billd766 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I also think any officer who deals with the same forms day in and day out would know what was going on without a translation. They all seem to speak English...as they should! A little naive on your part I think....guess they should all speak Russian and Chinese TOO! Also not sure what office you go to where they all speak English....the only English I know that all Thai's speak is "Hello" Most of the Thais in the Immigration office at Nakhon Sawan speak, read and write English. Some more than others. Also all the staff in the front office are Thai ladies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wowfactor10 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Yes you right.... When i was here at the land office there was only one sign in english and it said : pay here ! all the other signs were in thai signs only...So only the pay here sign was in englsih somewhat makes me wonder why that sign in english When i was at the locale amphur here all signs only in thai...They do it on purpose so they can screw you better and make you feel lost in the process without any decent information.. This allows them to make sure thaise will always get benefited over you the farang.. Giving you any information is not what they want.. Why wouldn't the signs in the local amphur be in Thai. It is there for the Thai people and if farangs need to go there then take your wife, girlfriend or a friend to help you out. It is the same in most countries in the world. If another language is used as well then the cost for that has to be paid for somewhere by the taxpayers. I have no problem in my local amphur, the local hospital, bank etc as even though my spoken Thai is poor due to deafness, I can always find someone to help me or perhaps I would call my wife. Up to you what u believe..As i repeat one of the the reason is that they do not like to inform farangs with any information ..Information u need to obtain from your honest thai friends/wife. Why in land offices where lot of buyers are farangs u will not even find one sign except the pay her sign in ENGLISH ?.Ampurs / landoffices /immegration are indeed set up farang unfriendly..With the simple purpose to leave farangs insecure and independant in any official process.. The misinforming starts from top down so it begin with Thai government then do not complain when local bar girl or Thai rental jet ski owner mislead you too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AYJAYDEE Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Yes you right.... When i was here at the land office there was only one sign in english and it said : pay here ! all the other signs were in thai signs only...So only the pay here sign was in englsih somewhat makes me wonder why that sign in english When i was at the locale amphur here all signs only in thai...They do it on purpose so they can screw you better and make you feel lost in the process without any decent information.. This allows them to make sure thaise will always get benefited over you the farang.. Giving you any information is not what they want.. of course theyre in thai! Its Thailand for god's sake! you dont own land so what were you paying for? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post robblok Posted January 17, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 17, 2015 Back in my home country everyone is always ranting that people should learn the language and the goverment should only use the national language in their forms. I guess those people who complain back home about immigrants being to lazy to travel don't travel to other countries. Seems that everyone here would never say a bad thing about immigrants not learning the language and the government supporting them. OR DO OPINIONS CHANGE WHEN THEY ARE THE ONE IN NEED OF A TRANSLATED VERSION. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAMHERE Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 How difficult could it be for the Immigration office to provide information in the languages used by most people applying for visas? Nearly impossible, besides what would be the motivation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 It's the immigration office. Immigrants are supposed to be learning the language to assimilate into society. And Thai really isn't that hard to get the basics. Except most of us are non-immigrants. Yup, we're visitors and always will be. Some just visit longer than others. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaiready Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Willyumiii said ..."In California, where I come from government information, including ballots are available in something like 14 different languages." And did it ever occur to you how much it costs Calif. to translate and print all those forms .....millions! and you wonder why its so expenses to live in the West.....Taxes to pay for such It is worth every penny to assure that everybody understands the government and the rules and regulations they need to know about.The non English speaking people pay taxes too! Good government is not free. Democracy is worth more than money... Unless you are a Republican. Yep.....money is worth nothing to a Liberal unless it's their money...because they freely give away "Other" people's money. You being a Liberal I assume, don't really believe in Democracy it's Socialism you truely seek to impose on the True followers of a Democracy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wowfactor10 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Yes you right.... When i was here at the land office there was only one sign in english and it said : pay here ! all the other signs were in thai signs only...So only the pay here sign was in englsih somewhat makes me wonder why that sign in english When i was at the locale amphur here all signs only in thai...They do it on purpose so they can screw you better and make you feel lost in the process without any decent information.. This allows them to make sure thaise will always get benefited over you the farang.. Giving you any information is not what they want.. of course theyre in thai! Its Thailand for god's sake! you dont own land so what were you paying for? Yes in thailand and so what? och you think at the land office you can only do land transfers? well in that case we can stop talking...besides that u can surely pay for land but just cant own it..I fear many farangs here paid for land and paid the taxes at the land office but never own any plot.:)So landoffices got lots of farangs yet not a single english sign except the pay here sign!! If they can make the signs bi langual at their airports then why not at their amphurs.,land offices and immegration buildings properly? because airports its ok for farang to find his way but in these other institutions they do not like farang to find his way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AYJAYDEE Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Yes you right.... When i was here at the land office there was only one sign in english and it said : pay here ! all the other signs were in thai signs only...So only the pay here sign was in englsih somewhat makes me wonder why that sign in english When i was at the locale amphur here all signs only in thai...They do it on purpose so they can screw you better and make you feel lost in the process without any decent information.. This allows them to make sure thaise will always get benefited over you the farang.. Giving you any information is not what they want.. of course theyre in thai! Its Thailand for god's sake! you dont own land so what were you paying for? Yes in thailand and so what? och you think at the land office you can only do land transfers? well in that case we can stop talking...besides that u can surely pay for land but just cant own it..I fear many farangs here paid for land and paid the taxes at the land office but never own any plot.:)So landoffices got lots of farangs yet not a single english sign except the pay here sign!! If they can make the signs bi langual at their airports then why not at their amphurs.,land offices and immegration buildings properly? because airports its ok for farang to find his way but in these other institutions they do not like farang to find his way... why the hell should they? tell the owner of the land to pay their taxes from wherever they get the money! the farang has no business there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikiea Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Willyumiii said ..."In California, where I come from government information, including ballots are available in something like 14 different languages." And did it ever occur to you how much it costs Calif. to translate and print all those forms .....millions! and you wonder why its so expenses to live in the West.....Taxes to pay for such It is worth every penny to assure that everybody understands the government and the rules and regulations they need to know about.The non English speaking people pay taxes too! Good government is not free. Democracy is worth more than money... Unless you are a Republican. said the over da hill hippy. dude get a life, i know you and you pay zero taxes, close pie hole and go back to sleep. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis7 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Welcome to Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wowfactor10 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Yes you right.... When i was here at the land office there was only one sign in english and it said : pay here ! all the other signs were in thai signs only...So only the pay here sign was in englsih somewhat makes me wonder why that sign in english When i was at the locale amphur here all signs only in thai...They do it on purpose so they can screw you better and make you feel lost in the process without any decent information.. This allows them to make sure thaise will always get benefited over you the farang.. Giving you any information is not what they want.. of course theyre in thai! Its Thailand for god's sake! you dont own land so what were you paying for? Yes in thailand and so what? och you think at the land office you can only do land transfers? well in that case we can stop talking...besides that u can surely pay for land but just cant own it..I fear many farangs here paid for land and paid the taxes at the land office but never own any plot.:)So landoffices got lots of farangs yet not a single english sign except the pay here sign!! If they can make the signs bi langual at their airports then why not at their amphurs.,land offices and immegration buildings properly? because airports its ok for farang to find his way but in these other institutions they do not like farang to find his way... why the hell should they? tell the owner of the land to pay their taxes from wherever they get the money! the farang has no business there. The farang has no business at the land office och is it ? why not then ? Besides land u need to go to the land office for any real estate transaction.U not aware it i assume ? land offices used to be full with farangs. They do not make their signs bi-langual just so that their procedures will not get to transparant for us...the only sign they willing to translate is the PAY HERE SIGN !.So now u are depending totally on thai people in the land offices and that is how they like it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadychris Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) Edited January 17, 2015 by Shadychris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecat Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Considering anyone wanting a visa or extension etc. would be a foreigner you would think it would be a no brainer. However, documents I have used are generally in English and Thai. Maybe its the difficulty of acurate translation that deters them from translating everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman20 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> The forms I use are alway in English and Thai. AGREED WITH YOU MATE 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadychris Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 why the hell should they? tell the owner of the land to pay their taxes from wherever they get the money! the farang has no business there. of course theyre in thai! Its Thailand for god's sake! you dont own land so what were you paying for? Yes in thailand and so what? och you think at the land office you can only do land transfers? well in that case we can stop talking...besides that u can surely pay for land but just cant own it..I fear many farangs here paid for land and paid the taxes at the land office but never own any plot.:)So landoffices got lots of farangs yet not a single english sign except the pay here sign!! If they can make the signs bi langual at their airports then why not at their amphurs.,land offices and immegration buildings properly? because airports its ok for farang to find his way but in these other institutions they do not like farang to find his way... Besides land u need to go to the land office for any real estate transaction.U not aware it i assume ? land offices used to be full with farangs. They do not make their signs bi-langual just so that their procedures will not get to transparant for us...the only sign they willing to translate is the PAY HERE SIGN !.So now u are depending totally on thai people in the land offices and that is how they like it... Umm unless something has radically changed my understanding is that ONLY Thai citizens can purchase\own land in Thailand.... "U not aware it too I assume?" Given that very few expats go as far as obtaining Thai citizenship, and even if they do then a requirement is that they can speak and understand Thai, there is therefore no need for Land Offices to display or provide English language services. It may be the case that that a foreigner with a Thai partner wishes to provide funds to buy land in his Thai partners name - but even then the Thai partner is the one who would need to do the paperwork at the Land Office - so once again no need for English language.. Given the English language skills displayed in your posts, I'm not even convinced that English signs would be of any benefit to you anyway... I rather suspect you are just trolling... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetlejuice Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Considering that these days we have the information highway at our finger tips, anyone with a bit of savvy should do their online research first rather than going into any situation unarmed with prior details. This pertains to making purchases and the buying of certain items and obtaining what is required if using services, Immigration included. The method being; find out the facts beforehand, be prepared and save yourselves a lot of time, stress and effort later on. No excuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nithisa78 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 why don't you do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wowfactor10 Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 why the hell should they? tell the owner of the land to pay their taxes from wherever they get the money! the farang has no business there. of course theyre in thai! Its Thailand for god's sake! you dont own land so what were you paying for? Yes in thailand and so what? och you think at the land office you can only do land transfers? well in that case we can stop talking...besides that u can surely pay for land but just cant own it..I fear many farangs here paid for land and paid the taxes at the land office but never own any plot.:)So landoffices got lots of farangs yet not a single english sign except the pay here sign!! If they can make the signs bi langual at their airports then why not at their amphurs.,land offices and immegration buildings properly? because airports its ok for farang to find his way but in these other institutions they do not like farang to find his way... Besides land u need to go to the land office for any real estate transaction.U not aware it i assume ? land offices used to be full with farangs. They do not make their signs bi-langual just so that their procedures will not get to transparant for us...the only sign they willing to translate is the PAY HERE SIGN !.So now u are depending totally on thai people in the land offices and that is how they like it... Umm unless something has radically changed my understanding is that ONLY Thai citizens can purchase\own land in Thailand.... "U not aware it too I assume?" Given that very few expats go as far as obtaining Thai citizenship, and even if they do then a requirement is that they can speak and understand Thai, there is therefore no need for Land Offices to display or provide English language services. It may be the case that that a foreigner with a Thai partner wishes to provide funds to buy land in his Thai partners name - but even then the Thai partner is the one who would need to do the paperwork at the Land Office - so once again no need for English language.. Given the English language skills displayed in your posts, I'm not even convinced that English signs would be of any benefit to you anyway... I rather suspect you are just trolling... Yes my spelling is not 100% in this language. But why do you fail to read comprehensive ? Land offices are for any real estate transaction including FREEHOLD CONDOS ! According to u foreigners need only to pay bills at the land offices and follow instructions of your thai wife.?? Thats all ?So no need English? Not for me mate... These thai institutions have zero interest to make the business any more transparant for us foreigners that is just how they prefer it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time Traveller Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 I sympathize with the OP on this issue. And he might be shocked to learn that when there is an English translation on immigration documents the meaning is often markedly different to the Thai version. I can only conclude that their goal is to totally confuse the foreigner. Frequently, the immigration officer only ever wants to speak with other Thai people, not the actual applicant. Again further making the process less transparent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny S Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 It's the immigration office. Immigrants are supposed to be learning the language to assimilate into society. And Thai really isn't that hard to get the basics. What a joke I really hope the Immigration in my homecountry give thais a velly velly hard time .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phuketjock Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Maybe the problem is office specific, or even officer specific. When I first applied for my non immigrant Type O visa, I was provided instructions and a list of required documents written in Thai. I asked if I could please have the same written in English and explained that I can not read the Thai language. I was told, " You have Thai wife, she can read for you. From this thread, it sounds like others at other offices have been provided an English translation. I think we are all aware that not all immigration offices or officers are the same. Not a problem for me now. I just keep copying and turning in the same updated forms and documents every year. It works! I am not requesting help. I am just pointing out that it seems like a strange way to do business when dealing mostly with people who do not read the Thai language. Thanks for the input. This may be helpful for you all forms in Thai and English. http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=download Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyumiii Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 It's the immigration office. Immigrants are supposed to be learning the language to assimilate into society. And Thai really isn't that hard to get the basics. What ever gave you the idea that we are immigrants or want to assimilate into Thai society? There is no reason to spend time learning a third world language only used in one small country. Where is it written that anyone "is supposed to be learning Thai" except those who want to apply for citizenship? A great many of us are here for a while, be it a short time or a long while but have no desire to be Thai, citizens or otherwise. Many of us are required to extend our visas yearly and check in every 90 days, like going to a probation office. I don't want to be Thai and i don't want to learn how to read or write the language. ( BTW, bless the guy who came up with the Thai script! Pretty and fancy, but ridiculous when they could have easily adopted the Arabic script already in use by most of the world at the time, and how about the no spaces between words thing...very practical! is this what they call Thainess? ) Maybe you should check out the current thread on TV called "The perfect reason for not learning Thai" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveAustin Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 They'e in Thai and English, innit? Bearing in mind a lot of the Imm offices probably don't read English that well so the Thai language would be for them. Anyway, I'm more concerned with the economy, politics, the state of the police force and crazy people on the streets than any inconvenience Thai language on Thai immigration forms might present. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vacuum Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 mesquite, on 17 Jan 2015 - 06:55, said:OP, if that's you're only problem with Immigration, you're in great shape. Come on over to Chiang Mai to find out what real Immigration Dept. problems are. Nothing wrong with "outdoor life". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 And did it ever occur to you how much it costs Calif. to translate and print all those forms .....millions! and you wonder why its so expenses to live in the West.....Taxes to pay for such yes, but you get what you pay for. 20 million illegal immigrants? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadychris Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Yes my spelling is not 100% in this language. But why do you fail to read comprehensive ? Land offices are for any real estate transaction including FREEHOLD CONDOS ! According to u foreigners need only to pay bills at the land offices and follow instructions of your thai wife.?? Thats all ?So no need English? Not for me mate... These thai institutions have zero interest to make the business any more transparant for us foreigners that is just how they prefer it... Hmmn.... given your attitude one has to wonder then, why on earth have you chosen to settle in Thailand? It's no big secret that the use of English language or signage is not common or widespread in Thailand. There is a proverb "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" So if you wish to live in Thailand on a full time basis and integrate with Thai society perhaps you should make a little effort to learn to speak and understand the national language.. If you are too damn lazy to do that, then it would seem that you are more a part of the problem than the solution! You may be happier relocating to the UK where you will find many forms and signs available in many languages - possibly even in your own native tongue. Of course you will also find a country that is rapidly relinquishing its national identity and customs. A country that allows foreigners the freedom to come and settle here extremely easily and effectively create there own 'no go' ghetto areas, a country whose own historical traditions and customs are now often censured for fear of offending immigrants faiths. Personally that is one of the reasons that Thailand holds an attraction for me. With the exception of tourist areas Thailand very much maintains it's identity and customs, and is not becoming a melting pot of nationalities as is the case in other countries. If you wish to be happy in Thailand then you should probably put some effort in yourself, instead of expecting Thailand to bend to meet your needs and expectations. Edited January 18, 2015 by Shadychris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AYJAYDEE Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 It's the immigration office. Immigrants are supposed to be learning the language to assimilate into society. And Thai really isn't that hard to get the basics. What ever gave you the idea that we are immigrants or want to assimilate into Thai society? There is no reason to spend time learning a third world language only used in one small country. Where is it written that anyone "is supposed to be learning Thai" except those who want to apply for citizenship? A great many of us are here for a while, be it a short time or a long while but have no desire to be Thai, citizens or otherwise. Many of us are required to extend our visas yearly and check in every 90 days, like going to a probation office. I don't want to be Thai and i don't want to learn how to read or write the language. ( BTW, bless the guy who came up with the Thai script! Pretty and fancy, but ridiculous when they could have easily adopted the Arabic script already in use by most of the world at the time, and how about the no spaces between words thing...very practical! is this what they call Thainess? ) Maybe you should check out the current thread on TV called "The perfect reason for not learning Thai" if you dont want to learn thai or integrate in any way, I dont see where thailand would be interested in what you have to say or what might bother you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadychris Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 It's the immigration office. Immigrants are supposed to be learning the language to assimilate into society. And Thai really isn't that hard to get the basics.What ever gave you the idea that we are immigrants or want to assimilate into Thai society?There is no reason to spend time learning a third world language only used in one small country. Where is it written that anyone "is supposed to be learning Thai" except those who want to apply for citizenship? A great many of us are here for a while, be it a short time or a long while but have no desire to be Thai, citizens or otherwise. Many of us are required to extend our visas yearly and check in every 90 days, like going to a probation office. I don't want to be Thai and i don't want to learn how to read or write the language. ( BTW, bless the guy who came up with the Thai script! Pretty and fancy, but ridiculous when they could have easily adopted the Arabic script already in use by most of the world at the time, and how about the no spaces between words thing...very practical! is this what they call Thainess? ) Maybe you should check out the current thread on TV called "The perfect reason for not learning Thai" I must say I find your attitude rather odd... You vigorously deny that you are an immigrant yet you have a Thai wife, live in NE Thailand and are seemingly very familiar with milking the visa extension system to allow you to stay there on an unlimted basis.. Whilst it's well known that Americans are a rather lazy nation when it comes to learning foreign languages, much preffering the belief that everyone else should learn English to make their lives easier, I would have thought that the time you have invested in making some 1,500+ posts on TV might have been better spent learning the language of the country you have chosen to settle in.. I havent read the thread that you reference but there are no good reasons for not doing something that will improve your situation - just excuses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussieroaming Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 And your point is ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now