Can The Language Barrier Drive A Farang Out Of The Kingdom Eventually?

[PeaceBlondie]

Sometimes, it is the little things that drive you to distraction.

Today, I simply needed to put air into the tire of my motorcycle. I drove to my favorite station, and about five Thai people there were trying to figure out how to use both of the hoses for the high-pressure lines. As I waited my turn, I noticed that neither of the hoses was working very well. One of the Thais had to help another Thai just to put air in a motorcycle tire. I left. Today or tomorrow, I will have to go to the only place I know that has a tire machine that I know how to work.

Last week, the only ponytail holder that I had blew away. So, I went to Big C. I had to wander around among the brassieres and the ladies panties and the makeup and finally found two ponytail holders for 25 baht. There was no way that I could say to a sales clerk, "where are the ponytail holders?"

This sort of thing happens to me once or twice every week. I don't have much interaction with Thai people, but this is the country where I am supposed to live and survive. Another example: my partner went out to buy some medicine for me, which was Felopadin. He got the spelling wrong, and he called me on the mobile phone to ask me the name of the medicine. I spelled Phillapadinn about nine times, including once or twice when I spelled it wrong. In fact, filapaden is spelled two different ways on the Thai prescription. And my partner has been listening to my speech for almost 5 years. That means when I speak to a Thai person in this country, and speak in my own native English language, they don't understand me. I don't say Coke with the right vowel tone. In almost 5 years I have never pronounced cow pack guy correctly. I don't know if it's gone all G. K. or maybe it is not that guy or that guy. Pardon me but my voice recognition system does not have the slightest idea what I am saying. I suspect Thai people are the same way.

Should I just give up trying to communicate in this wonderful Kingdom? Should I just go back to Mexico where I know how to pronounce the phonemes and the people have a fairly good idea what in the Bostock I said? But please, if you are going to give me advice, probably you don't want to suggest that I'd learn to speak Thai. Thank you

[v8tfcorty]

I guess it depends where in Thailand you live, if like me you live in Pattaya you could quite easily get away with never having to speak a word of Thai, where as i suppose if you live up in the jungle and can't speak the local lingo you are pretty much screwed.

[lannarebirth]

Maybe a talking dictionary?

[nidge]

Yes it can be very frustrating. When i first moved to Issan it was a nightmare for me as everyone spoke totally different than they did in Bangkok. Communication is not so bad now as my Thai is getting better but it is still very basic. When i have building work done on the house or problems with the car my language nightmares start. I used to lose my temper through frustration but i think i have mostly got that under control. Should you go back to Mexico? Only you can answer that, but i'm quite sure once you got there you would wish you were back here and you would wonder why you made such a big deal out of it.

Nidge.

[percy2]

PB,

Have you tries any of the courses mentioned in this thread?

The beginning modules teach you how to pronounce Thai words.

Anyone who says they cannot learn how to speak Thai is just not trying hard enough

The reason that I cannot read and write Thai is the same

I am reorganizing my schedules to be able to attend one of these classes for 6 months or so.

Sorry to sound harsh but you've been bitching and moaning about the same subject for a long time, what have you done to try and rectify it?

Cheers

PS maybe try using more inventive means of communication. If I couldn't get across the need for a hair toggle without having to resort to speaking I'd give up.

[redwood13]

If I'm going shopping for an item and I don't know the Thai name for it (which is almost always the case), I'll print out a picture of it on my computer. This also works well for buying DVDs, etc.

-redwood

[peter991]

Hi there PB. I, for one would be sorry to see you go, if that is how things work out. I think you sum it up when you state,

I don't have much interaction with Thai people

.

If you don't have much interaction with Thai people who speak Thai language, you are never going to learn the language because you don't have to learn it. It seems the older you get, the harder it is to learn a new language (or just about anything, I suppose).

I have met Thai guys in their late teens who want to be genuine tour guides and they speak at least 3 languages apart from their mother tongue - English, German, French, Dutch languages mainly, but a few speak passable Russian too.

When I was living in Pattaya, many of the Thai guys I interacted with spoke quite good english. When I moved to Issan, I had to learn Thai to survive. It can be quite scary when the other half gets on the motorcycle and heads into town, leaving me as the only white person in a village of 200 Thais, none of which spoke any english.

Peter

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks for the kind replies so far; now I'll stand back for about 8 hours and see what else is said.

I honestly do not believe I can learn Thai.

As for explaining that I needed to buy a ponytail holder, I can be pretty expressive, but I had not practiced that. So please tell me without more than ten seconds of prep time, what dance or Broadway show tune do I sing (I Feel Pretty, oh so Pretty..." that was sung by an Asian in the Flower Drum Song show)?

[percy2]

OK here goes, but remember this is the techi version.

Walk up to the sales person , grasp the end of your ponytail with your left hand , raise your arm until the hair becomes taught (try not to inflict pain , its not necessary at this point), now with your right hand grasp the base of the pony tail with your thumb and index finger, hold this position while raising and lowering your shoulders. Finish by looking directly at the sales person with raised eyebrows.

If they don't show you the correct kind of toggle , turn your head left right left right and then reap above until the correct item has been discovered.

Cheers

[soundman]

Thanks for the kind replies so far; now I'll stand back for about 8 hours and see what else is said.

I honestly do not believe I can learn Thai.

As for explaining that I needed to buy a ponytail holder, I can be pretty expressive, but I had not practiced that. So please tell me without more than ten seconds of prep time, what dance or Broadway show tune do I sing (I Feel Pretty, oh so Pretty..." that was sung by an Asian in the Flower Drum Song show)?

I speak Thai enough to be understood & understand a fair bit more.

If you asked me to translate "pony tail holder" I'd be at a loss for words too.

Sorry that the language is so frustrating to learn, and it is a very difficult language to learn, however, the more interaction you have with the Thai's - the easier the communications gap, in whatever form, is bridged.

Cheers man.

[toptuan]

OK here goes, but remember this is the techi version.

Walk up to the sales person , grasp the end of your ponytail with your left hand , raise your arm until the hair becomes taught (try not to inflict pain , its not necessary at this point), now with your right hand grasp the base of the pony tail with your thumb and index finger, hold this position while raising and lowering your shoulders. Finish by looking directly at the sales person with raised eyebrows.

If they don't show you the correct kind of toggle , turn your head left right left right and then reap above until the correct item has been discovered.

Cheers

Yes, I also have become a talented mime since moving to Thailand.

Once, after a lengthy act, the Thai clerk asked in perfect English, "Sir, can you talk?"

[lannarebirth]

Yes, I also have become a talented mime since moving to Thailand.

Once, after a lengthy act, the Thai clerk asked in perfect English, "Sir, can you talk?"

Hilarious!

[Heng]

Good idea by Redwood13 regarding photos.

I can empathize with not being able to speak clearly, as even as a Thai, I can't pronounce a lot of things clearly... and sometimes worse than getting the farang price, I get the Japanese price! I get around most of that nowadays by delegating just about everything out to others, but do have to deal with it when I want to go out by myself.

Maybe hire an assistant? Make sure she's young and fit so your partner doesn't have problems with it.

[slackula]

Maybe get a haircut?

/glad to be of help

[Neeranam]

Sometimes, it is the little things that drive you to distraction.

Today, I simply needed to put air into the tire of my motorcycle. I drove to my favorite station, and about five Thai people there were trying to figure out how to use both of the hoses for the high-pressure lines. As I waited my turn, I noticed that neither of the hoses was working very well. One of the Thais had to help another Thai just to put air in a motorcycle tire. I left. Today or tomorrow, I will have to go to the only place I know that has a tire machine that I know how to work.

Last week, the only ponytail holder that I had blew away. So, I went to Big C. I had to wander around among the brassieres and the ladies panties and the makeup and finally found two ponytail holders for 25 baht. There was no way that I could say to a sales clerk, "where are the ponytail holders?"

This sort of thing happens to me once or twice every week. I don't have much interaction with Thai people, but this is the country where I am supposed to live and survive. Another example: my partner went out to buy some medicine for me, which was Felopadin. He got the spelling wrong, and he called me on the mobile phone to ask me the name of the medicine. I spelled Phillapadinn about nine times, including once or twice when I spelled it wrong. In fact, filapaden is spelled two different ways on the Thai prescription. And my partner has been listening to my speech for almost 5 years. That means when I speak to a Thai person in this country, and speak in my own native English language, they don't understand me. I don't say Coke with the right vowel tone. In almost 5 years I have never pronounced cow pack guy correctly. I don't know if it's gone all G. K. or maybe it is not that guy or that guy. Pardon me but my voice recognition system does not have the slightest idea what I am saying. I suspect Thai people are the same way.

Should I just give up trying to communicate in this wonderful Kingdom? Should I just go back to Mexico where I know how to pronounce the phonemes and the people have a fairly good idea what in the Bostock I said? But please, if you are going to give me advice, probably you don't want to suggest that I'd learn to speak Thai. Thank you

They are people like you and I. Don't distance yourself from 'them' and you'll find that your acceptance will grow and learning will come. You will know this from teaching.

[colino]

i know the feeling well , first words i learn t was, i don't know and when saying it smile alot

sorry cant spell it in thai

[vrsushi]

I am going to have to say that if I were the OP I'd go back to Mexico. Isn't life a 1000 times richer when you can speak the language that everybody else is using? Without being able to use Thai aren't you effectively only ever a tourist?

Put it this way. If you could only speak French, where would you live, England or France?

OP, I know your problem as I had the same one myself once. But ask yourself this. How much smaller has your world become since you moved to Thailand? To live life well is to live life as if it is art. You are like a man who is trying to paint without brushes.

Edited February 21, 2008 by vrsushi

[percy2]

Put it this way. If you could only speak French, where would you live, England or France?

You might have picked a bad example there.

If I only spoke english and the choice was England or Thailand , I'd have to say Thailand every time.

Cheers

PS you could substitute Thailand with Spain , Portugal , Greece , Germany , Switzerland , Itlay etc ad nauseam.

[apetley]

Sometimes, it is the little things that drive you to distraction.

Today, I simply needed to put air into the tire of my motorcycle. I drove to my favorite station, and about five Thai people there were trying to figure out how to use both of the hoses for the high-pressure lines. As I waited my turn, I noticed that neither of the hoses was working very well. One of the Thais had to help another Thai just to put air in a motorcycle tire. I left. Today or tomorrow, I will have to go to the only place I know that has a tire machine that I know how to work.

Get a footpump. Good exercise and much more accurate than the garage pumps.

[ThaiWanderer68]

I think the language barrier is one reason people stay longer than they otherwise would.

Thailand isn't always the wonderful place you thought it was, once you understand what is going on and what people are saying.

Edited February 21, 2008 by ThaiWanderer68

[surface]

Sorry PB, but you seem to start threads about this quite frequently, so it's hard to care much about your "problem" at this point. Only mentioning this as I'm sure others have noticed it and are feeling the same way.

Since you seem like a nice enough bloke though, I don't want to leave without making any suggestions. Seems to me your choices are

1. Leave Thailand

2. Learn basic Thai

3. Learn to mime

4. Do nothing and accept the fact that you won't be able to communicate with those who don't speak English or understand your pigeon Thai.

Cheers!

Edited February 21, 2008 by surface

[HS Mauberley]

'Pony tail holder' is probably a bit out there ('hair band' might be easier, if it's the same thing) but it doesn't seem too much of a burden to learn the kind of phrase-book language required to get by day-to-day. 'Learn the language' is such a nebulous phrase that it's pretty much meaningless but I really believe that with a bare modicum of effort, more or less anyone can acquire enough Thai to get through the types of situation which you describe and if you're going to the supermarket to buy some odd unusual item, finding out in advance what it's called in Thai is hardly a revolutionary idea.

[intumult]

Maybe a talking dictionary?

I bought one over a year ago and in some instances they do work for translation, but and it is a BIG but, there are far to many definitions available when you type in a word and it can take people forever to work out which definition you are trying to get them to understand.

As for PB, I struggle to get by with what little thai I have and do rely a lot on my Thai friends to help out.

I am pretty much tone deaf and have hearing loss also which does not help matters. My only way around it is to use the on-line dictionary. At least the one I use gives phonetic spelling AND a sound bite of the word / phrase too, so I can play it with media player and also download it for further reference.

If the mods allow it the site is thai-language.com

[mrbojangles]

PB,

Thai's must use the whole world's supply of elastic bands, for when they're tying up those little plastic bags for take away food etc. How can you be short for something to tie your pony tail with, you must have thousands of them in a drawer.

As for the other issues with the language, it has been a gripe of yours for a while, so i can't understand why you haven't done something about it already.

[sbk]

Fair enough, I think Mr Boj. But perhaps PB just feels like having a whinge

Just like all the others who come on and whinge about the traffic, the values, sin sot, face, mia nois, etc etc etc. All those things that make up life in Thailand and which so many expats have such a difficult time coming to terms with.

Just a thought

[mrbojangles]

Fair enough, I think Mr Boj. But perhaps PB just feels like having a whinge

Yeah, i suppose we're all allowed those every now and again

[Pattayatony]

Sometimes, it is the little things that drive you to distraction.

Today, I simply needed to put air into the tire of my motorcycle. I drove to my favorite station, and about five Thai people there were trying to figure out how to use both of the hoses for the high-pressure lines. As I waited my turn, I noticed that neither of the hoses was working very well. One of the Thais had to help another Thai just to put air in a motorcycle tire. I left. Today or tomorrow, I will have to go to the only place I know that has a tire machine that I know how to work.

Last week, the only ponytail holder that I had blew away. So, I went to Big C. I had to wander around among the brassieres and the ladies panties and the makeup and finally found two ponytail holders for 25 baht. There was no way that I could say to a sales clerk, "where are the ponytail holders?"

This sort of thing happens to me once or twice every week. I don't have much interaction with Thai people, but this is the country where I am supposed to live and survive. Another example: my partner went out to buy some medicine for me, which was Felopadin. He got the spelling wrong, and he called me on the mobile phone to ask me the name of the medicine. I spelled Phillapadinn about nine times, including once or twice when I spelled it wrong. In fact, filapaden is spelled two different ways on the Thai prescription. And my partner has been listening to my speech for almost 5 years. That means when I speak to a Thai person in this country, and speak in my own native English language, they don't understand me. I don't say Coke with the right vowel tone. In almost 5 years I have never pronounced cow pack guy correctly. I don't know if it's gone all G. K. or maybe it is not that guy or that guy. Pardon me but my voice recognition system does not have the slightest idea what I am saying. I suspect Thai people are the same way.

Should I just give up trying to communicate in this wonderful Kingdom? Should I just go back to Mexico where I know how to pronounce the phonemes and the people have a fairly good idea what in the Bostock I said? But please, if you are going to give me advice, probably you don't want to suggest that I'd learn to speak Thai. Thank you

If that dosnt make you move out the Govt will

[mikethevigoman]

Sometimes, it is the little things that drive you to distraction.

Today, I simply needed to put air into the tire of my motorcycle. I drove to my favorite station, and about five Thai people there were trying to figure out how to use both of the hoses for the high-pressure lines. As I waited my turn, I noticed that neither of the hoses was working very well. One of the Thais had to help another Thai just to put air in a motorcycle tire. I left. Today or tomorrow, I will have to go to the only place I know that has a tire machine that I know how to work.

Last week, the only ponytail holder that I had blew away. So, I went to Big C. I had to wander around among the brassieres and the ladies panties and the makeup and finally found two ponytail holders for 25 baht. There was no way that I could say to a sales clerk, "where are the ponytail holders?"

This sort of thing happens to me once or twice every week. I don't have much interaction with Thai people, but this is the country where I am supposed to live and survive. Another example: my partner went out to buy some medicine for me, which was Felopadin. He got the spelling wrong, and he called me on the mobile phone to ask me the name of the medicine. I spelled Phillapadinn about nine times, including once or twice when I spelled it wrong. In fact, filapaden is spelled two different ways on the Thai prescription. And my partner has been listening to my speech for almost 5 years. That means when I speak to a Thai person in this country, and speak in my own native English language, they don't understand me. I don't say Coke with the right vowel tone. In almost 5 years I have never pronounced cow pack guy correctly. I don't know if it's gone all G. K. or maybe it is not that guy or that guy. Pardon me but my voice recognition system does not have the slightest idea what I am saying. I suspect Thai people are the same way.

Should I just give up trying to communicate in this wonderful Kingdom? Should I just go back to Mexico where I know how to pronounce the phonemes and the people have a fairly good idea what in the Bostock I said? But please, if you are going to give me advice, probably you don't want to suggest that I'd learn to speak Thai. Thank you

i know how you feel, i do have to mingle/deal with them, drives me mad, if i want something for a car i go to the dealership with a picture and wake one of the girls up that are usually asleep on the desk and show it to them, i did it with a toyota part, then they looked at my NISSAN NAVARA and asked if i wanted it fitted,! ,.they dont answer enquiries on web sites at all,. and i have taken a friend of mine with me that speaks fluent thai, all that happened then was 2 of us left pissed off !,.ive had enough and we are off, .even if you have someone that speaks english you will never to able to hold a conversation in my opinion and i need to mix with english again to regain my sanity, if its not too late,.I had an early warning of this when i first came to thailand the first taxi i encountered i said " mandarin hotel please " he replies ok, after 15 minutes of driving, he turns around and says " where you go ' ,. i should have heeded that warning,.

[HS Mauberley]

Interesting how such a huge range of threads terminate at the same point, isn't it. Do you think that's because of Thailand or because of the 'contributors' to this website?

Good luck with mixing with 'english again'. EFL Lessons are cheap in Thailand. Why don't you take a few before you go.

[Spee]

Today, I simply needed to put air into the tire of my motorcycle. I drove to my favorite station, and about five Thai people there were trying to figure out how to use both of the hoses for the high-pressure lines. As I waited my turn, I noticed that neither of the hoses was working very well. One of the Thais had to help another Thai just to put air in a motorcycle tire. I left. Today or tomorrow, I will have to go to the only place I know that has a tire machine that I know how to work.

Hmmmmmmmmm .... buy an electric tire pump for the house.

Last week, the only ponytail holder that I had blew away. So, I went to Big C. I had to wander around among the brassieres and the ladies panties and the makeup and finally found two ponytail holders for 25 baht. There was no way that I could say to a sales clerk, "where are the ponytail holders?"

Hmmmmmmmm ... get a haircut?

This sort of thing happens to me once or twice every week.

All kidding aside, I have a suggestion that I picked up from some Japanese friend who were working on their English language skills. They make small tabs made out of heavy gauge paper, maybe a half cm wide and a couple cm long. On one end, a hole is punched and they are slipped onto a key ring. On one side they write the Japanese word and the other side they write the English word. You can easily fit 40 or 50 of these tabs on a small key ring. I've actually bought some from the Japan Centre right next to Picadilly in central London. It would be easy to get the wife, girlfriend or other friend to help you fill out a bunch of these with common everyday words and phrases. Keep one in the truck and one in the pocket. That should be enough to get you through most basic daily communication issues.