Thai fluency / intermediate - Border denial?

[Maestro]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Raai dai chooay chaa

 

How do you pronounce that gibberish? I read it into Google Translate and got no useful result.

 

รายได้ช่วยชา

Income helps tea.

[Chicken George]

I'm fluent in Thai and its best to not speak it. 

[Neeranam]

5 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

How do you pronounce that gibberish? I read it into Google Translate and got no useful result.

 

รายได้ช่วยชา

Income helps tea.

เฉื่อยชา

[recom273]

I am not too sure it helps to speak a few word, I think that’s for people who want to delude themselves of their own importance. It do think it helps if you can listen and assess the situation you are in. 
 

I have some good stories when crossing quiet land borders with a bike, they tend to be over staffed with bored IOs, they just want to chat to pass a bit of time while they are having a cigarette sometimes that kind of helps, times when they have helped with paperwork or remembered me from the outgoing crossing because I spoke in local southern dialect and had them laughing.

 

With regard to explaining passive income and reasons for being here, i moved to an year extension, when I applied, the woman IO had bad English skills, but she spoke to me in English and my wife in Thai, you could tell this was her way, and as others said, that’s the way it should be, so I played along. 
As her English made no sense, I listened to the Thai conversation to understand her questions. I tried to explain in English how I could afford to stay here without work, I could see I had lost the immigration officer, so I simply said “retired”, maybe. I said “investment”, she smiled, happy with that answer and carried on stamping the papers to process the extension.

As a total sweeping over generalization, the comprehension of how we can afford to live around the world and not “go” to work, is beyond the grasp of most Thais, even those whose job it is to deal with these people, sometimes a simple answer that they want to hear is sufficient. 

Edited December 31, 2019 by recom273

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, Chicken George said:

I'm fluent in Thai and its best to not speak it. 

Sometimes it puts you on their level or above, if they can't speak English well, this doesn't work in your favour.

Remember every IO has their own little kingdom and you must give them the feeling of being the ruler of it.

[Peterw42]

Surely if you are presenting at the border and trying to convince the IO that you are a tourist, its best not to have any Thai language or associations. It always amazes me the guys that speak some Thai, show a Thai bank book, Thai license, Long term lease etc. Then wonder why the IO thinks they may not be a genuine tourist.

Edited December 31, 2019 by Peterw42

[Neeranam]

33 minutes ago, recom273 said:

so I simply said “retired”, maybe. I said “investment”, she smiled, happy with that answer and carried on stamping the papers to process the extension.

As a total sweeping over generalization, the comprehension of how we can afford to live around the world and not “go” to work, is beyond the grasp of most Thais, even those whose job it is to deal with these people, sometimes a simple answer that they want to hear is sufficient. 

I disagree with most Thais wouldn't understand.

For investment I've said รายได้จากการลงทุน or รายได้ที่ได้มาโดยไม่ต้องทำงาน(แลก) to be more general.

[jimn]

I have been coming here on a mixture of Visa Exempt entry, double tourist visa (when they existed) and an extension of stay based on Retirement since 2014. Not once have I said anything else but Swadee Krap and Capun Krap when stamped in. Not once has an immigration ever spoken 1 word to me other than a quick nod. 

[brianthainess]

15 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Yes, I have no idea what 'passive income' is and I am English!  I suppose its better then 'aggressive income'.  That might be a bit frightening.  

You could be a boxer ???? or sell steroids

[brianthainess]

15 hours ago, Nakmuay887 said:

I tend to Wai a lot and speak english very quickly, seems to work at checkpoints around here often enough. 

When cops ask me 'you speak Thai'   'No'  then i get waved on as their english ain't up to asking me more dumb questions. Although one was kind enough to inform me after looking at my DL 'you can drive everywhere in Thailand.'

[tgeezer]

7 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

How do you pronounce that gibberish? I read it into Google Translate and got no useful result.

 

รายได้ช่วยชา

Income helps tea.

This belongs in the language forum but you started it so here goes.   It isn’t help tea but เฉื่อยขา . It works in “Your son is too passive” so perhaps not in “Your income is passive” . 

[DJ54]

IMO it shouldn’t make a difference either way... if you can speak Thai or not. I say Hello in Thai and then English as a courtesy 4

years on Retirement visa and never questioned except where do

i live in Thailand....

[EricTh]

19 hours ago, BestB said:

I speak well enough Thai to front court by myself yet speaking to immigration in airport never earned me any points or even a smile and they always respond in English . 

 

Usually if you speak to someone in Thai, and they speak back in English, it means they think that their English is better than your Thai.... i.e your Thai pronunciation sucks.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2019 by EricTh

[EricTh]

6 hours ago, tgeezer said:

This belongs in the language forum but you started it so here goes.   It isn’t help tea but เฉื่อยขา . It works in “Your son is too passive” so perhaps not in “Your income is passive” . 

The problems with foreigners learning Thai is that they think that every word has its equivalent word in Thai as in a one-to-one mapping. They also tend to use 'English grammar' instead of Thai grammar.

 

From my experience, it is not. Some Thai words don't exist in English and some English words don't exist in Thai as in a single word.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2019 by EricTh

[Krupps]

I am not fluent in no Thai

 

But I have specifically learnt a few phrases to cope with unexpected encounters at border crossings.

So far it has always worked to my advantage.

always got admitted after a very brief conversation with their superior.

 

I am convinced that when Asians can speak basic Thai it makes Thai people think we are culturally close and thus they are more lenient on me.

 

in some nations you can get away even for DUI if you know which phrases  to say and repeat it often enough to the police officer. 

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2019 by Krupps

[recom273]

On 12/31/2019 at 9:30 AM, Neeranam said:

I disagree with most Thais wouldn't understand.

For investment I've said รายได้จากการลงทุน or รายได้ที่ได้มาโดยไม่ต้องทำงาน(แลก) to be more general.

I think you are missing the point - of course, investment is understood - its the concept that we can stay here without work that often causes discussion and speculation from Thai's. For sure passive income from a hobby causes confusion, many friends are amazed that the guys with a huge following on facebook and youtube who review restaurants, demonstrate cooking, teach or create "amateur" travel documentries generate money from advertising and sponsorship.

 

I tried to make light that it was a gross sweeping generalisation. Maybe this post would have been better in the pub rather than a technical forum, because I believe, no, uttering a few words in Thai doesn't magically open the doors.

Edited January 1, 2020 by recom273

[somtumwrong]

On 12/30/2019 at 2:19 PM, Nakmuay887 said:

I was always told when speaking to anyone of authority to speak in English, Police, IO, Judge, etc. Not sure if this is true but someone told me a judge could take it as insulting if you speak to them in Thai as you can be indirectly saying they are not intelligent enough to speak english. Likely just hearsay though.

 

I tend to Wai a lot and speak english very quickly, seems to work at checkpoints around here often enough. 

My wife told me not to wai around, due to being farang and in a good position I'm not supposed to wai first, except to clearly elderly and respectable people. So her parents get the automatic wai but even if I meet someone in high position in Thailand I do not wai. It is of course pleasant and polite, but also shows that you are in "lesser position." Thais are ok with that generally and like to talk English to me, and shake hands with me (I dont like that though.) Would never wai an IO as some people here suggest. But, since I don't understand the culture properly, just ordered a book from Amazon explaining these kind of cultural interactions from the Thai perspective. Maybe I learn that I do something wrong/off from it..

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, somtumwrong said:

My wife told me not to wai around, due to being farang and in a good position I'm not supposed to wai first, except to clearly elderly and respectable people. So her parents get the automatic wai but even if I meet someone in high position in Thailand I do not wai. It is of course pleasant and polite, but also shows that you are in "lesser position." Thais are ok with that generally and like to talk English to me, and shake hands with me (I dont like that though.) Would never wai an IO as some people here suggest. But, since I don't understand the culture properly, just ordered a book from Amazon explaining these kind of cultural interactions from the Thai perspective. Maybe I learn that I do something wrong/off from it..

To wai everybody and not being able to speak Thai goes hand in hand, it just shows the person doesn't have much experience regarding Thailand and Thai culture.

But this is not really surprising, just watch any Youtube video giving people tips about Thailand, they will say "people in Thailand wai", but they don't explain the complexity about it.

Actually it's quite simple: If you don't know when to wai or not, there is no need to do it at all. Nobody will feel insulted if the foreigner with little experience doesn't wai him.

If you have spent some time here, speak the language and so on, people might expect you to wai, but at this point you probably also know when to wai or not to wai.

[Neeranam]

22 hours ago, EricTh said:

From my experience, it is not. Some Thai words don't exist in English and some English words don't exist in Thai as in a single word.

 

True.

Also there are many loan words in Thai from English, Sanskrit, etc.

However there is only one loan word from Thai in English, the word "bong".

[jonclark]

On 12/30/2019 at 2:31 PM, BritManToo said:

Me for one.

They don't seem to like it, they think you've been here too long

I agree. When my wife and I last entered the UK and my wife spoke English to the UK IO, you could see he was livid that she was able to speak English. I was surprised when my wife was allowed in. 

[EricTh]

17 hours ago, Neeranam said:

True.

Also there are many loan words in Thai from English, Sanskrit, etc.

However there is only one loan word from Thai in English, the word "bong".

 

There are way more Sanskrit word than the few English words.

 

But most Thai don't even know that they are Sanskrit word like phanrayaa.

 

 

[Neeranam]

4 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

There are way more Sanskrit word than the few English words.

 

But most Thai don't even know that they are Sanskrit word like phanrayaa.

 

 

The Thais I know seem pretty aware which word come from Sanskrit, but not all.

Similarly, how many English speakers know the origins of many words, like "knife", for example.

[Denim]

I just start drooling at the mouth and throw in a nervous facial twitch before breaking into sign language and making strange noises.

 

Freaks them out totally and they just hurry up and give me the stamp before shooing me away.

 

I then just walk through with a pronounced limp until I get out of sight.

 

If this is just too much acting just go the halitosis route, lots of deep  breaths in their direction.

 

These days you have to think outside the box.

[jacko45k]

29 minutes ago, Denim said:

These days you have to think outside the box.

A padded box?