Do Thais have difficulty communicating?

[TheSpade]

Now this isn't meant to be a topic where everyone bash's the Thais and says they are stupid or anything like it but I just need some clarification on this.

I'd always thought in the past that for example when ordering drinks in bars and food in restaurants that the misunderstanding of what I was ordering was due to me ordering in English and the waiter / waitress not understanding it well or me talking bad thai that didn't make sense hence always getting the wrong drinks and meals.

However quite a few times already this week I've noticed that Thai people I've been with also seem to have great difficulty getting what they want to order across to the staff.

Last night I was out with a Thai, I told the waitress I wanted Johnny Walker Red Label. She repeated Johnny Walker Red Label back to me so it was clearly understood. She wrote something down on the paper.

She then asked me again "Johnny Walker Red Label?"...I said yes.

Then she consulted the Thai I was with and Johnny Walker Red Label was repeated again.

Then the Thai I was with asked me "what is it you want?" I told her "I want a bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label like I said already 3 times or more".

She went back to the waitress and said something in Thai. Then came back to me and asked to clarify AGAIN what I wanted.

It was getting a bit ridiculous at this point.

Other items were ordered by the Thai I was with and everything seemed to be fine.

A few minutes later the waitress came back but with the wrong things.

More discussion in Thai was had and both the waitress and the Thai I was with seemed to be very confused.

It took 3 attempts for the waitress to bring us the right food and drinks combo.

This seems to happen quite often. About 25% of the time I order food and drinks I get something I didn't ask for and often it's when I'm with a Thai person who has made the order in Thai so it can't just be me.

What is the deal? Do Thai's have difficulty communicating or do they just not listen or what?

[benalibina]

Why ask a question when you know the, correct, answer already ?

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I can beat that,

I often snatch the order pad and write down my order in Thai, it still comes back wrong.

I'm thinking often none of the wait/kitchen/bar staff can read or write Thai (Hilltribe or Burmese).

Or too much 'Yaa-Baa' or 'Yaa-Ice' while on the job.

Edited July 7, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[manarak]

Yes, I had the same experience.

Often my Thai friends were also served the wrong food/drinks.

Many of the serving staff are uneducated persons who have worked in that position for less than a few days/weeks and most of them will leave soon again because they aren't able to write/read properly and not able to remember more than 1 or 2 items at a time due to refusing to concentrate on something because it "makes their brain hurt".

Edited July 7, 2013 by manarak

[manarak]

I can beat that,

I often snatch the order pad and write down my order in Thai, it still comes back wrong.

I'm thinking often none of the wait/kitchen/bar staff can read or write Thai (Hilltribe or Burmese).

Or too much 'Yaa-Baa' or 'Yaa-Ice' while on the job.

spot on.

[sirineou]

I always go out with my wife and or Thai family, so the ordering is always done in Thai, and I can honestly say I wad never had the occasion of not getting what I ordered.

[benalibina]

I always go out with my wife and or Thai family, so the ordering is always done in Thai, and I can honestly say I wad never had the occasion of not getting what I ordered.

Thai restaurant in farangland ?

[TheSpade]

Why ask a question when you know the, correct, answer already ?

I don't know the answer. I want to know the answer.

Is it something to do with communication issues or bored staff not listening or who can't be bothered or something else?

I always go out with my wife and or Thai family, so the ordering is always done in Thai, and I can honestly say I wad never had the occasion of not getting what I ordered.

Has happened to me a few times already with Thai company and I've only been back a week. At the restaurant at my apartment the wrong food was brought twice and my Thai friend had to correct her.

I asked why the waitress kept getting it wrong and she said she didn't know.

Could just be coincidence it's happened a few times this week but it something that happens to me frequently when alone too and with it happening a few times with Thai people this week I thought it was common, maybe it's not.

[pattayadingo]

In all my time here in Thailand I have had incorrect orders brought to the table, be they ordered by Thai or myself.

On one occassion a friend ordered a fish dish - where it comes in the bowl with the flame underneath - and she was handed a single fish on a plate!!

Sometimes it is even something as simple as ordering a beer and they cannot even bring the correct beer to the table. Leo yai, please. You get something completely different.

What goes on inside some people's heads, I have no idea. Maybe brain bashing from their mobile phones?

[SlideRiceFC]

It's funny you'd mention this. My girlfriend usually does the ordering and most of the time I can pick up enough of the exchange to know what she ordered. There's been several times that we were halfway through our food when I'd ask her if we were missing anything...mostly just to see if I had misunderstood her order. And yes, often they simply forgot to bring something. In most instances the bill was kept at the table and the order was clearly written. Also many times a dish was brought to the table and she had a puzzled look on her face and it would be something she didn't order. I always wondered if the staff at all these places were so inept or if it was my girlfriend since they always read the order back to her and she would nod without seeming to look up or really be paying attention to what they were saying.

Off topic, the Thai dining experience has always been interesting to me. There's been plenty of things I've found amusing about the service here but I keep my mouth shut because I doubt anyone would appreciate my silly farang logic. But a bit more on topic, the last time we had a botched order (a dish never arrived) we were trying a new place and I remarked to my girlfriend that this small place had only 6 tables but I could see 7 staff members and I didn't have a view of the kitchen so who knew how many were hiding back there. Yet somehow even in an obviously overstaffed eatery with perhaps 3 tables of patrons they managed to forget a dish.

[kurnell]

I know when my order hasn't been understood. Thai waitresses have that special blank look and nod when you order and they don't understand but are too embarrassed or whatever, to admit that they didn't get what you said.

[petedk]

I always go out with my wife and or Thai family, so the ordering is always done in Thai, and I can honestly say I wad never had the occasion of not getting what I ordered.

Then you are bloody lucky mate.

Recently the whole Thai family got together for a nice Sunday lunch in a Thai restaurant. We were 20 people so you can imagine the amount of food we ordered. I noticed that we ordered the food at exactly 12.00.

Some of the family members hadn't seen each other for a few months so there was a lot of talking and most people seemd to forget about the time. After thirty minutes we hadn't received anything and I was getting bored. I can speak Thai but sometimes the conversation goes a bit too fast for me to join in so I just listen. Anyway I asked the waitress about the food to which she replied :Sakru na ka" and went away.

15 minutes later no food so I asked again :sakhru na ka"

5 minutes later some of the Thais noticed and politely asked for the food ... " sakru na ka" was the reply again.

The family went back to their conversation and at 13.15 I was getting pretty impatient and I saw the owner come in. I went up to her and asked where the food was to which she replied ..... sakru na ka". I couldn't stop myself and began to raise my voice to which some of the family members came over and helped me.

The owner went out and came back after a good 10 minutes (13.30) and told us that the order had been lost so we had to start again.

This was supposed to be a restaurant with a good reputation.

I can understand mistakes being made but losing an order for 20 people (probably about 300 baht each) is not a small thing. Needless to say we have never been back and never will go there.

[anthobkk]

Happened the same to me all the time, especially when I'm with Thai and I will never know why. Maybe our pronumciation is not good...I don't know. But I'm sure that if I order something by myself without thai around me I'm 75% sure to get what I've ordered before.

[zydeco]

If they have a menu, point to the picture or the line entry in the menu. Do that for the drinks, too.

[Marcel1]

Where do you guys live?? Here in BKK never have these problems ( and also not whenever traveling throughout Thailand) When I order in Thai or sometines English(depending on the place) or when Thai friends order... 90% of the times it's correct and that one other time its never a big deal.. Just like most other countries.

[NanLaew]

I only eat out in Bangkok when in on business but I have noticed that wait staff are getting pretty useless, especially in the farang grub places. For example, a well know tapas restaurant just off Soi 11 used to be spot-on when the owner was on the premises but they lose the plot when unsupervised.There's a French place next door that we tried once and it was so bad, we haven't gone back.

I reckon that there's quite a high turnover with wait staff. Anywhere else in the world, a business would note any 'stars' in their employ and try and keep them but not sure if that happens here. In another rather successful Soi 11 bistro, they had a couple of really good waitresses but they disappeared after about 6 months. Maybe the good ones get flooded with orders from customers who know which staff will get it right and then they quit, looking for an easier place to work?

I reckon in the Thai restaurants, then there may well be an issue of language as well as experience as they hire Cambodians or Burmese waitstaff since the Thai service brigade are all looking for an easier life (and bigger tips) on farang street?

[kikoman]

I Live in Central Thailand and have never run into a eatery that would give us a wrong order, the only problem I have is whether I like the food, as my wife is a great cook, I love her cooking and I would much rather eat at home.

Go out to give her a break from cooking and she enjoys the food!

Cheers:

[TheSpade]

If they have a menu, point to the picture or the line entry in the menu. Do that for the drinks, too.

If only this worked. Usually this is what I will do or if no photos I will point to the Thai writing on the menu and NOT the English so all they have to do is read their own language and write it down on the notepad.

I often wonder if that when translating it into English they got it wrong on the menu so it doesn't match up with the Thai writing but I can't read Thai so I don't know.

Maybe what I think I am ordering is not what is actually written in Thai on the menu but until I learn it I'll never know.

However it still does not explain why when Thai people are ordering to a Thai staff member there are still problems.

[benalibina]

All is about empathy, professionalism, coaching and the mood of the staff at a restaurant. If 1 as a foreigner speaks thai to order a dish and drink, empathy is very important. I have to point out though that many thais cannot even communicate properly with each other. This especially if they come from different parts of the country. Pod houa fang, maj jaag kit etc.

[Paangjang]

All is about empathy, professionalism, coaching and the mood of the staff at a restaurant. If 1 as a foreigner speaks thai to order a dish and drink, empathy is very important. I have to point out though that many thais cannot even communicate properly with each other. This especially if they come from different parts of the country. Pod houa fang, maj jaag kit etc.

So in answer to the OP, yes they do have difficulty communicating. Some would say most waiting staff in Thailand are pretty dumb compared to the rest of the world. Some would disagree.....

[JLCrab]

My one word solution: BUFFET

[wayned]

I can beat that,

I often snatch the order pad and write down my order in Thai, it still comes back wrong.

I'm thinking often none of the wait/kitchen/bar staff can read or write Thai (Hilltribe or Burmese).

Or too much 'Yaa-Baa' or 'Yaa-Ice' while on the job.

I tried that once. A few minutes later I saw a waiter running around the restaurant chasing a rat with a broom. I asked the waitress what was going on and she said "he's trying to catch your dinner". I guess that My Thai isn't as good as I thought it was!

As far as Thai's communicating with one another, nobody can commmunicate with my wife, she never stops talking long enough for anyone to get a word in edgewise!

[rene123]

It never ceases to amaze me that foreigners complain about poorly paid staff in low end accommodation or eateries not understanding them. How many of these complainers can speak 4 or 5 languages? I've listened to Londoners, Welsh and Scots that I could only recognize every 3rd or 4th word. And, they "supposedly" are speaking English. Instead of staying in $5 a night accommodation and eating in cheap Charlie Thai cafes or hooker bars go stay in 5 star hotels and tell me they can't supply your needs.

[TheSpade]

It never ceases to amaze me that foreigners complain about poorly paid staff in low end accommodation or eateries not understanding them. How many of these complainers can speak 4 or 5 languages? I've listened to Londoners, Welsh and Scots that I could only recognize every 3rd or 4th word. And, they "supposedly" are speaking English. Instead of staying in $5 a night accommodation and eating in cheap Charlie Thai cafes or hooker bars go stay in 5 star hotels and tell me they can't supply your needs.

To clarify I wasn't complaining I was asking a question and if you read my OP you'll see that's not even what the topic is about.

I don't expect the waiting staff to understand my dreadful English and even more dreadful Thai. I always thought that was why the wrong food and drinks so often were delivered and accepted it as being my own fault.

But now I'm seeing that even when a Thai tries to order from another Thai they have great difficulty.

It's not just the wrong order being brought but you can see there's great confusion between them both when trying to relay what is wanted and things have to be repeated several time.

I just want to know how Johnny Walker Red Label which gets repeated 3 times by me, twice by the waitress and 2 or 3 times by the Thai person I'm with can possibly be misunderstood. There has to be something going on I'm not understanding.

And no I won't go stay in 5 star hotels and eat in fancy restaurants.

Edited July 7, 2013 by TheSpade

[rene123]

Fair enough, but as someone else pointed out, these poorly paid staff are often from some hill tribe that don't speak common Thai. They either learn quickly or the are fired.

[JimShortz]

I rcan only think it must depend on the restaurants that you eat at and their rate of staff turnover. When I eat out with my wife we very rarely get the wrong things...

I do, however, question why anybody would oder that filth called Johnny Red. Black is lovely, but Red shouldn't even carry the name Johnny Walker imho. There are many cheap Thai whiskies that taste better...

Maybe she made you repeat the whisky order many times because she couldn't believe anyone would deliberately order that filth! You were lucky to get a waitress with some knowledge of whiskies. :-)

[martynsnowmans]

I always go out with my wife and or Thai family, so the ordering is always done in Thai, and I can honestly say I wad never had the occasion of not getting what I ordered.

i guess even for thai,s its hard to get it wrong , when you only order 1 plate of french fries and 6 forks .....

[chrisinth]

You, as a foreigner ordering and getting the wrong order I can understand; you have already stated that your English & Thai are not the best.

As for the Thais getting the wrong order, in my experience that would only happen once from the waiter/waitress otherwise you would be dealing with a different one next time you arrived.

Thais may have difficulty communicating with the staff, but there will be no difficulty complaining to the management.

Nice general title to the OP BTW, for a non-Thai bashing thread........................

[geronimo]

I always look at the very young "security" guys in their ill fitting uniforms and realize that, like most positions in the service industry,. just being there qualifies you!

[Kilgore Trout]

The reason for this is simple. In our countries, you can only screw up so many times before you face serious consequences, such as losing your job.

Here, there is no accountability. No matter how much someone screws up they will not lose their job or be held accountable for mistakes, especially when there is a foreigner involved, the waitstaff's mistakes are blamed on the customer.

It is just that simple.

I guarantee that if Thais were held accountable for their mistakes, mistakes just would not happen as much.