it in Google translate.

[vogie]

3 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I have tried a few times over the years but being partly deaf and more tone deaf does not help.

 

When I say something to my family or Thai friends what I said sounds different to them and quite often I simply give up and try again in English or type it in Google translate.

Yes my hearing is not good Bill, when trying to say a two seater like the pickup buses, I was actually saying two breasts.

[CGW]

3 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I have tried a few times over the years but being partly deaf and more tone deaf does not help.

Some people have an ear for languages, some don't! - I don't, being tone deaf certainly doesn't help! Also I have been an "expat" for 40 years, the last 30 or so based in Thailand, during that time a lot of travel was involved and extended stays in many countries, when you have 4 or 5 different languages whirling around in your head, your tone deaf and basically as dumb as a plank it doesn't help ????

[dpspike]

A similar, yet worse, situation exists in many places in the US. I have been in stores/shops in southern Texas where many employees can't speak (or refuse to speak) English. In southern California or Arizona, the employees working the drive thru at many fast-food restaurants often speak very little English, except for the items on the menu. At least non-Thai speaking expats aren't working at 7-11.

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

I just look at what everybody else is eating, and point to what I want. Everyone in Thailand knows the words water, ice and cola thereafter.....

Having coffee and a danish yesterday.  I have a small phone that is connected with bluetooth to my tablet to answer calls.  I finished and went to the restroom.  Upon returning I noticed that my small Sony handset was missing from my case.  I asked the cashier in Thai, "I lost my small black phone at a table back there."  She went and talked to the waitress and returned with my phone.  I have 4962 more cases of anecdotal evidence evidence I could share but that's really off topic.  Not attempting to learn Thai when living in Thailand is just plain stupid.  Why are expats so bad at Thai?  I guess because there are a lot of stupid expats.  Exceptions of course for physical handicaps.  

Edited November 5, 2018 by marcusarelus

[Faikham]

5 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

 

 

 

I think I remember having read that in VietNam they have a fixed/standardized way of transliteration from VN script to the English/latin alphabet. Would have been nice to have that in LoS.

It wasn't very nice how the French imposed that on them though.

 

 

[melvinmelvin]

2 hours ago, animalmagic said:

A friend of mine had a similar experience in Hong Kong when directing someone's attention to a boat floating at sea.  Using simple words and English construction he managed to say. 'suen hai sui', literally boat in water.  Wrong construction and butchered tones meant he said, 'sour pussy juice.' (but with a far ruder interpretation of pussy!)

reminds me of myself and seafood dressing;

 

naam jim

 

with the wrong tones, can be even funnier when you mix clams and/or mussels into it

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by melvinmelvin

[rumak]

4 hours ago, amse said:

I would love to speak Thai better, I even went to a language school, BUT I have always had a poor short & long term memory which has plagued me all my life. Compared to English it's like the Thai language is backwards like: instead of saying "Go Here", they say "Here Go", which is quite confusing for me.???? 

went to Australia many years ago and asked for directions.  fellow told me to "chuck a youie mite" .

i'm still looking in my dictionary trying to work that one out  ..................

[melvinmelvin]

4 minutes ago, Faikham said:

It wasn't very nice how the French imposed that on them though.

 

 

oh? was it the French? didn't know that, spill some beans please

 

[Nyezhov]

I find that with simple vocabulary, hand gestures, Google translate and a lot of smiling I get everywhere I want to go and get done everything I want to do.  I make an effort, and I think Thai folks appreciate it, especially as its a bit funny and I find that Thai folk are not only easily amused, but have a great sense of humour.  Im going to be here for 6 months at a clip and at my age, half deaf as I am, Im never going to be fluent and probably wouldnt speak better than a two year old even if I had classes. Nor will I have a deep conversation with a Thai girl about world politics. My good Thai friends who I can talk to speak English. So as I say, me falang pwompwee mak, rawn mak, cohla khop kun khap...oh khap, hong nam khap? khap khun khap! Pad Krapow moo, khap, two eggs dude, fist bump..finish!

[Nyezhov]

1 minute ago, rumak said:

went to Australia many years ago and asked for directions.  fellow told me to "chuck a youie mite" .

i'm still looking in my dictionary trying to work that one out  ..................

You mean "flip a b*t*h"....

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Nor will I have a deep conversation with a Thai girl about world politics.

I've always found when you start pulling their tops off, they understand what's happening.

No need for words.

[rumak]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I've always found when you start pulling their tops off, they understand what's happening.

No need for words.

yeah, but those weird noises they are making that you think are squeels of pleasure are actually them counting the times you tham boom boom till you finish and they can get paid and go home.

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by rumak

[bendejo]

6 hours ago, tkramer said:

I just can't bring myself to be making all those 'cartoon' animal sounds.

 

But what about outside of the bedroom?

 

 

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, melvinmelvin said:

too shy to take  a  waitress and walk around looking at tables and pointing

 

easier in Japan where they have really good plastic models of the dishes

Well just carry a spoon..see one you like, say excuse me Khap, scoop up some and show it to the waitress.  I do that in the USA when I go to a new place and want to try something new. Hey dude that looks greeeaaat, here, mind if I try........

[Nyezhov]

28 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I guess because there are a lot of stupid expats.

OK Ill raise my hand. I am stupid because I cant wont havent been able too learn Thai. You feel superior now ?????????????????

 

Thank god I speak Spanglish, otherwise I would be not just stupid, but an idiot too

[melvinmelvin]

36 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Having coffee and a danish yesterday.  I have a small phone that is connected with bluetooth to my tablet to answer calls.  I finished and went to the restroom.  Upon returning I noticed that my small Sony handset was missing from my case.  I asked the cashier in Thai, "I lost my small black phone at a table back there."  She went and talked to the waitress and returned with my phone.  I have 4962 more cases of anecdotal evidence evidence I could share but that's really off topic.  Not attempting to learn Thai when living in Thailand is just plain stupid.  Why are expats so bad at Thai?  I guess because there are a lot of stupid expats.  Exceptions of course for physical handicaps.  

languages = lots of fun

your having coffee and a danish

Danes would have coffee and a Vienna bread (so would Norwegians, not sure about Swedes)

 

[ChristianBlessing]

I live and work in Malaysia and travel 4-5 times a year to Thailand, a place where I plan to spend part of my coming retirement. It's not now possible to be immersed in the Thai language while in Malaysia, so I've taken to learning to read Thai. It's come as some relief to discover that having learned the Thai script and recognizing tone markers and diacritics has informed my efforts to hear, understand, and speak Thai. I have a long, long way to go, but I've been encouraged on recent trips. Unlike the experience of some, I have found the Thais I interact with to be pretty forgiving of my efforts to communicate.

Perhaps for those who struggle with tones this might be a way forward.

Edited November 5, 2018 by ChristianBlessing
incomplete

[bendejo]

13 hours ago, scorecard said:

The embassy found a phone number for the brother in Utah, called him but the response was "I got tired of his arrogance and abuse years ago, I don't want to be involved in any way

 

Gotta wonder about these family relationships out west. 

Currently there is a guy running for office in AZ or NV and four of his siblings have put together a television ad saying "don't vote for him."

Also the infamous Koch Brothers have a third brother who is a mortal enemy of the two.

 

 

[BobbyL]

I will admit for me it is also laziness. I speak easily enough to get by and have basic every day conversations.

 

However, I was speaking recently to a colleague about this. If I woke up tomorrow fluent in Thai it would make no difference to my life here. I speak English at home, I speak English at work, all my friends are English speakers. Apart from maybe being able to speak to some of the older generation from my wife's family, I honestly don't think it would make much of a difference to my life here. 

 

One thing I do find annoying though is when speaking Thai there is very little thought from the locals to listen more carefully to my words. I have had numerous occasions where foreigners have asked me something in English and it is hard to understand, however you try to 'tune your ear' to listen and work out what they're saying. I don't think Thais do that at all. 

[alex8912]

4 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

I will admit for me it is also laziness. I speak easily enough to get by and have basic every day conversations.

 

However, I was speaking recently to a colleague about this. If I woke up tomorrow fluent in Thai it would make no difference to my life here. I speak English at home, I speak English at work, all my friends are English speakers. Apart from maybe being able to speak to some of the older generation from my wife's family, I honestly don't think it would make much of a difference to my life here. 

 

One thing I do find annoying though is when speaking Thai there is very little thought from the locals to listen more carefully to my words. I have had numerous occasions where foreigners have asked me something in English and it is hard to understand, however you try to 'tune your ear' to listen and work out what they're saying. I don't think Thais do that at all. 

That’s a mighty big bubble you live in. But best of luck. 

[BobbyL]

1 minute ago, alex8912 said:

That’s a mighty big bubble you live in. But best of luck. 

I won't disagree with that. I live in and work in the center of Bangkok and lead a pretty westernised lifestyle. 

 

I love living here, however I am not sure I want to really fully immerse myself in the culture. Thankfully my wife is very westernised herself and lived / studied abroad before so it doesn't bother her. 

[melvinmelvin]

7 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

I will admit for me it is also laziness. I speak easily enough to get by and have basic every day conversations.

 

However, I was speaking recently to a colleague about this. If I woke up tomorrow fluent in Thai it would make no difference to my life here. I speak English at home, I speak English at work, all my friends are English speakers. Apart from maybe being able to speak to some of the older generation from my wife's family, I honestly don't think it would make much of a difference to my life here. 

 

One thing I do find annoying though is when speaking Thai there is very little thought from the locals to listen more carefully to my words. I have had numerous occasions where foreigners have asked me something in English and it is hard to understand, however you try to 'tune your ear' to listen and work out what they're saying. I don't think Thais do that at all. 

I also experience that sometimes, if you don't hit tones and/or short/long right - you have lost

they (some) couldn't care less trying to make an effort to understand

just not interested or too lazy

 

have had some VERY frustrating experiences in that regard