Immigration And English

[Pops]

Pops

Do immigration officers in Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam etc speak the "international language"?

Just asking !

Yes, they do.

[Kularion]

I would not go to another country (France/Germany/China/Russia. etc) and EXPECT that their country CATER to me.It is the height of arrogance, stupidity, and ignorance.

I am their guest - therefore it is incumbent on me to act as a guest should and be as prepared as i can. Maybe even asking a native speaking friend to help me to understand the nuances within THEIR culture and country.

In the scheme of things I am not as important to them as they are to me. I thank them (and appreciate) for their courtesy and patience in dealing with me as I am the visitor I do not have the choice to pick or demand THEIR ACQUIESCENSE as it is THEIR culture i wish to visit and accept me.....

Expecting more than that based on MY importance is folly.....

If you are a guest of their country, (an overused term) they would be paying for your stay as a guest, wouldn't they? I believe you came here with a bunch of money that they would like to share in, which makes you a visitor, not a house guest. They setup Immigration to deal with your visit, and at Immigration should be qualified to help you in your national language, especially if you speak English, because most of their arrivals do. Immigration is most peoples first impression of Thailand. According to an earlier post, someone should spend 2 years learning Thai before they come here. Wow, would that change the visitor numbers, and make Thailand a 4th world country. Tear down the empty condo's. I agree if you decide to live here, you should immediately start to learn Thai as quickly as possible, and not expect that every Thai person speak English, (although many do!) Immigration, dealing with mostly customers that do not speak Thai, by the very service they are to provide, should speak English, and have other interpreters available. That is their job.

This was sarcasm mate And only because some earlier posts that "we are quests and we should learn to speak Thai" blah blah blah special for Thai Immigration Office because their job is already so difficult that how dare we don't speak Thai (sarcasm again )... It's like trying to say that Thai officials are doing their best and rest of the world is completely ignorant...

[brubakertx]

I agree 100%! Immagration employees should have a basic understanding of English.

Edited June 4, 2013 by brubakertx

[notmyself]

I agree 100%! Immagration employees should have a basic understanding of English.

Basic enough to fulfill the obligations of their employment at any rate. As nice as it may be, it's nonsense to expect tourists to all speak Thai so they use the English language as an option, the only option.

[IDL]

I agree 100%! Immagration employees should have a basic understanding of English.

Basic enough to fulfill the obligations of their employment at any rate. As nice as it may be, it's nonsense to expect tourists to all speak Thai so they use the English language as an option, the only option.

HERE, HERE.

Do they want to move 'forward', or is the culture so ingrained that they truly feel they can go it alone?

Oddly, it's the 'brighter' (often 'richer') Thais that know the reality of this question...sadly though, they are also the ones in control. A scary thought...

[samran]

I agree 100%! Immagration employees should have a basic understanding of English.

Basic enough to fulfill the obligations of their employment at any rate. As nice as it may be, it's nonsense to expect tourists to all speak Thai so they use the English language as an option, the only option.

HERE, HERE.

Do they want to move 'forward', or is the culture so ingrained that they truly feel they can go it alone?

Oddly, it's the 'brighter' (often 'richer') Thais that know the reality of this question...sadly though, they are also the ones in control. A scary thought...

God forbid, smart bright people running the country. Who'd want that?

[notmyself]

I agree 100%! Immagration employees should have a basic understanding of English.

Basic enough to fulfill the obligations of their employment at any rate. As nice as it may be, it's nonsense to expect tourists to all speak Thai so they use the English language as an option, the only option.

HERE, HERE.

Do they want to move 'forward', or is the culture so ingrained that they truly feel they can go it alone?

Oddly, it's the 'brighter' (often 'richer') Thais that know the reality of this question...sadly though, they are also the ones in control. A scary thought...

God forbid, smart bright people running the country. Who'd want that?

Great bit of sarcasm but that is lost here in Thailand.

Let's have a meeting to solve a problem. Meeting goes ahead as planned and all agree that they should pull together. Great.... you think. Only problem is that all are pulling together in different directions.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Noticed this item in the news recently:

Chinese Ambassador wins promise of translators for Phuket Police stations
PHUKET: The Deputy General Director of Tourism has vowed to hire Chinese translators for Phuket police stations in reaction to concerns raised by Chinese Ambassador to Thailand His Excellency Guan Mu on Wednesday.

[thaicbr]

why in the world should a Thai person have to speak english, you are in Thailand, not England, I have been here many years, no problems, I think you would be better off in england I speak no Thai

Mainly because the job they have chosen to do includes interacting with people from other countries and the fact that English is the defacto world language. Bit like a Thai tour guide not speaking English.

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[marioc]

How many British Immigration workers speak Thai ?

Just sayin like.

hhhhmmmm........ basically I am on your side, but..... how many Thai speaking tourists go through British Immigration workers every year compared to the millions of English ones through Thai Immigration workers?

[IDL]

How many British Immigration workers speak Thai ?

Just sayin like.

hhhhmmmm........ basically I am on your side, but..... how many Thai speaking tourists go through British Immigration workers every year compared to the millions of English ones through Thai Immigration workers?

yep!

[beenitseenitdoneit]

How many British Immigration workers speak Thai ?
Give us a break.

13 years in Thailand. Can't speak Thai?
Make that 18 years in my case.

touché
Slam dunk.

Sorry m'lud, said while shuffling feet, wringing flat cap in hands and trying to tug forelock all at the same time.
Good to see you know you place.

It is, in my opinion, the absolute hight of arrogance and ignorance to expect your Mother tongue to be spoken no matter where one happens to be in the world.
Get real, who's paying who in this equation. In fact we have an idiom for this, it starts He who pays the piper ...., I wonder if you can finish it?

There is a saying goes this way- when in Rome, do as the Romans' do.
Can't remember that being the case back in "44.

Read somewhere that a person who speaks three languages is tri-lingual, a person who speaks two is bi-lingual and a person who speaks only one language is generally English.
One day hopefully this will not be necessary.

As you observe English is a very long way from being a "universal language" !
But we're working on it.

This time around, I have been here almost 10 years and Key Mah (ride a horse) still sounds exactly like Key Mah (dog poop).
Finally at long last someone has hit the nail on the head. Thai is not a language but a toneage.
Yes I'm inventing a new word here, the ability to communicate through tones and sounds as opposed to words.
For most westerners we cannot even sing in tune, so for some reason we simple do not hear these tones, let alone have the ability to imitate them.
For all you proficient and non proficient Thai speakers, I have yet to sit down in a restaurant with you, where you have had the ability to even order a meal correctly in Thai from a menu.
Why, because without exception what has arrived in the past has bore no resemblance to what had been been actually ordered.
So if you can't even order a meal successfully, pray tell me, learn Thai for what?

You say "we are guests here"... some people live here XX years already, working, making businesses rising children... just living.
So my question is when we can expect to not be guests any more? Or we have to just agree that we are guests or citizens (even not) 2nd category for the rest of our life?
When will everybody get it, we are not guests in Thailand, we are PAYING guests.
And by definition as soon we stop paying we are shown the door.

I can speak Thai face to face but too have some difficulty on the phone.
That's because you cannot read their lips.

However, the arrogance of some (and I stress SOME, not all) native English speakers has always turned my stomach! A lot of them have no idea of what it means studying and mastering a language, simply because they've never been required to!
Oh yes, how I long for the days of the Empire.

But if I have to go to IMMIGRATION OFFICE when all the clients are IMMIGRANTS.
If you think it is unreasonable that those working there do not speak proficient English, then pray tell me what language do you feel we should converse in - Thai?

God forbid, smart bright people running the country. Who'd want that?
Think about it, they already are.

[Italian guy]

How many British Immigration workers speak Thai ?

Give us a break.

13 years in Thailand. Can't speak Thai?

Make that 18 years in my case.touché

Slam dunk.

Sorry m'lud, said while shuffling feet, wringing flat cap in hands and trying to tug forelock all at the same time.Good to see you know you place.

It is, in my opinion, the absolute hight of arrogance and ignorance to expect your Mother tongue to be spoken no matter where one happens to be in the world.

Get real, who's paying who in this equation. In fact we have an idiom for this, it starts He who pays the piper ...., I wonder if you can finish it?

There is a saying goes this way- when in Rome, do as the Romans' do.

Can't remember that being the case back in "44.

Read somewhere that a person who speaks three languages is tri-lingual, a person who speaks two is bi-lingual and a person who speaks only one language is generally English.One day hopefully this will not be necessary.As you observe English is a very long way from being a "universal language" !

But we're working on it.This time around, I have been here almost 10 years and Key Mah (ride a horse) still sounds exactly like Key Mah (dog poop).

Finally at long last someone has hit the nail on the head. Thai is not a language but a toneage.

Yes I'm inventing a new word here, the ability to communicate through tones and sounds as opposed to words.

For most westerners we cannot even sing in tune, so for some reason we simple do not hear these tones, let alone have the ability to imitate them.

For all you proficient and non proficient Thai speakers, I have yet to sit down in a restaurant with you, where you have had the ability to even order a meal correctly in Thai from a menu.

Why, because without exception what has arrived in the past has bore no resemblance to what had been been actually ordered.

So if you can't even order a meal successfully, pray tell me, learn Thai for what?

You say "we are guests here"... some people live here XX years already, working, making businesses rising children... just living.

So my question is when we can expect to not be guests any more? Or we have to just agree that we are guests or citizens (even not) 2nd category for the rest of our life?

When will everybody get it, we are not guests in Thailand, we are PAYING guests.

And by definition as soon we stop paying we are shown the door.

I can speak Thai face to face but too have some difficulty on the phone.

That's because you cannot read their lips.

However, the arrogance of some (and I stress SOME, not all) native English speakers has always turned my stomach! A lot of them have no idea of what it means studying and mastering a language, simply because they've never been required to!

Oh yes, how I long for the days of the Empire.

But if I have to go to IMMIGRATION OFFICE when all the clients are IMMIGRANTS.

If you think it is unreasonable that those working there do not speak proficient English, then pray tell me what language do you feel we should converse in - Thai?

God forbid, smart bright people running the country. Who'd want that?

Think about it, they already are.

<deleted>?

[snowflake]

So, just to let you all know...

I did send a formal letter of complaint to immigration in Bangkok about the way it went down. Yes, I do speak Thai, but I do struggle to understand MEN on the phone for some reason, maybe you have not been in the south of Thailand where all words are cut in half and slang is the most used way of talking, heck, even Thais struggle sometimes to understand Southerners...

Now, I did not expect a response, even if I asked for it. I just complained that ENGLISH which is the current WORLD language should be spoken by immigration, did not expect to much, but even so, simple sentences.

After I have been here for 13 years, I do joke and communicate in Thai with people every day, but I expect that when I deal with officials whose main job is dealing with foreigners I would like to do so in a manner I would completely feel comfortable with, I don't like to have a "I don't understand" moment when it comes to my VISA...

So the REPLY came from bangkok- 4 officers came to my school during my class, they had a print out of the complaint that I sent, they did NOT speak English (wow), and they came to explain to me what was wrong and if I could help them further on, by teaching them English. They had gotten the word from the main office that they had to sort this out and to improve their language skills.
I, my boss and a friend of mine were talking to them, yes I talked with them in Thai, explained that I was going to leave at the end of July, but I was sure they would find someone to teach them English (people should line up to teach them)...

I signed the letter (which was translated in Thai, and a Thai written letter that they had worked out the issue), then they left...

I am greatful that they bothered to show up, they do try sometimes, but lets be honest, if you send 4 people, why not send one that could speak English? Why is that so difficult..

Anyways, I am happy and that is what counts for me...

To all you haters out there,

Yes we are in Thailand, but, English is a WORLD language, it is the most used way of people to comunicate across borders, so is it really so bad to expect that the people who work with foreigners (all day long) has the basic skills of forming a sentence? I think not...
I would not expect them to know 8 different languages, but ENGLISH, that is basic from school, that is the ASEAN language, and they know that they are behind, but don't want to lose face over it, in given time, Thais will learn, because the children are getting there...

[phuketrichard]

come down to phuket, they speak passable ( some very good) good english and are very helpfull ( more so than those <deleted> farangs sitting there) and will actaully talk to you about other things while ur waiting for the signature.

[OJAS]

come down to phuket, they speak passable ( some very good) good english and are very helpfull ( more so than those wanke_r farangs sitting there) and will actaully talk to you about other things while ur waiting for the signature.

Not the case at my local immigration office (Maptaput), unfortunately - which is why I always take the wife along with me and make sure she understands beforehand what I am after.

My overall take on this particular topic is that, since English is an accepted language for the completion of TM forms, Embassy proof of income letters, etc, then it is surely not unreasonable to expect the officials to be able also to communicate verbally in English with their punters with some modicum of fluency. That said, I do accept that we long stay non-immigrants might, in practice, be able to do more to help our cause by making more of an effort to communicate with immigration officers in their native tongue (and I will readily hold my hand up to admit that this comment does include me). However, would it really be reasonable to expect those on short-term visits to LOS and seeking tourist visa extensions to pass a crash course in Thai with flying colours solely so that they could obtain these extensions?

Edited June 20, 2013 by OJAS