English In Thailand

[mbkudu]

I have noticed that a lot of foreigners in Thailand get really teed off when dealing with Thais and the Thais can't communicate in English. It is Thailand and I'm wondering who is responsible for learning whose language. Personally I think we should learn their languge, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'. If I were staying in a 5 nstar hotel then I would expect the staff to speak good English or if I was traveling on group tour likewise. However if I'm in a taxi, shop, bank, post office, ect.. I try my best to speak Thai. I saw a women just flip out at a post office once because she was misunderstood. I will admit that my Thai is just decent even after being in Thailand 'awhile,' but it is good enough to smooth things over for me and the Thai people that I come in contact with.

[shopgurl]

I agree with you about having to understand the situation with Thais and the usage of English or maybe the lack of usage that is. But sometimes foreigners (heck even the locals don't understand each other sometimes!) should not get too overly annoyed or frustrated because when u do it doesn't help much since they simply wouldn't understand either way. I'm saying this because often times I had to remind my foreign friends to calm down since when they aren't able to communicate with Thai vendors or such, in the end it's not their fault really. Therefore much patience can be practiced, I always think sign language is a universal form of communication that everybody can grasp, try that and you'll find it both helpful while adding a bit of levity in the communication.

[sbk]

Let's be fair, many people are here for 2 weeks to a month, just on holiday. Is it reasonable to expect them to learn a difficult language (most people have difficulty with the tones) in such a short time for such a short duration of stay? Dealing with a bank or post office is not 'basic thai' and very few people are such accomplished linguists they can 'pick up' enough Thai within a short period of time.

Also, Thailand promotes itself as a major tourist destination. Shouldn't it then require it's schools to teach a reasonable level of English (that can be spoken I might add) to it's pupils? Scandanavian countries certainly do not seem to have the same problems with English that Asian countries do.

A fact of life, whether some people like it or not, is that English is the international language and if you want to get ahead (as an individual or a nation) then you had better have a reasonable degree of fluency. And, as Thaksin has made clear, Thailand definitely wants to get ahead.

[shopgurl]

SBK - I understand what you're trying to say but even with the provided english curriculum in schools today, it's just not enough to even grasp the language since it's not the native language of Thais....although I do agree that english should be the inter'l language of the world but even in places where you would think they would speak english, they don't. Some places will rudely decline any services to you if you don't speak the language as I've experienced firsthand. In the end I think you have to be more open minded and patient, and there's no harm in pointing out what you want.

[Pink Mist]

Just a thought but it's something I have been pondering for a long while.

My wife learn't English at High school but she says that they were never able to practice it on native english speakers and didn't get to hear a great deal of english being spoken anyway.

I have had college kids in KhonKaen come up to me trying to engage in conversation many times and they give the same reason as my wife for wanting to talk to me.

English movies and documentaries etc shown on Thai TV are always dubbed with Thai language, why don't they leave the language the way it is and use Thai sub-titles instead?

It would be a boon for the kids coming through the education system now by positive reinforcement of their lessons.

[mbkudu]

Let's be fair, many people are here for 2 weeks to a month, just on holiday. Is it reasonable to expect them to learn a difficult language (most people have difficulty with the tones) in such a short time for such a short duration of stay? Dealing with a bank or post office is not 'basic thai' and very few people are such accomplished linguists they can 'pick up' enough Thai within a short period of time.

Also, Thailand promotes itself as a major tourist destination. Shouldn't it then require it's schools to teach a reasonable level of English (that can be spoken I might add) to it's pupils? Scandanavian countries certainly do not seem to have the same problems with English that Asian countries do.

A fact of life, whether some people like it or not, is that English is the international language and if you want to get ahead (as an individual or a nation) then you had better have a reasonable degree of fluency. And, as Thaksin has made clear, Thailand definitely wants to get ahead.

Totally agree on this point. Tourists here for a short period are an exception, but some of the bitching and moaning comes from expats who've been here for years; that I just don't understand.

[kwiz117]

Here we go again.. Thailand and English..

I am an Asian NNES ( non-native English speaker).

My English is not so perfect but I manage to somehow do my exams in English.

During last 4 years in Thailand, I have noticed that many Thai’s come out with excuses to explain the foreigners why they can not speak in English than learning to speak in English.

The main excuse (as one of the above replies has suggested) is the fact that they are not getting enough exposure to speak in English with Native Speakers. In my opinion this is absolutely not necessary though it may be helpful in learning proper pronunciation. (Well, I am not an English teacher to suggest this..)

I think Thai people are getting exposure to speak in English with NS's much more than the other Asian Countries.

Another excuse is the fact of that they have not been under British or French Occupation. Yes, this could be a reason.

I noted two big mistakes they have done.

1. Not coming up with a formula where they can spread teaching effective English with an affordable Cost for an average Thai Person.

2. Not making English the 2nd official language in Thailand.

kwiz

[Axel]

Believe for tourists the language barrier is fun. Besides of the native English speakers (whom even I do not understand ) think of all the Germans, Austrians, Swiss, Scandinavians, French who spak approx. as well English as the Thais. So no need to complain.

For 'residents' I agree, a little Thai goes a long way!

And the Thais IMHO want to speak Engrish, give them a chance.

[Axel]

One more thing comes to my mind. Across Thailand you find direction signs, street signs etc. inThai and ENGLISH.

Ever found a Thai-sign in other continents?

So Thailand tries to accomodate.

[Pink Mist]

That's not really practical is it Axel, street signs in Thai in overseas countries bit like having an ash tray on motor cy. You do see signs in Chinese and Vietnamese certain suburbs in Aussie cities.

[Mig15]

I have lived here for sometime and speak Thai to some extent. Yet I find day to day dealings with Thai people very frustrating. You speak English they don’t understand, you speak Thai they think you are speaking English. They plain can’t be bothered to communicate with someone who does not speak perfect Thai. This is in Bangkok. I have a much more agreeable experience outside Bangkok when the people don’t speak any English!

Axel has a point – but not the one I think he/she is making. In the UK if we put all the languages that people speak on the signs you would not be able to see the road. The UK and the US etc. are international. We can understand people who speak English badly because we are more used to hearing it that way. Thais find it difficult to understand Thai spoken badly. By come on I am making an effort!

[chao choo]

The main excuse (as one of the above replies has suggested) is the fact that they are not getting enough exposure to speak in English with Native Speakers. In my opinion this is absolutely not necessary though it may be helpful in learning proper pronunciation.

I think kwiz is right. I am also South-Asian (non native English speaker) and have not much exposure to speak english with native speaker, but still I think I can manage to speak English with good accent (who knows). The basic education in childhood in English is a must to speak it well. For adult person, yes exposure is required.

[kwiz117]

In Safari World bird show.. one parrot sang a verse of an English Song ..

[mbkudu]

In Safari World bird show.. one parrot sang a verse of an English Song ..

Kwiz 117, I agree on your points that Thais should make more effort to speak English. I think there is a shyness factor and the old 'I'm afraid to make a mistake and lose face,' nonsense. However, my point is that few foreigners make much of an effort to speak Thai and I think it puts them at a great disadvantage living in Thailand.

[kwiz117]

Flashy 1000 though..!!! Keep it up..

[Pink Mist]

Flashy 1000 though..!!! Keep it up..

is temporary kwiz, gotta bring the girls back soon

[NedKelly]

Hey Bronco......thats a shocker avatar mate.....makes me getsore eyes ....bring back the VB girls soon ok.

By the way, have u been to the gold coast......I think they have street signs in Japanese !!

[Pink Mist]

not lately but wouldnt surprise me, in the valley in Brissy the signs are in chinese and Oz

[Phil Conners]

This ever returning "do they put up Thai signs in UK" is just not valid. English is the lingua franca these days (used to be French, hence the term) and anyone who wants to travel the world better learn it.

For the Thais, if they want to profit from tourists and expats, they should do an effort of learning English.

Similarly German and other tourists should not expect to come over here and speak their own language.

I'm not a native English speaker and had to spend a considerable amount of time learning English, German, French, Italian as well as bits of quite a few other languages such as Portuguese and Thai on top of my mother tongue - I think I've done my part. We can't all spend all of our lives learning all the languages of the world.

I don't really care which language is decided upon, but if everybody in the world could agree to learn just one common language communication worldwide would be so much easier. But it's going that way. Even today many more worldwide are able to speak English today than, say, 10 or 20 years ago.

[Axel]

Well, signs in Thai came to my mind. In the past I was driving home in Tokyo.

No English signs or at lest not relevant ones. The only idea I had, big road, left hand Coca Cola sign, right hand Japan Airlines. Uh, what a trouble. right commercials, wrong street.

In Taipei (some 20 years ago) only Chinese street signs. I could read the hosue numbers, but never was sure if I was in the right street.

In Helsinki, signs in Finish, which really nobody can understand. Bless them, at least also marked in Swedish which somehow is more understandable.

Bronco, last time in Melbourne I travelled with my Vietnamese partners, around Lunar New Year. The had at least flags in Chinese and wonder oh wonder two blocks down the same road happy new year in Vietnamese. Imagine, a Vietnamese who cannot get his soup for breakfast.

[Pink Mist]

Is relevant to the situation Axel lots of vietnamese in the area they lobby for signage and guess what? The previous Mayor we had here in Adelaide was Chinese born so it gives you an idea of the lobbying and voting power of ethnic communities. The point is there arn't huge populations of Thais overseas to warrant the signage, you know this already.

English is the international language and as someone said b4 if you put up signs in every language you wouldn't have room for the road, let alone the signs.

My point was and is English is taught in schools in thailand and is a waste of time, because there is no follow up.

French, german, indonesian is taught in high schools here and is also a waste of time because they just dont get a chance to hone their skills.

[sbk]

mbkudu, absolutely, if a person is resident here then they should make every effort to speak the language. When I first came here I spoke no Thai, fortunately for me my husband was fluent in English and helped me to get around alot. However, if a person wants any sort of independence and self-respect then they need to learn Thai.

My Thai is certainly not fluent and can always use work. However, when I do have difficulty making myself understood to someone who doesn't speak English I just try again. Sometimes my tone is incorrect, sometimes it is just the person's shock at hearing a farang speaking Thai. Usually, if I say it twice the person gets it the second time around. I have encountered the old "this farang can't possilby be speaking Thai so I will just refuse to understand" attitude but, for me, it has been rare.

That said, English is the international language and most Thai teachers are appalling. A friend of mine told me his son came home from school one day and asked him why he had taught him how to say the word 'school' incorrectly in English (dad was German but spoke both German and English with his son). Dad didn't understand and the kid told him his teacher had corrected his english, "It is not pronounced school but su' chool" .

[Boon Mee]

if a person is resident here then they should make every effort to speak the language. . However, if a person wants any sort of independence and self-respect then they need to learn Thai.

Not only to speak it but to be able to do a little deciphering as well. To be able to read Thai requires diligence and it will take considerable study to be able to read, say, the newspaper because of all the slang.

These arrogant pinheads who think everyone should speak English and now have signs in Thailand in English should stay home.

[Pink Mist]

if a person is resident here then they should make every effort to speak the language. . However, if a person wants any sort of independence and self-respect then they need to learn Thai.

Not only to speak it but to be able to do a little deciphering as well. To be able to read Thai requires diligence and it will take considerable study to be able to read, say, the newspaper because of all the slang.

These arrogant pinheads who think everyone should speak English and now have signs in Thailand in English should stay home.

and every tourist to LOS should spend 10 years preparing themselves for their visit, bloody pin heads who do they think they are.

[Guest IT Manager]

In response to the original question: should they? A definite No.

How else can we talk about them, when we are sitting in the same circle as they are, discussing which one to piloow, which one to marry, and which to think about doing business with.

[Axel]

In response to the original question: should they? A definite No.

How else can we talk about them, when we are sitting in the same circle as they are, discussing which one to piloow, which one to marry, and which to think about doing business with.

Fair is fair, I say.

They also speak Lao to avoid Thai-speaking farang understand.

[mrmnp]

Seriously, as posted previously, English is now the recognized international language and all Thais who hope to advance themselves in any profession should learn it. Medical doctors in Thailand all speak English fairly well, as it is essential to their learning their craft, as it was German for medical doctors fifty years ago.

Thais who are not career driven, will learn English to a degree, so they can deal with tourists for a livlihood. But for the Thai who encounters a farang maybe once or twice a year and who lives without contact with English but rarely, why bother.

Try to get a Frenchman who speaks English to admit it. Try to get a Frenchman to attempt to understand your French, forget it. Try to get a train ticket seller at De Gaulle airport to understand your finger pointed at a specific train station on a detailed map of Paris. When the line builds up long enough behind you, as you continue to indicate on the map which station you want the ticket to, a French person in line will eventually tire of waiting and will come to the window, decern what you want with a glance and order the ticket for you from the recalcitrant ticket seller.

Sitting in a taxi-cab in Hong Kong years ago, I asked, in this Englich colonized enclave, the taxi driver to take me to Jimmy's, a famous eatery at the time.

Reading incomprehension on his face, I used every tone I could muster up in the pronunciation of Jimmy in an attempt to reach an understanding. To no avail.

Finally, in utter dispair, I put my head down on the front seat, reminding myself in a mantra like state, that I didn't speak Chinese so how could I expect the Chinese cab driver to speak English. In putting my head down, my head turned just enough to see out of the corner of my eye, Jimmy's not a hundred feet away!

So often, it isn't a language problem, but a human problem. Speaking no Thai for the past two years, I have managed to get by here without too much difficulty, always reminding myself, who has the obligation to speak the understood language. Thus when the hardware store mom and pop try their few English words out on me, I am delighted, take special care to speak English slowly, and use only essential words. When I fetch items myself from the the isles heaped with hardware items, I take special care to use their English words to the delighted shop owner, who carefully repeats the word in English over and over again with a huge smile. What a pleasure it is to visit that hardware store. P.S. no farang price, either.

For other Thais, and there are a few, who by their very countenance, demeanor and facial expression want nothing to do with farang, I opt to pass. Go to another check out, leave the item unpurchased, drive away from the unattended gas pump and go to anothe station, anything to show that I have options as well and will elect to use them.

Today, my Thai friend, with me not in attendance, walked out of a condominium office due to the actons of a Thai staff memberl. Likewise, it was he who drove off when the gas station attendant wasn't providing service. Believe it or not, Thai people suffer many of the problems farang do when dealing with Thai people and "they speak the language"!

[Axel]

mrmnp, fully agree on above. BTW, my own mother does not speak English, so, when talking to my wife she speaks louder inher own dialect

As for the Thais, every night when I leave the office our night guard gives me some lessons, he points at his fish and repeats the Thai word, until I get it.

The he points at his rice cooker and we finally settle down for "li-cookem".

[Bluecat]

I'm not a native English speaker and had to spend a considerable amount of time learning English, German, French, Italian as well as bits of quite a few other languages such as Portuguese and Thai on top of my mother tongue - I think I've done my part. We can't all spend all of our lives learning all the languages of the world.

Why didn't you want to tell Dr.PP you were Spanish, Madsere?

Something wrong about that?

[penzman]

mai kao jai...