Can PM Yingluck Win Over A Foreign Audience?

[Unkomoncents]

Posters keep criticizing statements by Thai politicians as obvious lies and nonsense. All that is true if the audience was international and educated. However there often ridiculous statements are intended for a domestic audience "Their voters". In that context the silly statements and bold faced lies are appropriate as that's want their constituents want to hear and accept.

So you are saying that Thais are uneducated and stupid? Does that include the politicians too?

Uneducated, yes. Stupid, well, that's a subjective judgement. You sure are a funny one though. You think you can threaten people by including subjective and obviously offensive characterizations with demonstrably true, objective ones.

[Payboy]

Can PM Yingluck Win Over A Foreign Audience?

She's got folks on Thai Visa hanging on to every word she utters.

[mrtoad]

My 6 year old has a better grasp of the English language.

[blazes]

Doubts expressed over Yingluck's ability to 'think on her feet'

Her ability to think while seated are just as un-reassuring...

Well, I have to say her English is 100% better than my Thai. If you listen carefully (as you have to with your girlfriend or wife or any other Thai) you can hear her responding to the not-very-well-expressed question from the back of the room by some feminist, namely "what the eff are you going to do about sex tourism?" She responds by repeating and clarifying a very basic idea: women need to attain gender equality in Thailand, and the best way for them to do that is via education. With more and better education, a woman can earn a decent salary and then she won't need to earn money in that way. (That is, via sex). Yingluck is easily comprehensible on that point. But clearly you nodded off after ten seconds.

Edited March 20, 2012 by Rimmer
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[jayboy]

That isn't a sufficiently rigorous academic curriculum for any accreditaion body of which I am aware.

And as regards the rigorous academic curricula you claim familiarity with, do they include the ability to spell the word "accreditation" correctly?

[blazes]

Why pick on Yingluck? Apart from Abhisit, who had the significant advantage of an English education

Are you saying that an English education has a significant advantage over an American Masters degree education?

Abhisiit's parents had the "significant advantage" of being able to shove him into the most expensive school in England, from which, traditionally, the ruling class emerges.

[Payboy]

Abhisiit's parents had the "significant advantage" of being able to shove him into the most expensive school in England, from which, traditionally, the ruling class emerges.

Didn't work for Abhisit then.

[lannarebirth]

That isn't a sufficiently rigorous academic curriculum for any accreditaion body of which I am aware.

And as regards the rigorous academic curricula you claim familiarity with, do they include the ability to spell the word "accreditation" correctly?

Oh I can spell it correctly. It's just that I'm a piss poor typist and an even worse proofreader. Well spotted though.

[blazes]

I am sometimes wondering how she managed to get a degree from a U.S. university. I mean, with her even now English-language non-proficiency, how was she able to follow lectures, read - let alone comprehend - teaching materials or sit through and successfully complete exams? Let's be frank, she even has trouble reading prepared speeches in her own language without starting to stutter and losing the thread.

While it would be helpful to her and Thailand if she spoke English, I'm not going to knock her for it. Many world leaders do not and have found ways to communicate effectively. Unfortunately she has not and I expect that is by design. Where I do criticize her is that she continues to lead people to believe she earned a Master's Degree from an American university and that just isn't possible given her lack of English language ability. So that's got to be a lie, which any other world leader would have had to resign over. Imagine you getting a Masters Degree at Thammasat with a Thai language ability comparable to her English language abilities. A'int gonna happen.

Let me assure you, as a faculty member of a North American university, that it is perfectly possible to obtain a Master's degree without adequate command of English.

[lannarebirth]

That isn't a sufficiently rigorous academic curriculum for any accreditaion body of which I am aware.

And as regards the rigorous academic curricula you claim familiarity with, do they include the ability to spell the word "accreditation" correctly?

Oh I can spell it correctly. It's just that I'm a piss poor typist and an even worse proofreader. Well spotted though.

What's really interesting about this post however is that was the third time I used that word in the same post and the other two times I didn't accidentally leave out a "t". Clutching at straws much?

[DLock]

Doubts expressed over Yingluck's ability to 'think on her feet'

Her ability to think while seated are just as un-reassuring...

Well, I have to say her English is 100% better than my Thai. If you listen carefully (as you have to with your girlfriend or wife or any other Thai) you can hear her responding to the not-very-well-expressed question from the back of the room by some feminist, namely "what the eff are you going to do about sex tourism?" She responds by repeating and clarifying a very basic idea: women need to attain gender equality in Thailand, and the best way for them to do that is via education. With more and better education, a woman can earn a decent salary and then she won't need to earn money in that way. (That is, via sex). Yingluck is easily comprehensible on that point. But clearly you nodded off after ten seconds.

Your Thai must be really bad.

Her response was rambling and childlike - which may be the level of your Thai gf, but there is no excuse for someone in her position on a world stage. She represented Thailand poorly.

[jayboy]

Does she have a Masters Degree from a native English speaking university?

No? Then I wouldn't expect much in the way of her English speaking skills.

Logically, if one is in possession of such a degree, it's expected that a higher level of English language ability goes along with it.

It's not that difficult a concept to follow.

The possession of a degree at a third tier US college has little to do with her English language capability.I'm hazarding a guess that even the native English speakers at KSU are not exactly speaking the English of Lincoln, Shakespeare or Poe.In any event with the exception of expensively overseas educated Thais (often from the age of nine or ten, Korn, Abhisit etc)) the standard of the elite's English is generally abysmal.Yingluck is no different from most - even using the benchmark of a shoddy US college peer group.

There are world leaders who have never been near an English language speaking university who have perfect command of the English language - think almost every prominent Scandinavian or Dutch leader.

The haters harp on about Yingluck embarrassing Thailand but this is a concern confined mainly to Thailand.Overseas as far as one can tell Yingluck makes rather a good impression, possibly because in addition to her personal qualities she represents a governement legitimately elected with a genuine popular mandate.The haters don't really have an easy target at the moment since by most accounts the government is doing rather well.So they concentrate on superficial matters.

Edited March 20, 2012 by jayboy

[Jingthing]

I am sure there are very sharp graduates of KSU both foreign and domestic. Yingluck is not among their numbers. Superficially, I think most of the world probably doesn't know yet that Yingluck is Thailand's Sarah Palin because how many people outside Thailand watch her painfully poor performances? The fact that she is a somewhat pretty woman likely gets a lot more attention. Which is relative of course because what percentage of people in the world know the first thing about the PM of Thailand, whoever s(he) is?

Edited March 20, 2012 by Jingthing

[SabaiBKK]

Does she have a Masters Degree from a native English speaking university?

No? Then I wouldn't expect much in the way of her English speaking skills.

Logically, if one is in possession of such a degree, it's expected that a higher level of English language ability goes along with it.

It's not that difficult a concept to follow.

.

and yet both her and her brother claim to have such degrees from US universities !!!

[Buchholz]

Does she have a Masters Degree from a native English speaking university?

No? Then I wouldn't expect much in the way of her English speaking skills.

Logically, if one is in possession of such a degree, it's expected that a higher level of English language ability goes along with it.

It's not that difficult a concept to follow.

The possession of a degree at a third tier US college has little to do with her English language capability.I'm hazarding a guess that even the native English speakers at KSU are not exactly speaking the English of Lincoln, Shakespeare or Poe.

No one is expecting that.

They are, however, expecting something a smidgen better than this.

Yingluck is no different from most - even using the benchmark of a shoddy US college peer group.

Are any of them representing the nation on the world stage?

.

Edited March 20, 2012 by Buchholz

[jayboy]

Superficially, I think most of the world probably doesn't know yet that Yingluck is Thailand's Sarah Palin because how many people outside Thailand watch her painfully poor performances?

The comparison is so lame.Palin, whatever one thinks of her and unlike Yingluck, is an electrifying political performer.Yingluck, whatever one thinks of her and unlike Palin, won a commanding general election victory.

[nurofiend]

No one is expecting that.

They are, however, expecting something a smidgen better than this.

Yingluck is no different from most - even using the benchmark of a shoddy US college peer group.

Are any of them representing the nation on the world stage?

.

the first 2 minutes aren't so bad, then... she just went off in a tangent of gibberish.

but don't be fooled, or try to fool others into thinking this is based on a lack of intelligence rather than a lack of language skill

there's absolutely no requirement for her to be a fluent english speaker for her position. or even to be able to speak a word of english.

it's no dent on her character, no matter how much people like to spin it as such.

and to your last question "Are any of them representing the nation on the world stage?"

i think china have a pretty big space on that 'world stage' don't you? i don't hear much english from their politicians.

maybe she should be concentrating more on her mandarin and you could be slating her for that instead? obviously only if that's the language you speak, that is.

Edited March 20, 2012 by nurofiend

[Buchholz]

there's absolutely no requirement for her to be a fluent english speaker for her position. or even to be able to speak a word of english.

*sigh*

I never said there was a requirement that she be English fluent for the position she holds. What I did say was, since she does lay claim to possessing a Masters degree, that a smidgen higher level of ability than displayed would logically be expected.

Perhaps that rudimentary concept is more difficult to follow than I imagined.

.

Edited March 20, 2012 by Buchholz

[Thai at Heart]

No one is expecting that.

They are, however, expecting something a smidgen better than this.

Yingluck is no different from most - even using the benchmark of a shoddy US college peer group.

Are any of them representing the nation on the world stage?

.

the first 2 minutes aren't so bad, then... she just went off in a tangent of gibberish.

but don't be fooled, or try to fool others into thinking this is based on a lack of intelligence rather than a lack of language skill

there's absolutely no requirement for her to be a fluent english speaker for her position. or even to be able to speak a word of english.

it's no dent on her character, no matter how much people like to spin it as such.

and to your last question "Are any of them representing the nation on the world stage?"

i think china have a pretty big space on that 'world stage' don't you? i don't hear much english from their politicians.

maybe she should be concentrating more on her mandarin and you could be slating her for that instead? obviously only if that's the language you speak, that is.

The chinese premier speaks to the chairman of CP long before he calls the PM of Thailand.

[Jingthing]

Look, none of this is fooling anybody. Certainly not international leaders. It is blatantly obvious that Thailand's PM's Yingluck operates at a MUCH LOWER intellectual level than most leaders of major countries. It's a shame for Thailand. They can do better and they SHOULD do better.

<snip>

Edited March 20, 2012 by metisdead
Off topic comments removed.

[Siripon]

I have the solution for Yingluk, from now on she must always use an interpreter at international forums, (as Mr Chuan used to do).

But unlike Mr Chuan, her interpreter has no need to translate the words from English into Thai and vice- versa, for his or her real role is to think on 'his or her feet' and answer the question themselves. Just translate the question for show.

I know the person perfect for this job- Khun Apisit!

[SabaiBKK]

I have the solution for Yingluk, from now on she must always use an interpreter at international forums, (as Mr Chuan used to do).

But unlike Mr Chuan, her interpreter has no need to translate the words from English into Thai and vice- versa, for his or her real role is to think on 'his or her feet' and answer the question themselves. Just translate the question for show.

I know the person perfect for this job- Khun Apisit!

she already has a Vejjajiva as a spin doctor.

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts, off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[sprq]

I am sometimes wondering how she managed to get a degree from a U.S. university. I mean, with her even now English-language non-proficiency, how was she able to follow lectures, read - let alone comprehend - teaching materials or sit through and successfully complete exams? Let's be frank, she even has trouble reading prepared speeches in her own language without starting to stutter and losing the thread.

In that, Yingluck is pretty much the same as the vast majority of Thais who study in the USA yet come back with stumbling English. Her brother is another case in point. It's a mystery how they get their degrees, truly a mystery. One has to suspect poor standards or corruption in American academe.

[sprq]

Why pick on Yingluck? Apart from Abhisit, who had the significant advantage of an English education

Are you saying that an English education has a significant advantage over an American Masters degree education?

As an Englishman, absolutely!

Fair point, I should have specified that he learnt English as a primary language.

Hold on there. Most of the top rated universities in the world are ... AMERICAN.

http://www.usnews.co...es-in-the-world

True. On the other hand, there are far more bad universities -- truly awful institutions of learning -- in the USA than in Britain, and that's not just because the USA has five times more population and probably ten times more colleges. It's because American standards are often very poor. How else could so many Thais come back from the USA with degrees but hardly able to speak English?

[hyperdimension]

It's a mystery how they get their degrees, truly a mystery. One has to suspect poor standards or corruption in American academe.

For those who have been through university, if you were offered 50k USD to write a thesis for another student, and knew that you were fully capable of undertaking the task, would you have accepted? There are some people in this world who would rather pay 50k USD than be bothered to spend the time and effort required. Edited March 20, 2012 by hyperdimension

[sprq]

I am sometimes wondering how she managed to get a degree from a U.S. university. I mean, with her even now English-language non-proficiency, how was she able to follow lectures, read - let alone comprehend - teaching materials or sit through and successfully complete exams? Let's be frank, she even has trouble reading prepared speeches in her own language without starting to stutter and losing the thread.

While it would be helpful to her and Thailand if she spoke English, I'm not going to knock her for it. Many world leaders do not and have found ways to communicate effectively. Unfortunately she has not and I expect that is by design. Where I do criticize her is that she continues to lead people to believe she earned a Master's Degree from an American university and that just isn't possible given her lack of English language ability. So that's got to be a lie, which any other world leader would have had to resign over. Imagine you getting a Masters Degree at Thammasat with a Thai language ability comparable to her English language abilities. A'int gonna happen.

Let me assure you, as a faculty member of a North American university, that it is perfectly possible to obtain a Master's degree without adequate command of English.

How? Why?

[blazes]

I am sometimes wondering how she managed to get a degree from a U.S. university. I mean, with her even now English-language non-proficiency, how was she able to follow lectures, read - let alone comprehend - teaching materials or sit through and successfully complete exams? Let's be frank, she even has trouble reading prepared speeches in her own language without starting to stutter and losing the thread.

While it would be helpful to her and Thailand if she spoke English, I'm not going to knock her for it. Many world leaders do not and have found ways to communicate effectively. Unfortunately she has not and I expect that is by design. Where I do criticize her is that she continues to lead people to believe she earned a Master's Degree from an American university and that just isn't possible given her lack of English language ability. So that's got to be a lie, which any other world leader would have had to resign over. Imagine you getting a Masters Degree at Thammasat with a Thai language ability comparable to her English language abilities. A'int gonna happen.

Let me assure you, as a faculty member of a North American university, that it is perfectly possible to obtain a Master's degree without adequate command of English.

How? Why?

How? Well, as we all know, money will get you into any institution worldwide (including Harvard or Yale, but apparently Yale also lets in "morons").

There are tens of thousands of Asiatic students in Western universities, some of whom speak perfect English (especially those coming from China), but whose written command of the language is minimal.

But if you are doing an Engineering or Business or other "useful" degree, it is not at all difficult to slide through the system with pidgin English.

[sprq]

No, it's not relevant. She's a public figure. We're not.

Precisely. And not just a public figure, but a national leader, for whom these days fluent English is a must.

[sprq]

[Answering blazes, quote won't work]

Money gets you in, of course, but what gets you the degree?

If you speak perfect English, you can write perfect English, as long as you know how to spell, so your second point is nonsensical.

If pidgin English is tolerated, why is it tolerated? Is that about money too? In other words, would failing students because of poor English be unacceptable as it would lead to fewer foreign students coming to the USA to study and therefore less income for American academe? Is money lust the cause of American universities looking so inadequate when you encounter their alumni's poor English? If not, what?