News Forum - What are common miscommunications between Thais and foreigners?

[berrec]

While we are all only visitors here, no matter our status, Thailand and Thais need to move forward as a culture and a country that wants to engage in international business with foreigners and be recognized as a member of the international community, like everything in life they need to change also. 

If you can't see the forest for the trees, you will never move forward.

After working here on and off for some 30 years and now living here for 5 years, I love the place, but I just see too much dead wood in Thai society. 

 

[Soidog]

3 hours ago, jingjai said:

Often when I ask a Thai colleague a question that contains the word "or", they answer "yes" or "no"

For example, Are you going out for lunch or eating here?

Yes that’s my favourite. I’ve worked at a couple of Thai companies and found that to be a particular problem. Not just over lunch but on almost any subject. You are far better to propose something and get the response and then say “Or” and explain the alternative. On a similar note, if you ask two questions at the same time “what time shall we go to lunch and where should we eat?” The reply will either be 1pm, OR, the fried chicken place you like. It will never be together.
 

In business in Thailand subtle use of language when asking any question is key. “Why are you late” should be transferred to “What happened to make you late”. Equally “Why hasn’t this been done? Needs to translate to either “What happened to make this late?” Or even forget it’s late if not so important and restate a new deadline. It’s frustrating sometimes but in the end you are literally peeing in the wind trying to change things and far easier and more productive to go along with these things. 
 

By far the biggest issue is language. Any Thai who speaks English will be at the very least reluctant to say they don’t understand you. Most times nodding in agreement as you are speaking “machine gun English”. Then, when there is confusion, we tend to think it’s that they’ve got it wrong. Again in business, if I wanted something done I would often ask them to read back the task or confirm it to them on an email with a estimated date for completion.  It’s one reason we love the place. It live, free entertainment every day. Keep smiling ! 

[oldschooler]

58 minutes ago, berrec said:

While we are all only visitors here, no matter our status, Thailand and Thais need to move forward as a culture and a country that wants to engage in international business with foreigners and be recognized as a member of the international community, like everything in life they need to change also. 

If you can't see the forest for the trees, you will never move forward.

After working here on and off for some 30 years and now living here for 5 years, I love the place, but I just see too much dead wood in Thai society. 

Culture here is rotten corrupt ancient deferential unchanging, Thailand can therefore not further advance and will never be truly modern unfortunately. 

But that’s how they want it in their country and not why I’m here so ……

[JamesR]

3 hours ago, Thaidup said:

Pronouncing the word Suai, meaning beautiful, but get the tone wrong it means something else

You can't have been looking in the mirror then when you said "Suai" then. 

[JamesR]

3 hours ago, vlad said:

Great post's next time you are out in Bic C  ask the wife or g/f to pronounce Carnation as in creme lol.

Try the word "crisps".

It usually  comes out as "clips', "clissspss", "crip".

 

[Marble-eye]

Road is pronounced 'load' and lido is pronounced 'rido'.

[astro]

3 hours ago, Soidog said:

In business in Thailand subtle use of language when asking any question is key. “Why are you late” should be transferred to “What happened to make you late”. Equally “Why hasn’t this been done? Needs to translate to either “What happened to make this late?” Or even forget it’s late if not so important and restate a new deadline. It’s frustrating sometimes but in the end you are literally peeing in the wind trying to change things and far easier and more productive to go along with these things. 

Even in "the West" I find questions such as "Why are you late?" unnecessarily aggressive and confrontational. You're heading in the right direction in finding different ways to phrase it.

Sometimes it is not them, but us who need to change.

Edited June 11, 2022 by astro

[Guest1]

3 hours ago, berrec said:

Thailand and Thais need to move forward as a culture and a country that wants to engage in international business with foreigners

After 30 years, you still think they wanna engage in that? The motivation is not to engage, the only motivation to interact with non Thais or Asian at least, is still just the money, the money, the money. 

[Faraday]

Nooden, when talking about guay tiew.

Sounds rather lovely, though. 

[Soidog]

4 hours ago, astro said:

Even in "the West" I find questions such as "Why are you late?" unnecessarily aggressive and confrontational. You're heading in the right direction in finding different ways to phrase it.

Sometimes it is not them, but us who need to change.

Why are you late is unnecessarily aggressive . It’s a simple question aimed at finding out why someone was late. Really, what is the world coming to  

[astro]

5 hours ago, Soidog said:

’s a simple question aimed at finding out why someone was late.

Not really.

What does it matter why someone is late? Are you expressing that you are annoyed, maybe? It's certainly not a welcome greeting as in: Glad to see you!

[JamesR]

5 hours ago, Soidog said:

Why are you late is unnecessarily aggressive . It’s a simple question aimed at finding out why someone was late. Really, what is the world coming to  

The world is not coming to anything really, it moves on and exists as it always has, the moaners stuck in Thailand as they have no other choice will just go on moaning at anything they can get their hands on. 

[jerm138]

One thing I find difficult as a new Thai language learner is that most Thais I encounter will put ZERO effort into understanding what you're trying to say if you don't speak as well as a native.

Whenever I hear a Thai person struggling to speak what little broken English they know, I strain really hard to try to understand them, and very much appreciate their effort to speak my language. But when it's the other way around, if I don't speak absolute perfect Thai (the tone is slightly off, or the grammar was slightly backwards) then they just look at me blankly with no attempt to figure out what the silly Farang is trying to say. I can understand if I completely botch the tone, but I'm talking about things like saying "Nan" vs "Naan" (not drawing out the "aa" that extra 1/100th of a second.)

The best way to learn a language is to just try, try, try. But when you're just stonewalled every time you try, it's pretty difficult and demotivating.

[Soidog]

10 hours ago, astro said:

Not really.

What does it matter why someone is late? Are you expressing that you are annoyed, maybe? It's certainly not a welcome greeting as in: Glad to see you!

I never said I used it as a greeting. I would also not ask a question like that in front of others as the reason my be personal or embarrassing. Perhaps the individual has issues getting to work in time as a result of their children. Maybe a delay or change to working hours would be an option that may work for that person? Asking why are you late doesn’t have to mean a negative reason. It’s a perfectly valid English worded question. 

[Guest1]

Being late can happen.

But in times of smartphones, if someone is late, he calls.

In case he/she/it does not, WHY NOT is the second question, after : why are you late! ;-)

[Petey]

14 hours ago, Transam said:

There may be confusion over what beer should taste like.....

In Thailand beer tends to taste watered-down due to all the ice!

[oldschooler]

On 6/11/2022 at 6:25 PM, Marble-eye said:

Road is pronounced 'load' and lido is pronounced 'rido'.

and seven is sewen

[oldschooler]

13 hours ago, jerm138 said:

One thing I find difficult as a new Thai language learner is that most Thais I encounter will put ZERO effort into understanding what you're trying to say if you don't speak as well as a native.

Whenever I hear a Thai person struggling to speak what little broken English they know, I strain really hard to try to understand them, and very much appreciate their effort to speak my language. But when it's the other way around, if I don't speak absolute perfect Thai (the tone is slightly off, or the grammar was slightly backwards) then they just look at me blankly with no attempt to figure out what the silly Farang is trying to say. I can understand if I completely botch the tone, but I'm talking about things like saying "Nan" vs "Naan" (not drawing out the "aa" that extra 1/100th of a second.)

The best way to learn a language is to just try, try, try. But when you're just stonewalled every time you try, it's pretty difficult and demotivating.

With six tones giving six different words , for say “ Chang” , why would anyone try to guess what you mean ?

[Ivo_Shandor]

11 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

With six tones giving six different words , for say “ Chang” , why would anyone try to guess what you mean ?

Thai language has 5 tones, not 6 (Lao and Lanna have 6 tones, some diealctes of Isaan even 7), and not all define a word. For example:

ช้าง: chaaŋ (falling tone): elephant

ช่าง: chaaŋ (low tone): technician

ชาง, ช๋าง, ช๊าง: no meaning (mai tri and mai chattawa can't be used, being ช a low-class consonant)

It's not so difficult to understand from the context which of the two words is used, if the tone is not perfect.

[oldschooler]

On 6/11/2022 at 11:03 PM, Soidog said:

Why are you late is unnecessarily aggressive . It’s a simple question aimed at finding out why someone was late. Really, what is the world coming to  

I found the uniquely American question “why are you here?” Incredibly rude & aggressive but comical , stifled a smile and never responded

[JamesR]

8 hours ago, oldschooler said:

and seven is sewen

I have heard uneducated bar girls from isaan talk like that. The more educated ones do not. 
 

Do not base the whole of Thailand on your limited experience of the country. 

[JamesR]

On 6/12/2022 at 4:10 PM, oldschooler said:

With six tones giving six different words , for say “ Chang” , why would anyone try to guess what you mean ?

Context of course, if I say to a shop keeper, "Beer Chang song kooed clap", he might from the context infer I want to buy two bottles of Chang beer. 

[JamesR]

On 6/11/2022 at 4:00 AM, Prosaap said:

When they ask you a question they not listen or not care about the answer

when they talk to you they just turn and talk to somebody else

You might have that affect on everyone as I have not come across it. 

 

[js89]

A very common one that I rarely see discussed, is the response to a negative question.

For example, "You don't want to go to the doctor today?" or "You don't like seafood, do you?"

The typical English-speaker would expect a response of "No (I don't want to go / I don't like seafood)" if they don't want to go or don't like seafood.

However, the Thai speaker will always respond to this question with a "Yes" if they don't want to go or don't like seafood. 

[Soidog]

On 6/13/2022 at 12:31 AM, JamesR said:

I have heard uneducated bar girls from isaan talk like that. The more educated ones do not. 
 

Do not base the whole of Thailand on your limited experience of the country. 

What’s your issue with Isarn @JamesR? I’ve noticed a number of your posts seem to call out Isarn woman as uneducated bar girls. Maybe you’ve had some poor experience with such girl, which is not uncommon. Equally I know many guys who have had bad experiences with bar girls from Chumphon, Rayong, Trang and Krabi. All working in other locations but from those towns. Sorry if you’ve been hurt, but as you indicate, you shouldn’t generalise about a nation or a region of a nation.