Why do Thai people ignore Foreigners when they are speaking and begin speaking over them, interrupting them?

[Dmaxdan]

6 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

As far as I'm aware we are talking about Thailand and not what people do in some other country.????

I was explaining to a Thai (or so I believe) poster why being constantly being interrupted can be frustrating to a western expat. You can't change the way you where brought up, only learn and adapt. 

[Andrew Dwyer]

You mean like this....lol

PS: spot the mistake...
 

Someone is taking the p...

[bowerboy]

To the OP it is a shame about some of the response on this thread.

 

You are absolutely correct...Thais have an incredibly rude way of trying to talk over you and it has absolutely nothing to do with language...it is pure rudeness and inconsiderate Thai behaviour.

 

I am the GM of a Multinational company in Thailand and my management team all speak excellent English and they often interrupt me when I am talking.....it’s not interrupting me to make a point....it’s interrupting me to just say whatever is on their mind. I tell them very directly now to stop talking and wait until I am finished.

 

Its not just the talking either. I will be in a closed door meeting meeting with important people and someone will come to ask me to sign some documents or whatever. I tell them to go away and come back after the meeting is finished but they still persist. I more or less them to “get out NOW”.

 

I have noticed this time and time again over 15 years Thailand happening in all companies I have worked in  have worked with to all Manager I have worked with

.

I wanted to write more buyback but gave up I ip his forum being so slow forum so slow and frustrating to type on.

 

 

[Denim]

53 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

And, yet most Westerners are polite to these immigrants and make effort to communicate with them anyway.

 

I have found most Thai people to be the same.

[Yinn]

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

what I do when I go to Home Pro is I go to the tools section where they have wooden ax handles about three feet long and I pick one up and carry it with me as I do the rest of my shopping.  

The staff in Homepro, Makro, taiwatsadu etc etc are all lazy low wage people. To lazy to study, to lazy to work hard, to lazy to do self business.

 

if they not lazy, they will have a better job/better life. So can not expect much from this people. 

 

7/11 is low wage people also, but they have good training. Also smaller shop, less worker, so is more difficult for them to hide and be lazy.

 

when I work the hotel before have one English woman complain so angry because the taxi driver can not understand her. They get lost. She say “stupid! The taxi driver should speak English!” So rude to him.

i tell her “If can speak English well, he will have better job than just the taxi driver.”

[473geo]

2 minutes ago, bowerboy said:

To the OP it is a shame about some of the response on this thread.

 

You are absolutely correct...Thais have an incredibly rude way of trying to talk over you and it has absolutely nothing to do with language...it is pure rudeness and inconsiderate Thai behaviour.

 

I am the GM of a Multinational company in Thailand and my management team all speak excellent English and they often interrupt me when I am talking.....it’s not interrupting me to make a point....it’s interrupting me to just say whatever is on their mind. I tell them very directly now to stop talking and wait until I am finished.

 

Its not just the talking either. I will be in a closed door meeting meeting with important people and someone will come to ask me to sign some documents or whatever. I tell them to go away and come back after the meeting is finished but they still persist. I more or less them to “get out NOW”.

 

I have noticed this time and time again over 15 years Thailand happening in all companies I have worked in  have worked with to all Manager I have worked with

.

I wanted to write more buyback but gave up I ip his forum being so slow forum so slow and frustrating to type on.

 

 

Old fashioned approach, these days ability to accept input, feedback, and provide explanation as the topic and conversation progress is an attribute. 

[ThaiBunny]

One of my friends, clearly, almost never listens to what I have to say but is thinking up the next clever or witty anecdote about himself. Another endless repeats the same things almost every time we meet, as if he hasn't told me before.  The strange thing is, they're both Westerners. I expect a higher standard from non-Thais ????

[Denim]

35 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Even if you speak Thai and pay them they still give the change and receipt to the Mrs ???? Mine always directs them to give it to me.

Easily fixed. Just stick your open hand out and say :

' gimmie gimmie gimmie '

[Seth1a2a]

Either I'm unique or the 100s of Thais I have spoken to within the last 24 years are unique.  I have

Never had this problem, Seriously never. Shopping , in a taxi,  at a restaurant ,hotel desk , phone service counter, apartment maintenance workers , bus services , Banks, Airline staff , Airport employees and more.

There is something wrong with this picture you are trying to paint.  Perhaps you are a timid person who speaks with the volume of a mouse or you are putting some sort of one word cadence into your speech pattern . Whatever it is ,

at least you will know by this post that it's a false assumption that all or a majority of Thais do this.

I actually get embarrassed sometimes when I get the "E.F. Hutton" silence all around when people stop what they were doing to listen in.  Don't be mealy mouthed about it. Prepare what you have to say, speak with authority and get on with your life .

 

 

 

 

 

[jaffas21]

i have often been talking to thai teachers in my school, when they begin ignoring me and look at their phones .. .. its funny ... i just limit my conversations now and never when they have a phone close by them

[cyril sneer]

just another cultural difference, i.e. pushing in queues

 

best not to interact with any of them

 

do all your shopping online

Edited September 1, 2019 by cyril sneer

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, jaffas21 said:

i have often been talking to thai teachers in my school, when they begin ignoring me and look at their phones .. .. its funny ... i just limit my conversations now and never when they have a phone close by them

There's now a neat tool on the iPhone called "Shortcuts" - you can write a script that you set off whenever a bore approaches and it will set off a 'ping' as if a message has arrived at several irregular intervals. If the bore hasn't offered "Do you want to get that?" by the third "ping" I always say "I must get this" and move away

[bowerboy]

16 minutes ago, Seth1a2a said:

Either I'm unique or the 100s of Thais I have spoken to within the last 24 years are unique.  I have

Never had this problem, Seriously never. Shopping , in a taxi,  at a restaurant ,hotel desk , phone service counter, apartment maintenance workers , bus services , Banks, Airline staff , Airport employees and more.

There is something wrong with this picture you are trying to paint.  Perhaps you are a timid person who speaks with the volume of a mouse or you are putting some sort of one word cadence into your speech pattern . Whatever it is ,

at least you will know by this post that it's a false assumption that all or a majority of Thais do this.

I actually get embarrassed sometimes when I get the "E.F. Hutton" silence all around when people stop what they were doing to listen in.  Don't be mealy mouthed about it. Prepare what you have to say, speak with authority and get on with your life .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is your interaction with Thai’s too limited to of been exposed to it?

 

Have you ever worked in Thailand?

[gimo]

56 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

Is that why Thai people rank so high in Scrabble scores? 

 

Are you talking about "much written" about Thais in Thailand learning English? That might be true, and surely the accent is difficult especially when they are learning from Thai teachers who also cannot pronounce well....

 

though I often wonder why most of the expats here speak near no Thai [though htey are here w/oppt at immersion, and their "uneducated" wives and girlfriends speak to them and learn English at a far far superior rate to their Thai... what does academia have to say to that phenomenon? Is that "written about" too?

        It is not fair to compare the speaking abilities of   expats here in Thailand to speak Thai , to the english speaking ability of most foreigners in western countries , especially not university students . It's much easier to learn a language when you are young and most people in non english speaking countries , have a certain amount of exposure to english when growing up . Most expats in Thailand are at least 40 y.o. and almost certainly had no exposure to to Thai language before coming here . A fair comparison could be made between expats in Thailand and elderly foreigners living western countries  , who arrived there later in life .

[Yinn]

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

Even if you speak Thai and pay them they still give the change and receipt to the Mrs ???? Mine always directs them to give it to me.

Maybe they shy?

Maybe not confident?

Maybe you look the scary guy? 

Maybe you to handsome?

Maybe they think Thai culture the wife control the money?

[bowerboy]

11 minutes ago, jaffas21 said:

i have often been talking to thai teachers in my school, when they begin ignoring me and look at their phones .. .. its funny ... i just limit my conversations now and never when they have a phone close by them

 

I too keep conversations with Thais as limited as possible.

 

I mostly just give direct orders and yes or no responses.

 

I haven’t always been this way.

 

I have learnt over 15 years of working here that is the best and most efficient way.

 

When I first came here I did the whole polite foreigner thing. But if you start managing Thais that approach absolutely does not work. Don’t believe me? Just watch the Chinese Thai managers that run pretty much every company in this country.

 

if you are typing from a bar stool and have not had any experience of working or managing Thais then your response means nothing in my opinion.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Fex Bluse said:

Using scrabble as a baseline is not a very impressive view of Thais and English, particularly after several decades of English being a centerpiece of the Thai national education curriculum.

 

As for expats who don't speak Thai, I'm sure we both can identify the obvious reasons such as most expats get to Thailand well into their advanced years when it's very difficult to learn another language.

 

Other reasons given by some expats have been a realization that after spending time learning Thai and trying to assimilate, many Thais treat them with the same xenophobia and continue to treat them as perpetual outsiders never offering any improvements in cultural intimacy or other benefits. Many have said that upon Thais learning that they (the farang) speak/understand Thai, the farangs are even treated worse (which has been my experience in many cases).

 

In other words, there is minimal benefit to learning Thai. I use it as a tactical weapon of sorts to prevent people from taking advantage of me and my family. Its usefulness beyond that is minimal.

I don't agree that 

[FritsSikkink]

Instead of complaining about Thai culture, start learning the language of the country you are living in.

[stereolab]

I too have noticed this phenomenon recently, and I have started to respond by simply walking away. In a shop it means they lose a sale. Neighbours and my MiL will constantly interrupt when I am speaking, I just walk away. I can speak a few words of Thai, and have a go, but it seems that people just shut down, even for the simplest of requests. What would I be ordering in a coffee shop that needs querying?

[OneMoreFarang]

Thais talk to the person who is in charge - isn't that obvious? 

[Yinn]

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

 

As far as I'm aware, this topic is not about peoples inability to speak the local language, it is about being interrupted mid sentence when they are trying to speak to someone

They cant understand you. You are illiterate, deaf, mute.

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

which in most western cultures

This not the west. 

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

is extremely rude.

Which rule should we have? Everyone must change for you? 

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

 

In the west

Kanchanaburi? 

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

if someone is in mid conversation

Like now.

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

with another person then you either wait until they are finished,

 

No time to listen to something can not understand 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

 

even if that take an hour

Really? What about the other customer waiting? Selfish

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

 

or you politely

You know how to ask it politely with Thai language? If you can not, how you know they not asking that?

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

ask if you can interrupt.

Better just to say.

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

Being constantly interrupted

Like I do now? 5555555

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

 

 was something i really struggled with when i first came to live here

Only that? Or many other thing also?

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

 

, and even now I never start an important conversation with my wife when there are other Thais about. 

Good idea.

 

12 time I do to you now. 

You angry me? ????

[White Christmas13]

1 hour ago, villagefarang said:

@Fex Bluse Reading the news and social media coverage, one could easily get the idea that many Westerners have a very strong negative feeling for immigrants and those who do not speak English or whatever the native language is.  Granted 'some' Westerners are polite to immigrants but I am not sure you can say, 'most'.

Rubbish where I live in OZ we have more Asian people or other nationalities then westerners and everybody 

tries to understand each other maybe you should get out of your village in the sticks and see the world

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Fex Bluse said:

Using scrabble as a baseline is not a very impressive view of Thais and English, particularly after several decades of English being a centerpiece of the Thai national education curriculum.

 

As for expats who don't speak Thai, I'm sure we both can identify the obvious reasons such as most expats get to Thailand well into their advanced years when it's very difficult to learn another language.

 

Other reasons given by some expats have been a realization that after spending time learning Thai and trying to assimilate, many Thais treat them with the same xenophobia and continue to treat them as perpetual outsiders never offering any improvements in cultural intimacy or other benefits. Many have said that upon Thais learning that they (the farang) speak/understand Thai, the farangs are even treated worse (which has been my experience in many cases).

 

In other words, there is minimal benefit to learning Thai. I use it as a tactical weapon of sorts to prevent people from taking advantage of me and my family. Its usefulness beyond that is minimal.

"...many Thais treat them with the same xenophobia and continue to treat them as perpetual outsiders never offering any improvements in cultural intimacy or other benefits. Many have said that upon Thais learning that they (the farang) speak/understand Thai, the farangs are even treated worse (which has been my experience in many cases)...."

 

I don't agree with several points in this passage:

'xenophobia' well yes that can be true in any country however in my person experience (around 3 decades) I have rarely seen it, and it's certainly not in my extended Thai family. And it can be true in reverse... how often do you see Thai bashing / mass nasty even insulting Thai bashing in the TV threads?

 

Most of us have come from multi-cultural countries where we see 'foreigners' / 'faces' of all descriptions every day and they are part of the overall landscape.  Thailand has never been exposed strongly to the 'multi-cultural society' idea and the 'seniors' of this country are currently not that interested / maybe even frightened of the concept, and for many reasons.   Is Thailand going to suddenly change and become a multi-cultural society? No. Further, if that did happen it might be a reason why many foreigners currently here would move on or be a roadblock to foreigners who are here / want to come here because they like the lack of multi-culturalism.

 

"... the farangs are even treated worse (which has been my experience in many cases)...." I don't but this at all. 

 

I wonder how many folks who believe all of the above have never been more than 2 kilometers outside of Pattaya or Phuket?

 

"

[fishtank]

Happens all the time when dealing with Thais.

Extremely rude.

[cranki]

1 hour ago, Yinn said:

The staff in Homepro, Makro, taiwatsadu etc etc are all lazy low wage people. To lazy to study, to lazy to work hard, to lazy to do self business.

 

if they not lazy, they will have a better job/better life. So can not expect much from this people. 

 

7/11 is low wage people also, but they have good training. Also smaller shop, less worker, so is more difficult for them to hide and be lazy.

 

when I work the hotel before have one English woman complain so angry because the taxi driver can not understand her. They get lost. She say “stupid! The taxi driver should speak English!” So rude to him.

i tell her “If can speak English well, he will have better job than just the taxi driver.”

I've read a lot of your comments, some are very good in explaining a Thai's perspective on things, most I agree with..

However, some of your comments of late just left me thinking you're just a wannabe hiso who thinks that because you can "maybe" speak passable English that you're above all your fellow countrymen ?? Am I wrong ??

I've never come across a Thai running down their people to this extent.

 

ALL Taxi drivers...low class 

ALL Homepro workers....low class

ALL Makro workers....low class

ALL Taiwatsadu workers.....low class

ALMOST all Issan women....prostitutes

All 7/11 workers.....low class

ALL Bar girls....well...I've read your opinion on that often enough.

etc, etc....

I'm actually getting the feeling you may not be Thai at all......more like Burmese as there is a high population in Ranong from Myanamar

 

Wouldn't a Hotel receptionist be low class as well ??? 

What, in your opinion is "low class" ......??

 

Cheers ????

[rumak]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

what I do when I go to Home Pro is I first go to the tools section where they have wooden ax handles about three feet long and I pick one up and carry it with me as I do the rest of my shopping.  

And I am sure when you go to Pattaya you do carry a smart phone with a picture of what you are looking for ????

[NCC1701A]

4 minutes ago, rumak said:

And I am sure when you go to Pattaya you do carry a smart phone with a picture of what you are looking for ????

photo? it is an entire video. 

[grollies]

@ExpatInCM I have to agree with you that this is my experience also. Happens all the time with friends, neighbours, it's just a Thai trait. If I'm talking with my wife in the company of a couple of Thais they will often interrupt and my wife will then answer them, thus losing the thread of any previous conversation. It used to drive me bananas. Now I'm just not bothered and wifey usually remembers the thread of the conversation later anyway. ????

 

Thai-speaking expats; they probably never have this problem as Thais are usually so astounded at a Farang speaking Thai their ability to think further disappears and they shut up.

 

We had 6 builders here for three months and we'd end the day by sitting round, having a few cold ones and a bite to eat. They did it to themselves constantly and they'd all end up talking at once.

 

I just put it down to enthusiam with the conversation.

 

Knew a guy in the UK used to speak over everyone constantly, wether in board meetings, client meetings or down the pub.........maybe he has Thai genes? (As an aside he would do anything for a day off and went to the funeral of friends, aquaintences, anyone. His nickname was the Grim Reaper).

 

Anyway, learn to get used to it and you'll fit in fine. Learn to speak Thai and you can do it back to them.

[Matzzon]

3 hours ago, ExpatInCM said:

And most importantly, how can I better deal with this situation when it happens and do something that will allow or facilitate effective communication when they keep interrupting me?

You clearly need to know the culture better if you wish to fit in staying in Thailand. Here they interrupt eachother when talking too, and it´s nothing wrong with it, it´s just the culture and the way of living you have to get used too. This is also a style that is mostly used by the poorer people, that gets a little bit better the more high you get in the classes in the Thai society.

As a second thing. They probably speak Thai, and you try to communicate with non english speakers in english language. Why in the world would they respect you and leave room for someone they can´t understand in a discussion. In Thailand, people speaking Thai will be recognised first, and this is Thailand.

[grollies]

1 minute ago, FredGallaher said:

You probably have videos of the coyotes dancers.

Great, now I'm going to have to google 'coyotes dancers'....unless you'd like to oblige?