1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

Maybe I should take lessons in tugging the forelock?

do whatever you want. as long as it doesn't involve me.

4 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Depends. English won't help much in Japan, Korea, Germany, China, Italy,... But you have a strong point.

 

The flip side, of course, is that Brits, like most of those in line above, never bother to learn any other languages. So an English speaking Thai is at least bilingual, while English speaking Brit isn't even that.

I are!

12 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

But true - lol.

You need help?????.... LOL

3 hours ago, kokesaat said:

4 hours ago, bob smith said:

will never change. thais are far too lazy to even attempt learning another language other than their own.

Not like most expats!

I didn’t arrive here until in my 60s ,not a great time to learn another language (although I do have French too) and that will reflect the age profile of most expats . I have managed to pickup enough Thai to get by in shops,restaurants etc.and as  I live outside of  main tourist areas it is quite revealing that the level of English spoken is so poor that my Thai has to be the default communication,even with the young who are supposed to be learning English at school. Depressingly that’s  got no better in the 8 years I’ve lived here. 
Given Thailand relies significantly on tourism where English is such an obvious benefit ,it’s lowly place on the table is damning. But this is also reflected in its poor and worsening position in the international PISA EDUCATIONAL TABLES . Much is fundamentally wrong here.

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

do whatever you want. as long as it doesn't involve me.

Try to not post on public forums when you are going to get your knickers in a knot if someone doesn't agree with you.

1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

Try to not post on public forums when you are going to get your knickers in a knot if someone doesn't agree with you.

moron by name moron by nature ey. 

 next.

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

Ok we know all Thais are not Shakespearians with their english but this is the charm of the place for us farangs and tourists alike...

We can get Thais to understand 

"..........the data from 2.1 million test results........."

 

Now that's a survey! Not "out of 1234 polled, 95% of people thought that "****in" was doing a good job" 

11 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Maybe I should take lessons in tugging the forelock?

English is the world's  language because God is English

17 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Maybe I should take lessons in tugging the forelock?

English is the world's language because God is English 

Just now, Percy P said:

English is the world's  language because God is English

Well that would explain why a Buddhist country is poor at English then, won't it!

 

 

1 minute ago, Percy P said:

English is the world's language because God is English 

Why make the same post twice?

The post was not funny the first time!  Just crass!

Dam*, not #1 (from the bottom) yet! Curse Laos and Congo! ????

It's usually the kids with a foreign parent that have a child fluent in English or other foreign language.

 

 

English teachers are confronted with poorly paid jobs, insecure positions, and reems of paperwork and visa high jumps in order to get a position.

 

 

42 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

5 hours ago, bob smith said:

will never change. thais are far too lazy to even attempt learning another language other than their own.

How many languages do you speak?

The more revealing question is " How many countries speak the language in which you are proficient?."

For Thai it is only ONE. For English,Spanish and others ….? 

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

Ok we know all Thais are not Shakespearians with their english but this is the charm of the place for us farangs and tourists alike...

Great if you speak Tinglit but incomprehensible if you only speak English....

3 minutes ago, DezLez said:

Why make the same post twice?

The post was not funny the first time!  Just crass!

I like any post that puts down nationalism and cultural hegemony.

5 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

I'd like to rank British on their Thai proficiency.

 

Though just a thought... I read somewhere that over 750k Brits can't speak English... Lemme find it... Here:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/14/sajid-javid-770000-people-in-england-not-able-to-speak-english

Ranking the British on their Thai proficiency seems rather pointless, since Thai is not a language used in international business, as English is. Also, the article you linked to says that 770000 PEOPLE in England aren't able to speak English properly. Nowhere does it say that they are Brits. Comprehension is an important part of reading in any language. 

1 hour ago, Percy P said:

English is the world's  language because God is English

Never mind English. Thailand wants to attract Chinese, Indian, and Russian tourists. - What are Thais' language skills in Mandarin, Hindi, and Russian?

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

And I will talk Thai with her.

I have yet to meet one who could hold a decent conversation - in English or Thai. 

 

All joking aside, I have noticed a dramatic drop in their writing skills too. 

5 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

Happens in Japan a lot as well. I often proofread documents or textbooks or scripts written by Japanese who are thought of as proficient in English. Yet virtually every correction I make is questioned, particularly if it isn't simply grammatically inaccurate but just awkward or unnatural.  "But ...-san is fluent" I am told.  I learned to not fight it and just let them have their own way.  All they want is confirmation, not actual correction. 

I'm given a lot of different types of documents and presentations to review from my Japanese client. Some speak/write near perfect English, some don't. How I approach these reviews is providing "alternative wording" or "suggested edits", allowing them to pick and choose the ones they like. This way, they can take some of my suggestions, all of them, or edit my suggestions a bit, and everyone is happy and saves face. By the way, I was lost in Tokyo once near my clients office one morning and I could find not find one person (young students, university ages, or businessman) that could speak English and direct me to the right place. Some had a look of horror that I was about to approach them and speak English. So, it's not just Thailand with low proficiency and we can't call the Japanese lazy. 

Just now, djayz said:

I have yet to meet one who could hold a decent conversation - in English or Thai. 

 

"One who"?

If you mean holding a decent conversation in English with a Thai person then you need to speak to more Thais, preferably outside of the local bar!

1 hour ago, LarryB said:

Ranking the British on their Thai proficiency seems rather pointless, since Thai is not a language used in international business, as English is. Also, the article you linked to says that 770000 PEOPLE in England aren't able to speak English properly. Nowhere does it say that they are Brits. Comprehension is an important part of reading in any language. 

Exactly. Not to mention that a majority of Thais study English from K1 to grade 12, i.e. 15 years (and more). Does the British curriculum offer similar (compulsory) Thai lessons?

5 hours ago, roo860 said:

Where was the USA?

 

And Britain??

Every yer we get the same story from the same company - EF - run by an eccentric Swede who is intent on selling his bizarre brand of English. Quite frankly we should take this "one quote wonder" with a pinch of salt.

4 minutes ago, DezLez said:

"One who"?

If you mean holding a decent conversation in English with a Thai person then you need to speak to more Thais, preferably outside of the local bar!

I see it didn't take long for the old classic comment to appear. Very creative. I haven't set foot inside a local bar in years. 

My apologies if my expectations are higher than yours and this offends you. 

 

1 hour ago, djayz said:

I have yet to meet one who could hold a decent conversation - in English or Thai. 

 

All joking aside, I have noticed a dramatic drop in their writing skills too. 

Some better-educated Thais know English grammar well. They can explain it (in Thai), but still cannot string a conversational phrase together.

Just now, StayinThailand2much said:

Some better-educated Thais know English grammar well. They can explain it (in Thai), but still cannot string a conversational phrase together.

Well You can say that for most foreigners who try to speak Thai.  They can not string a correct Thai sentence together.  Its harder to speak Thai then to speak English.  So where does it go wrong as English is a pretty easy language to learn?

5 hours ago, Old Croc said:

India is the biggest English-speaking country in the world.

yep you just ask anyone in Birmingham 

I'm not surprised. A few years ago even the teachers complained the level of English needed for teachers were to high.

 

I just say, it shows how stupid and bad the entire education system is in Thailand. And the ruling dictatorship doesn't want the Thai people to get smarter.

 

Low IQ, low intelligence, low education and low salaries = Thailand