The perfect reason for NOT learning Thai.

[geronimo]

Oh no oh wise one I am sure you have lived here 40 years and are fluent in both speaking, reading and writing. You have convinced me, I am going to learn and just cannot wait to talk about som tam, lakorn and the lesbians in the house opposite. Off to watch Downton Abbey on now channel, thank god the Thai language they murder it in can be switched to English.

I am speak, read and write Thai fluently, and have studied Thai for close to 21 years. I have also studied French, Spanish and Japanese.

My very first study of the Thai language was actually in 1986 (28 years ago), prior to my first trip to Thailand. This consisted of 10 two hour lessons with a university student as well as listening to a scratchy Parlaphone Thai language LP borrowed from the local library.

I did not begin my intensive study of Thai until Nov, 1994. Between 1994 and 2003 (when I moved to Thailand), I studied with Thai foreign exchange students, Thai restaurant owners and at a Thai temple. During this period my primary hobby was studying Thai. Aside from weekend study with teachers, I regularly came into the office early or stayed late into the evening studying Thai. My study activity consisted of translating and composing correspondence, reading aloud, translating newspaper articles and light fiction books, watching Thai language movies and TV shows, and vocabulary building work. The pinacle of my achievement during this period was completing a very readable translation of Suwanii Sukanatha's novel "Tonight There Is No Moon. Rarely did I spend less than 20-25 per week studying Thai. I kept detailed logs of my study activity from 1996 to 2003 and would conservatively estimate that I spent at a minimum 13000 hours studying Thai prior to moving to Thailand.

In 1998 I visited Benjawan Poomsan Becker at her home and asked her to evaluate my progress in the Thai language. She told me at that time (17 years ago) that she knew "very few people who had reached my level of competency in Thai." In 2000 I decided that I would move to Thailand in 2004. Knowing that I would be moving to Thailand, I was very motivated to study the language, and from 2000 to July, 2003 (I moved here 6 months earlier than originally planned), if anything, my study of Thai was even more intensive than in prior years.

Since moving to Thailand in 2003, I have lived here full time continuously. I live in a small rural village where very little English is spoken, and my wife does not speak any English at all. My study of the language consists mainly of conversation, watching Thai language TV, but I also regularly translate newspaper articles and practice building and maintaining my vocabulary. Since moving here, I have had a house built, have testified in court, and teach, all of which involved my Thai language skills. I am sure there are many foreigners in Thailand who have a higher degree of proficiency in Thai than I do, but knowing that the investment I have made in learning the language is considerable and not commonplace, I am confident that my language skills are way above average.

I would say that being fluent in Thai has enhanced my life here enormously and anyone who counsels that learning the language isn't worth the time and effort are only trying to rationalize away their failure to make the investment.

Regarding your challenge that I translate, "Exit stage left, big mouth" in order to prove my language skills to you, well here goes.

"Exit stage left" as used here is an idiom for "get off the stage," and would not be translated word for word.

Thai language translation: ลงเวธีเดี๋ยวนี้ดีกว่า ไอ้ปากไม่มีหูรูด

Transliteration: long wethi diaw nii dii gwaa, ai paak mai mii huu ruud

Literal translation: Better come down off the stage, blabbermouth. (literally: person whose mouth doesn't have a sphincter muscle)

I commend you in what you have been able to achieve.

However it is a great pity that I cannot gauge your expertise, on a local restaurant test.

Throughout my years of living here, those that have claimed to speak Thai fluently, and have given me a hard time because I haven't, have only lasted as far as the restaurant test.

Their task was simple, to be able to order their meal from the waitress, and do know what without exception all failed.

That's right they weren't even able to order their food without a mistake being made.

So then of course the tables turned, and I asked them they had learnt Thai for what (not correct English I know, but for some reason Thais are always ending their English sentences with for what).

What a complete waste of time when one can't even order their meal in Thai.

seems like you met some charletans

[StreetCowboy]

Also, don't assume every Asian person in Thailand can speak Thai. I have had experiences where someone who I assumed was Thai couldn't understand me at all, only to find out later that they were Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese or Chinese.

Been coming here since the 80's and still can't tell the difference between a Thai, Burmese and Chinese? I find that surprising as all you have to do is use your eyes. You are right about some not being able to tell a word you said after others having no problem, but They are Thais and is another reason why learning is a waste of time. Two examples ordering a beer in a Pizza restaurant- waiter thought I had said coke, giving directions to taxi driver- soi 6, he tries turning into soi 2, then soi 4 after I tell him soi 6 twice more. We only got to soi 6 by a process of elimination! After 20 years of 'learning' with these kind of results it's really not worth the bother.

Some of us get better results. I speak minimal Thai, but my numbers are good up to the hundreds, left, right... Really, if you can't manage that yet, you should spend a night in nana poly learning

[Rangsitreppin]

nah the culture isnt this complex and you dont lose face asking a question thai people are generally friendly and a good laugh and speaking thai had got me a few good discounts and made me many friends in the country side of los.

[jacky54]

Yes they love the novelty falang who can come out with a few words of native.

[micmichd]

Sure,

it's the same in every country I know. If you know a few words you can demonstrate to the natives you're willing and able to learn their language, and they'll accept you for that and teach you some more. You might get a grin in the began if you don't know the tonal differences or say "kaa" instead of "krap", but you can take them as a smile and smile back, and eventually you become bilingual (or multilingual)

You will learn by doing, imitation and correcting your mistakes. If you travel around the country, you'll find out about the different dialects. In Germany, we've got quite a few Thais (and other foreigners) that speak better (High) German than the natives themselves, and it is always funny to find that foreigners teach Germans how to speak decent German

[jacky54]

Thais don't really want you to learn Thai, then you might know too much, never met one that wanted to teach me. My mrs is actually a teacher of Thai language for 18 years and she does not teach me either, there again I can't afford her fees, this is not a joke either. Sod the Thai language, if I can do without that's fine by me.