When Speaking Thai Does Doesn't Work

[GuestHouse]

Since Thai speaking skills are up on the board again, I thought I'd mention something that happened to me yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon the whole, or at least a large part of the Thai community here in Rome went along to a fund raising day at the Thai embassy - basically a buffet and stalls selling Thai goods. The object of the fund raising was to pay for three marble busts of Thai Kings.

As with all Thai gatherings there is a tug between the two Thai delights of Eating and Yakking – The gatherings, the food, and the yakking are always enjoyable.

During the afternoon my wife introduced me to a Thai friend of hers who has recently married and is going to live in America. As usual when speaking with Thais I spoke to her and everyone else in the group in Thai.

No problems whatsoever communicating with anyone sitting at the table.

A little while later the newly wed's mother came over and after a while I asked her in Thai how she feels about her daughter going to live in the US?

Blank - Total utter blank.

Then she says to me in Italian - 'Sorry I don't understand you'

So I asked her again in Thai, taking especial care to annunciate correctly, how she felt about her daughter going to live in the US?

Again blank.

Then a Thai woman standing next to her pointed out I was speaking Thai, and then she repeated the question I had asked.

The mother turned to me and answered me in Italian.

This went on for about five minutes, I had a whole conversation with her in which the person standing next to her simply repeated what I was saying and then the mother answered in Italian.

Then it got really bizarre.

The daughter came over and complemented me to her mother on my Thai; and then the daughter asked me in Thai where I had studied and for how long. (The mother surely got the gist of her own daughter).

I was speaking to the daughter in Thai, the mother was asking the daughter (in Thai) what I was saying and then alternating between asking me questions Italian or asking her daughter (in Thai) to ask me a question, which the daughter did (again in Thai).

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As I say, its not the first time this has happened.

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I also had case where I telephoned a Thai bank with a query, and had a long telephone conversation in Thai with the bank clerk (let’s say his name was Amnart). But when I went into the bank to sign the documents he was getting ready for me, he completely blanked me, incapable of understanding anything I said to him.

Again he brought another Thai along who dealt with the interpretation Amnart needed because of what I can only assume is his eyes deceiving his ears.

It was so bizarre that I even asked if there was another Amnart in the bank. No there was not. So this is the Amnart that took my call earlier today?. Yes.

And then Amnart adds, but it wasn't him who called it was someone helping him.

Doh!

[PeaceBlondie]

Old story: White American man who's only been living in Hawaii for a short time answers the doorbell at his spacious home. There's an Asian at the door, shouting at the top of his lungs. Three times, the home owner asks the man 'Pardon me? What? Excuse me?" Finally the Asian man pauses, and says very calmly, "Sir, I was born and raised in America, and for two minutes I have been speaking perfect American English, telling you that your entire roof is on fire. Good bye."

[Neeranam]

I've been in similar circumstances. It's one of two things. They want to show off their Western language skills and I want to show off my Thai skills.

If we speak English I feel lesser and if we speak Thai they feel lesser, or something like that. Sometimes they feel embrassed talking Thai with a farang. It all about who is superior. Remember, they are Thai and so need to know who is above the other.

When we got married, my wife didn't speak English. Once in McDonalds some "educated" woman came over and started chatting about how she used to live in the USA. I asked her to speak Thai as my wife "mai roo ruang". She refused! It's a loss of face - silly cow. It still happens every now and then, someone approaches me in the street and asks if I need help. Sometimes if their English is not great, I'll subtely say "pood Thai dee gwa". They don't like it.

Doctors are the worst.

Once in Bamrungrad hospital, the doctor(explaining about childbirth or something) said everything twice. Once in Thai to my wife and then in English to me. When I understood, I said, "it's ok I understood" but he would have none of it.

The secret is to say something simple in Thai like "sabai dee mai" to show them you can say it properly, then gradually get into a conversation. Here in Isarn, I walk into a shop and the little girl has her mouth wide open and wants to go running for help. I always say, "baw dtong yaan" which means no need to be scared, and it usually changes the whole situation.

Often I think my Thai is better than it is. On many occasions, looking back, my pronunciation was not correct and that's why the blank look.

[wasabi]

I agree with what everyone has said here. There are situations, such as on the phone vs face to face when you know the person understands you but either consciously or unconsciously refuses to understand you. I do think most times it's a power play, and sometimes it's a result of shock.

Edited May 7, 2007 by wasabi

[Loz]

It used to bother me in somewhere stupid like KFC when I would ask for CHut Ti Ha, Derm Derm, Glap Bhan, krup. and they look blankly where last time (when dealing with a confident member of staff) I just got set number 5 to take away.

In a phone shop I asked in thai for a charger with usb adapter and the girl ran away. got her friend to serve me. I said the same again and the firend told her, "what the F***, He speaks thai!!" That was a blessing. It is bad for ones confidence if they keep challenging your attempts at their language. Now I know when it sounds right I repeat myself and I have (like one poster) had conversations where both parties speak in each others language.

I agree it can be a stand off at times. WHo will crack first and use their own tongue. I find good local pharses scare the sh7t out of them cos they don't know good english slang to retort. How could they? they have never been!

The face saving angle is one I'd not dwelled on too much but I can see it now in retrospect...

Edited May 7, 2007 by Loz

[Loz]

in isaan it's also good to know a few good laos phrases too. then you really fit in!