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What are the benefits of lerning Thai aprt from the obvious?


junglesoup

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If you live or spend a fair amount of time here, it is very useful to know the language. There are some disadvantages in letting on that you know Thai sometimes in some places, that is easy to correct by simply sticking to English.

 

Gaddy, I couldn't agree more, but may I also add that there are the advantages.

 

When I deal with a Thai Client or Vendor I often play dumb, I am nowhere near to fluent but I can usually get the jist of what is being said. Conversely when dealing with non Thai's I can discuss an issue with a work colleuge in Thai and the third party does not know what we are talking about.

 

Office gossip is office gossip all over the world, usually Football (EPL Soccer to my colonial cousins) Who is shagging who, Kh'R's Vacations to Eastern Europe to shag Farang Chicks (I should never have sent him on secondment to our Madrid office for 6 months), Food, hottest club, latest concerts coming up, planning parties and E-Gossip.

 

Overall having some linguistic skills, if here for the long run, makes intergration far easier and also makes for a far better lifestyle.

 

I could never see myself working back in the UK

and discussing the weather again.

 

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Shame on the husband for not at least trying to learn his wife's language.

 

Yeah, but you know how it is. Thai/farang couple living in farang land, working and only visiting thailand on short trips every other year.

Imagine the reverse situation: thai/farang couple living in LOS, how many thais learn the language of their spouse, unless it is english which most are somewhat familiar with already?

 

p.s. Thais do tend to tell virtual strangers things that we would consider rather private!

 

Indeed!

 

 

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I can see it if you live in LOS ,

there are so many places I end up in that are Thai only , and you have to talk with your hands :)

 

that hard to do over the phone !

 

as a visitor a couple times a year I think knowing how to do simple Thai would be helpful ,

How much something cost , ordering food , etc

 

I am really bad with languages , must be am american thing !

 

OC

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I am really bad with languages , must be am american thing !

 

Or British or Australian. We are all fortunate that English, the International Language is our native tongue and we get lazy about trying to learn another language.

 

I used to resent the fact that at high school I was forced to learn Latin, but looking back it probably did force my mind into adapting to foreign languages.

 

 

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Guest lazyphil

i dont know how on earth farangs can reside in los longterm having know thai skills without going stir crazy--if i were to live there i'd make myself learn, living with a thai in the uk knowing no thai is bad enough, but living there, feck me, you have to learn!!!

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I don't know why but I seem to have a facility for picking up languages. If I stay in a country for a couple of months I start speaking.

 

There was a time when I thought learning Thai would open the doors to some secret knowledge. Nope. It does help you understand how Thais think. Or don't think. The little jokes and phrases are the best...the kind of stuff luckyfarang posts.

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