Confusion When Asking A Thai A Multiple Choice

[helicoptor]

I dont know whether anybody else has noticed this, I find that when you ask a Thai a question, there is confusion..

example

Our email is not working this morning, I ask the question, "Is email still not work?, Yes?, No?" Answer 'Yes'

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

The Thai in theory has answered correctly in that he is basically answering Yes, it still not work

Another one I had recently was "Did you call supplier, Yes?" Answer 'Yes' then found out he didn't

on this occasion he was simply echoing my Yes

Anyone else had this?

[farangsay]

Learnt years ago in another Asian country never to

phrase a question so that a yes or no answer was

an option.

Face factors would inhibit people from admitting

they didn't know the answer or didn't understand

the question.

[Briggsy]

You are quite correct, helicopter.

Negative questions cause great problems when answering for Thais. They will invariably answer "yes" meaning "no" and vice versa.

The solution is to avoid them and/or be aware of their shortcomings.

It is interesting that your remedy was to switch to German. Except for sex workers, I find very few Thais know any colloquial German! Do you work for a German company?

[mr_hippo]

Have you tried speaking English and not Thaiglish? "Is email still not work?, Yes?, No?" How would you say that to an English speaker? Do you normally add yes or no to the end of questions? Why use the German/Yiddish word 'kaput'? You said it was to settle your own confusion but it added to his!

Please do not use pidgin when talking to non-native speakers as they will, rightly or wrongly, assume that this is the correct form.

[dave111223]

How about you just say:

"Is the email working?"

"Did you call the supplier?"

What Thai person is supposed to understand "Email Kaput?"?

[PhilHarries]

Have you tried speaking English and not Thaiglish? "Is email still not work?, Yes?, No?" How would you say that to an English speaker? Do you normally add yes or no to the end of questions? Why use the German/Yiddish word 'kaput'? You said it was to settle your own confusion but it added to his!

Please do not use pidgin when talking to non-native speakers as they will, rightly or wrongly, assume that this is the correct form.

I would agree with you croc in that part of our function working in Thailand is to pass on the correct usage of the English language. However I hired and worked with Thai engineers from various universities and found their comprehension of English to vary between average at best to abysmal. Whereas in normal conversation and non critical discussion we'd try at all times to talk the language correctly there were times you just have to be 100% sure they've got the message. Then often we'd use a simplified version of English recognising the absence of tenses in Thai verbs. And then don't ask "Did you understand that?" as the answer will always be "yes". Try, without belittleing them, to get them to repeat the instruction or whatever back to you.

But yes, avoid negatives in questions, "does the e mail not work today?" even to a Brit could elicit either a yes or no answer.

As for kaput, lucky he didn't resort to Yorkshire English "Ay oop lass is t' e mail knackerfooked t'day? Eee bhay guum, can yer get on t'internet? Aye want t'check 'ow t'Blades gorron last night".

[mr_hippo]

I would agree with you croc in that part of our function working in Thailand...........

Phil, are you confusing a crocodile with a hippo?

Repeat the simple instructions a few times to see if they understand and ask them to repeat, if not resort to pidgin. One hopes, with this method, that their level of comprehension will improve.

What are you on about, Blades did not play last night, next game is on the 24th, Hope they can cut down Liverpool!

[steveromagnino]

I dont know whether anybody else has noticed this, I find that when you ask a Thai a question, there is confusion..

example

Our email is not working this morning, I ask the question, "Is email still not work?, Yes?, No?" Answer 'Yes'

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

The Thai in theory has answered correctly in that he is basically answering Yes, it still not work

Another one I had recently was "Did you call supplier, Yes?" Answer 'Yes' then found out he didn't

on this occasion he was simply echoing my Yes

Anyone else had this?

IN Thai , a question to which we agree is answered yes.

So...does the email not work?

yes = yes, the email does not work, I agree with what you just said.

Understand that, and you are 75% of the way there. NOt hard at all.

However, typically, a question asked by a scary yelling farang boss; many Thai people ahve learned better to answer than to say they don't understand and then get yelled at. Even if they don't know what the question was, as many bosses (Thai and farang alike) ask tons of pointless questions, and anyway there is a 50% chance of being right.

So...better to ask. What is the situation with the email? To which they can explain what they know? Or how is the email?

mai tum ngarn. Jeng. Mun seea eek laew. Rub sorng mai dai leuy. It isn't working. Broken. I can't send or receive. See? You get the exact answer to your question.

Actually, this is a skill of good management anywhere; get staff to communicate with you; it builds rapour and you can also determine what and how much they understand.

a lot of people talk about how staff are unwilling to speak up. Initially, yes, but every good farang manager I have seen tends to have staff who won't stop talking, and will happily disagree with their boss in a polite way. These managers tend to have made the time to ensure no confrontations in the workplace regardnig people not understanding things; fair and well known boundaries with clear targets and goals; delegation in keeping with the skills and expertise of each team member; in short all the things that would make them a good manager anywhere in the world.

If a foreign manager cannot bring something so simple to the table, they are probably better off going to work in a more organised systematic company such as you would find in many western countries; they aren't good enough to manage when the systems around them don't exist to make themselves look good. There are plenty of lousy foreign and Thai managers here that would do well to stop blaming the staff for lack of productivity and take a very good long look in the mirror.

I look at myself everyday in the mirror; good grief I am a hansum man. Terrible manager, but it is balanced by my strong jawline, and a devilish grin.

[pampal]

they are confused enough as it is, don't confuse them more

[adjan jb]

What Thai person is supposed to understand "Email Kaput?"?

Actually a lot of Thais understand the word "kaput".

[dumspero]

I find that shouting really loud often works.

[dumspero]

Oh, and using complex tenses, fancy vocabulary and latin phrases.

[kmart]

Oh, and using complex tenses, fancy vocabulary and latin phrases.

Fortunately, I can communicate using telepathy. Like that film "Scanners."

[Valjean]

In my experience (I manage about 20 Thais in a company that is 99% Thai) it's not so hard to get quality answers to questions and learn what is really going on or happened IF I pay attention and remember that I am the one in the culture and I need to go the extra mile on communication.

The comment on the difference between how questions are answered is critical to understand. The Thai language has a fundamental different way to ask and answer questions than English. Even in an interchange with a Thai with solid English skills it's easy to get confused. Slow down, be clear.

Anger isn't going to get you very far. Jai Yen!

Some Thais have a round about way of answering things. If you expect a very short, direct answer you might not get it. Or the first thing said is not "the answer" it's the preface to a longer answer which could contradict the first thing said. Be paitient and let someone come around to what they want to say in a way that's comfortable and natural to them. Just shut up and listen.

Try "What" questions instead of "Why" questions. "Why is the email down?" is a very different question than "What is the status of the email?"

If I ask the question, as the manager "is everyone OK with this?" I might get a different answer if I ask "is it possilbe some people might not be OK with this?" Soften things up and give some wiggle room for the answer.

[thai_narak]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

[h90]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

German would be "kaputt". "Kaput" is more Yiddish.

That seems more like a multiple language test for Thais.

If you ask me that question that way I ask you if you are crazy.

[helicoptor]

Have you tried speaking English and not Thaiglish? "Is email still not work?, Yes?, No?" How would you say that to an English speaker? Do you normally add yes or no to the end of questions? Why use the German/Yiddish word 'kaput'? You said it was to settle your own confusion but it added to his!

Please do not use pidgin when talking to non-native speakers as they will, rightly or wrongly, assume that this is the correct form.

I agree Mr Hippo I do tend to do this, I don't want to and I try not to - but for the Thais with a limited English vocab I seem to fall into it... Taxi for Helioptor... Thai Language School please

[helicoptor]

What Thai person is supposed to understand "Email Kaput?"?

Actually a lot of Thais understand the word "kaput".

Indeed, and this is the reason why I used it in this instance, not because I have any German links or working for a German company but because I have heard a Thai use it

[helicoptor]

I find that shouting really loud often works.

The first thing I was told by my boss when I arrived here was, 'There really is no point whatsoever losing your temper with these people'

I have taken this on board 100% and as a result I get compliance although it did take some time... see my previous thread 'Tips on motivating Thai Staff' sorry forgotton how to link post

[thai_narak]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

German would be "kaputt". "Kaput" is more Yiddish.

That seems more like a multiple language test for Thais.

If you ask me that question that way I ask you if you are crazy.

OK, you are right. but it's just a common sense that when you speak you don't spell the word or do you? how different is "Kaput" and "Kaputt" phonetically?

[helicoptor]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

Read the Whole thread my friend, I believe I have already answered this

[thai_narak]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

Read the Whole thread my friend, I believe I have already answered this

i have read, thanks...

[h90]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

German would be "kaputt". "Kaput" is more Yiddish.

That seems more like a multiple language test for Thais.

If you ask me that question that way I ask you if you are crazy.

OK, you are right. but it's just a common sense that when you speak you don't spell the word or do you? how different is "Kaput" and "Kaputt" phonetically?

OK right, but it is not Thai, asked my Thai staff, they never heard it. I would start with simple correct questions.....

[helicoptor]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

German would be "kaputt". "Kaput" is more Yiddish.

That seems more like a multiple language test for Thais.

If you ask me that question that way I ask you if you are crazy.

OK, you are right. but it's just a common sense that when you speak you don't spell the word or do you? how different is "Kaput" and "Kaputt" phonetically?

OK right, but it is not Thai, asked my Thai staff, they never heard it. I would start with simple correct questions.....

Agreed and I have attempted to drop the Pidgeon English as per Hippos advice..but because Your staff have not heard it, this doesn't mean other Thais haven't

Isn't it likely that the Thai I heard describe something broken as Kaput has interacted with German people? I believe there are a few in Pattaya....

[PeaceBlondie]

Some listeners can only receive one language at a time. I once worked with a man who was fluent in French, English, and Spanish. He insisted that each paragraph of a conversation be in one language only. I try not to sprinkle even my pure English with "yet" or "key" and I try not to combine languages. If I try to explain my motorcycle wreck by saying "maa" they don't know if I killed a dog, a horse, or a mother.

[GuestHouse]

As a Thai speaker I've never found Thais to have a problem giving a negative answer whne speaking in Thai.

I suspect the problems people have when asking questions with a 'Yes/No' answer is more to do with Thai understanding of English grammar than it has to do with not wanting to loose face.

I've also had converstaions with Thais in which they have expressed their amusement in the confusion of English grammar where 'No' can mean 'Yes'.

[kratindaeng]

A Simple Answer:

To the OP, considering the Country in which you live and work, maybe just maybe If you took the time to Learn and speak Thai Language instead of using a mix of what sounds like English & German(?), then wouldnt the Thai Staff in the company be able to understand and communicate with you a little better?

...Just a thought

KD

[t.s]

where does the multiple choice question come into play here?

interestingly enough i find that very often the response to a question like "are you going today or tomorrow?" will result in a yes or no answer.

Edited February 16, 2007 by t.s

[ColPyat]

To settle my own confusion I re-phrase the question to "Email Kaput?" answer, 'Yes'

this is funny... was your thai employee educated in germany? maybe you should speak german to him/her instead of english.

German would be "kaputt". "Kaput" is more Yiddish.

That seems more like a multiple language test for Thais.

If you ask me that question that way I ask you if you are crazy.

Actually, Yiddish is a germanic language, and to some extend mutually intelligable with modern German.

And the many Thais who understand "kaput(t)" i have found are mostly barmaids working in bars frequented by Germans. Which, i fear, does exclude most Thai office staff.

[h90]

As a Thai speaker I've never found Thais to have a problem giving a negative answer whne speaking in Thai.

I suspect the problems people have when asking questions with a 'Yes/No' answer is more to do with Thai understanding of English grammar than it has to do with not wanting to loose face.

I've also had converstaions with Thais in which they have expressed their amusement in the confusion of English grammar where 'No' can mean 'Yes'.

As my Thai is very bad and the english of my staff is of the same quality than my Thai and I get all the time negative answers

mai dei: can not

mai mee: no have

mai pai: (not moving on the machine)

mai gin (for not cutting on the machine).

in Thai or English or mixed and both my staff and I check back if we really get the point, but we are a technical company. Maybe technician are more exact than say marketing people. As well they are all men and they do not intend to be nice/lovely what might makes a difference to an office girly