Is it really better to learn Thai rather than staying "clueless"?

[Crazy chef 1]

would love to learn thai but have memory retention problems so I can sit down and practice for hours on end then promptly forget it all, add to that the fact that I cant pick out the tonal difference and it becomes a real pain. Even when I use the few words I have been able to retain(or numbers) people look at me and have no idea what I am trying to say so I just talk very slow english. Being able to talk thai would be brilliant and as I said I would love to be able to learn it but as I cant I do the next best thing, smile a lot and go with the flow.

I know exactly what you mean...same same

[Naam]

So if, say, a Thai person spent ten years living in the UK, without bothering to learn a word of English - you'd be ok with that?

(And please, try not to make this about the technicalities of visas etc)

it wouldn't even bother me if 100 Thai persons having lived for 25 years in the UK without bothering to learn English

[Crazy chef 1]

So if, say, a Thai person spent ten years living in the UK, without bothering to learn a word of English - you'd be ok with that?

(And please, try not to make this about the technicalities of visas etc)

it wouldn't even bother me if 100 Thai persons having lived for 25 years in the UK without bothering to learn English

Or two generations of Turks living in Berlin and still haven't learned English...

[DLang]

Agree. I prefer Thai women who cannot speak English. These "normal" Thai women--who represent the majority by the way--are much less likely to be "in the business" and don't have "fleece the farang" as their number one goal in life. Yes, there are some English-speaking Thai women who are not on the take. But I'd rather take my chances with the non-English speaking ones. There's also many more attractive ones to choose from.

Sorry, but this is a loony argument....

Absolutely.

Shacking up with uneducated, unworldly, peasants, because if they are educated and worldly they might fleece him.... Says it all about the man, really.

What are you talking about? I'm saying that in Thailand, the "uneducated, unworldly, peasants" are often better English speakers than the educated ones. Do I need to write it down for you?

Complete nonsense.

unless your associates are uneducated bargirl prostitutes and those 'educated' in stick universities where they are 'educated' to the level of a Western junior highschooler.

Says quite a lot about you and your associates in Thailand.

[nithisa78]

For those who thinks it's best to remain ignorant of the local language - a question.

Would it be ok if a foreigner choosing to live in your home country made the same choice?

The haters cry about it, but it is legal and alright with me. I'll help them. No matter where I am in the world, I make my feeble attempt to speak the language and quickly a native speaker comes to my rescue and we all have a big laugh.

A tirck I learned in Mexico and I can survive in Spanish. I carry the English - Spanisg book. AS soon as they get a glimpse of it, senor please English, ah Por favor.

Though I had my ass untightened many years ago. In Nicaragua it is like a comedy act. Everybody laughs, nobody understood anything, just perdon moy bien.

Whatever that means.

“Arjuna said: What is the destination of the man of faith who does not persevere, who in the beginning takes to the process of self-realization but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and thus does not attain perfection in mysticism?” (Bhagavad-gita, 6.37)

Edited July 1, 2015 by nithisa78

[lostoday]

trust me they are as dumb as they look, you dont need to understand them. its a wonder how anything actually is constructed or works properly.

I walked in a brothel; a place I had been a few times before. They had a striking new lady sitting at the end of the bar with the rest of the ladies. I sat close to them and looked at them as they looked at me. The new employee assumed I didn't speak Thai and in deciding who would approach me asked the other ladies, "Farang eat *****?" The other women said yes and he also speaks Thai."

Maybe you don't want to know stuff like that. Thailand does produce 40 percent of the hard drives of the world and more autos than the UK if my data is correct.

[lostoday]

What are you talking about? I'm saying that in Thailand, the "uneducated, unworldly, peasants" are often better English speakers than the educated ones. Do I need to write it down for you?

Complete nonsense.

unless your associates are uneducated bargirl prostitutes and those 'educated' in stick universities where they are 'educated' to the level of a Western junior highschooler.

Says quite a lot about you and your associates in Thailand.

Hookers speak better English than most Thai English teachers. For the rest, some are nice people some are not. If you don't speak Thai you are going to get taken to the cleaners anyway so what's the difference?

[JLCrab]

From The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) with Henry Fonda. 'Juan' is a very young Anthony Quinn:

Jenny Grier: [when Juan finally speaks English after pretending he only knows Spanish] So, he speaks American!

Juan Martínez: And ten other languages, my dear - but I don't tell anything I don't want to in any of them.

[Berkshire]

Sorry, but this is a loony argument....

Absolutely.

Shacking up with uneducated, unworldly, peasants, because if they are educated and worldly they might fleece him.... Says it all about the man, really.

What are you talking about? I'm saying that in Thailand, the "uneducated, unworldly, peasants" are often better English speakers than the educated ones. Do I need to write it down for you?

Complete nonsense.

unless your associates are uneducated bargirl prostitutes and those 'educated' in stick universities where they are 'educated' to the level of a Western junior highschooler.

Says quite a lot about you and your associates in Thailand.

You have no idea what you're talking about. Do you know what language Thai universities teach in? It's Thai, almost exclusively, with the exception of international and English programs. Which means that most Thai university graduates are not going to be proficient in English. But it doesn't prevent them from pursuing their chosen profession. Your ignorance is rather profound.

[Naam]

So if, say, a Thai person spent ten years living in the UK, without bothering to learn a word of English - you'd be ok with that?

(And please, try not to make this about the technicalities of visas etc)

it wouldn't even bother me if 100 Thai persons having lived for 25 years in the UK without bothering to learn English

Or two generations of Turks living in Berlin and still haven't learned English...

[Guitar God]

Had I understood two words in Thai a couple weeks ago it would have saved me ฿10,000 and $20. I am actively studying Thai again.

[VIPinthailand]

if you learn Thai, immigration think you are in Thailand to work illegaly

this world is for clueless people, less you know more you got.

[Guitar God]

It is possible to know a language and not speak it when going through immigration.

One of my guidelines has two rules:

1- Never let people know how much you know.

2-

[fitnesspm]

u should kill yourself!

[Thakkar]

Slight pro: peace of mind from all the jabbering going on around you.

Big con:

Total cluelessness all day, every day about the many things going around you, involve you and are about you.

T

[mydee]

Within a few short years, we'll have an ap that will be able to do real-time voice translation. That should be good enough for 95% of us.

How horrible-sounds like a rubber doll

[JHolmesJr]

no need to learn thai…..just learn key words that you pepper your english with

[VIPinthailand]

if you speak thai they think your work illegaly.... less you know better it is... like during red khmer regime.

Edited September 13, 2015 by VIPinthailand

[HLover]

Learn Chinese.

[watcharacters]

Sometimes when you don't speak the language, and you hear two persons conversing in a language that you do not understand, you think 'So what are they saying about me?' when they really could care less about you and are saying:

What'd you have for dinner last night? Meatloaf. I hate meat loaf . Yeah -- me too.

Why would anyone be so paranoid in this beautiful country??.

[lostoday]

if you speak thai they think your work illegaly.... less you know better it is... like during red khmer regime.

So don't speak Thai at immigration. Not a big problem. Speak Thai at the Thai speaking doctor who is going to operate on you and don't speak Thai at immigration who want to operate on your bank account. This not one that is difficult to figure out.

Speaking Thai during the red Khmer regime was not a problem as Thailand took in many Khmer refugees it was a good idea to speak a little Khmer.

Edited September 14, 2015 by lostoday

[Naam]

no need to learn thai…..just learn key words that you pepper your english with

...and then boast on Thaivisa what kind of preferential treatment you get from the stall where you buy your daily noodle soup