panadolsandwich Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 I spent nearly the last six months in Thailand. My girlfriend speaks Isaan at home and Thai at work. I've made no effort to learn the language seriously, just picking up bits and bobs here and there. I can get by and the revelation this trip was that I can hear and say those tones; and vowel lengths. It's nice to be able to say I've learnt a subset of the language almost by osmosis, but it wouldn't be quite true. The interest was always there. If I couldn't of been arsed, I would just be one of those self-smug ignorant fools that believe the *maid* or *gasp* the wife can do all their talking for them. Not to mention that communication is fairly fucking difficult if only one foreign speaker is making all the effort. What I find astounding is that the OP has a Thai wife, but appears to be completely at odds with the language! Yet still, I gather from all these presidents of corporations the OP may speak of he may be in Thailand on more business than any monger would dream of. Congratulations! I don't envy you for one moment having to deal with those cocksucking motherfuckers if for one moment you thought that meme might of impressed anybody OP! Go ahead and enjoy your bubble OP, all the miscues, lies and deceipt, not to mention insults will continue to fly over your thick head, whilst you continue to think you're the master of international business acumen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibblies Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Since they donâ??t know (and Iâ??m not saying) the details of my life, they really have no idea how off base their perceptions are. Sorta like dising Bill Gatesâ?? lifestyle, which none of could possibly comprehend... Effectively, you rely on other people to tell you what's going on around you. Kind of like a pampered rock star with hangers-on telling him what he wants to hear, maybe? I do find it amusing to be lectured by a self proclaimed monger about understanding Thailand who learned Thai in order to fuck young Thai women. I learned Thai from normal books, not from hookers, but for whatever reason frede or I learnt, it's still a lot better than not learning. The basic reason for learning, when all other things are boiled off, is to communicate. I also suspect frede and I wank less than you because we hang out on lower Sukhumvit. Some how I suspect that my conversations (in English) with presidents of several major Thai corporations has given me a slightly better insight then the free lancers at the Nana Hotel. No one here cares about your talks with "presidents of major Thai corporations"... in English. It doesn't carry any weight whatsover. You're still talking in English and only hearing in English. You can walk the streets, stand on the skytrain and only listen in to conversations... if they're in English. So, you listen to a tiny percent of things and only from a specialised group. If Richard Branson, John Browne and Fred Goodwin could speak a bit of French and spoke to a Frenchman who couldn't speak any English, do you think that Frenchman would get a better idea of the average English person's thoughts than a Frenchman who walked around each day and could pick up on a lot of what normal people around him were saying? Hundreds of them? All the time. It's the little things that help. You would be amazed at how much you can discern from body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions, and the tone of the words being used. Er, "tone of the words" isn't going to help you, buddy! As for the body language, gestures, etc - well, guess what? People like frede and I who bother to learn can do that too. Except, being interested, we'd learn that along with the language. All the little differences. There are different meanings to different gestures in different languages too. I have always felt sorry for the people that donâ??t continue to pay attention and observe the people around him just because he doesnâ??t understand the words. Being a non-fluent speaker, there are plenty of times where I don't understand something at the time but, with a bit of dictionary help, realise what people were talking about later. At the time, I'd often thought it was something completely different based on the gestures, reactions. It DOESN'T help much. Again, I donâ??t doubt that speaking Thai would great, but I have learned how to live without it and it really doesnâ??t bother me much. Maybe in a few years when I retire and have the time to really devote to it, I will take it up as a hobby. Right now, just too busy to spend the time. Fair enough. Although you seem to have the time to bait mongers like me and frede... I'll just have to remember to take anything you say from now on as "from that guy who doesn't really understand anything..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilAnders Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 You would be amazed at how much you can discern from body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions unless of course you misunderstand one key gesture made by a nubile Uni lass and not discern her hobby is actually singing kerioki. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 "...Sorta like dising Bill Gatesâ?? lifestyle, which none of could possibly comprehend..." No doubt some one here on this board will dispute that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 I will say that at the level of Thai society I spend most of my [working] time with, not speaking Thai is not problem as they all speak English (some certainly better then others). ... Trust me bub, I know a lot more about Thailand then you would ever hope to and sure ainâ??t from hanging out on lower Sukhumvit. Some how I suspect that my conversations (in English) with presidents of several major Thai corporations has given me a slightly better insight then the free lancers at the Nana Hotel. At the same token, the working class people in our mostly Thai neighborhood have helped me understand a lot as well, even though a most of that is translations through my wife or the English speaking retired Thai gentlemen we hang out with several times a week who is very happy to translate. Right now, just too busy to spend the time. I think you missed the point compeltely. When I lived in Japan, almost all of the Japanese I had to deal with (culture not businss) spoke English more or less perfectly. BUT outside this small peer group almost no one was/is able to speak English. When I arrived in Japan I really felt severely handicapped not being able to speak to the people outside my professional contacts. You may think want you want, your ability to communicate _and_ to understand is severeley limited and you will only get a version of things the people around you want let you to know. Even if your wife is doing her best, she just will give a filtered version of everything. Today I am doing a lot of business with Japan and acutally it all started after some Japanese business contacts (producers, dealers) told me that I am able to understand them better (not only literally of course) than most Gaijins in my field of interest. Of course my understanding is still low level since I don't live in Japan anymore and we had some communication crashes with our Japanese business partners of the years, but I don't need a Japanologist or interpreter to tell me how to solve critical situations and I am able to turn them into a more trusted relationships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustian Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 "...Sorta like dising Bill Gatesâ?? lifestyle, which none of could possibly comprehend..." No doubt some one here on this board will dispute that! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frede Posted August 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Its ok, Im here bothers Well, Khun_à ¸?à ¸³à ¸Âà ¸°à ¹?à ¸£à ¹?à ¸¡à ¹?à ¹?à ¸?à ¹?à ¸?_neua Firstly, you make some assumtions and as we all know, assumption is the mother of all fuck ups. I suspect that the people saying such, not having actually lived that lifestyle, are making assumptions based on their perception of what that must be like. Since they donâ??t know no idea how off base their perceptions are. Sorta like dising Bill Gatesâ?? lifestyle, which none of could possibly comprehend. I, my old fruit, am a millionaire many times over with businesses in more countries that I can count on one hand. I will say that at the level of Thai society I spend most of my [working] time with, not speaking Thai is not problem as they all speak English (some certainly better then others). Well, again, this suprises me. Now, not wanting to blow my own horn (oh if only I could do that each morning when my bed is empty) but I can pick up the phone and am pretty confident that in 5 minutes I could have 4 MPs, the deputy house speaker, several à ¸?à ¸¹à ¹?à ¸§à ¹?à ¸²à ¸£à ¸²à ¸?à ¸Âà ¸²à ¸£à ¸?à ¸±à ¸?à ¸«à ¸§à ¸±à ¸?à ¸?à ¹?à ¸²à ¸?à ¹?, a handful of provincial police chiefs, one reginal one, and ofcourse, like you, a few salary men. Then there ofcourse, some of my own friends from the elite families. Now, I'd say atleast half of them cant hold a proper conversation in English. I do find it amusing to be lectured by a self proclaimed monger about understanding Thailand who learned Thai in order to fuck young Thai women. I actually learnt Thai A: Cause I like fucking young or old Thai women B: How can you not speak your wife and kids language C: A realisation that to be a more effective farang, Id need to be able to communicate. Trust me bub, I know a lot more about Thailand then you would ever hope to Ah, yes, the moher of all fuck ups rears its head again. Tell me, how does one learn so much about Thailand when you cant even order a fackin pizza? Or does your maid feed you the noise? and sure ainâ??t from hanging out on lower Sukhumvit. Well, as a man that can hold his own with the country's so called 'elite' I also realise that as much can be learn from the purveyors of som tam and pussy in our persuit of fully understanding a culture. Same can be said for my understanding of ragheads and Africans. Some how I suspect that my conversations (in English) with presidents of several major Thai corporations has given me a slightly better insight then the free lancers at the Nana Hotel. Now that would depend on the information you are seeking to obtain. Would that same CEO understand what it means to get fucked in the arse by some cunt down the gulf club whilst the Golfer's maid fucked him in the arse with a Moby Dick Dildo? No. But the pussy purveyor down Suhumvit would. She may even be able to give you an insight into the extreme poverty of the rice paddies. You wrongly equate insight with money and , being a rich cunt myself, you are wrong. At the same token, the working class people in our mostly Thai neighborhood have helped me understand a lot as well How, sign language? Facial gestures? mime? Or does the wife help you again? Damn, dude, take it gracefully, dont think that cause you haev a few quid and know a few salary men that some how that makes you any better for being oblivious to the world around you. Now, if you dont mind. Can someone please talk about the lower Suk hoes and how to extract better rides through language. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khun_khon_neua Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 This whole exchange started when I said I donâ??t speak Thai and was asked nicely and not so nicely . how I could live in Thailand and not speak the language. I responded that for me, it was not a problem and went on to explain how that works for me. In return I was subjected to personal attacks, accused of having a superior attitude, and not having a clue of what is going on around me. Speaking Thai would not enhance my professional life, nor get any more business for my company. In our industry, being a native English speaker is an advantage and speaking Thai makes no difference at all. In my personal life, I am not a control freak, I am more then happy to have things taken care of for me and just observe what is going on without active verbal participation. Some find that hard to take, but it works for me, and I know many others that do the same in their personal lives. Nevertheless, I freely admitted it would be nice to be able understand Thai, but for my work and personal lifestyle it is just not a requirement. I am in Thailand for purely economic reasons. I make more money now then I have my entire working life or ever expected to. If I can do this for a few more years, I will be able to retire and pretty much continue this lifestyle without the bother of having to go to work every day. :hubba: I am here because I have huge economic advantage, which unlike some, I freely admit. If my company offered me a position in another country that made more money, I would take it. But the fact of the matter is, that because some quirks in my personal life, it would be next to impossible for them to offer more money on another assignment. On a personal level, Thailand is great because after living in various countries for a number of years, it like a payback for the difficult years overseas for my wife to be able to live here and be near her family and run her business in person. I am just a bit baffled as to why my lifestyle, in which I am very happy, cosseted or not, seems to spark such hostility in some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilAnders Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 T I am just a bit baffled as to why my lifestyle, in which I am very happy, cosseted or not, seems to spark such hostility in some people. and you have been a memeber of this forum for over year and you are still baffled over this? obvioulsy not being able to speak the same 'language' as many bored members may be the problem. (no mis-spelling, i did intend to say "bored") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frede Posted August 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 In return I was subjected to personal attacks, accused of having a superior attitude Well my old fruit when you call a poster a wanker, you are likely to get it back. Fair? As for the superior attitude, you kinda walked head on into that when you somehow justified that your CEO mates knew far more than your average Somchai and that by somehow having a maid and driver and being rich, then that made up for not knowing the lingo. You set yourself up for it by giving it large to the readrship. I should know, I always set myself up too ;-) In our industry, being a native English speaker is an advantage and speaking Thai makes no difference at all. I knew it, you are one of those English 'Teachers' who knows the ex-milkman expat owner AKA CEO of 'Bob's Business English School' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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