Transliteration - When will they get it even close?

[dtaai-maai]

This is a really interesting string and a fascinating subject, and the people contributing to it are almost certainly not those I'm referring to, but I do want to make the point that I hear an awful lot of farang complaining bitterly about the poor English spoken by most Thai people. Usually the farang in question don't speak a word of Thai. I've yet to hear a Thai person (other than my wife) complain about my limited and excruciating Thai.

On the contrary, I think most Thai people are so astonished and delighted when a farang can make him/herself understood in Thai, even in the simplest of ways, that they tend to lavish undue praise. Those of you who can speak a little Thai (or perhaps a lot, in some cases) have all, surely, experienced this when going to a market stall and asking for a kg of potatoes. Half a dozen people all around you are suddenly gushing about this farang's wonderful mastery of the Thai language. I find a modest blush and a nice smile the best response...

The farang I feel (mildly) sorry for, are those who don't speak much English - in HH mostly Scandinavian. I've even found myself acting as interpreter between a Norwegian and a Thai, all of us speaking English.

There are a dozen points raised above that I'd like to answer, but for now I'll restrict myself to challenging any farang of any nationality to try learning Thai before criticising Thais about their knowledge of English.

(P.S. ... unless, of course, they're English teachers, who are allowed to complain, moan and whinge as much as they like, or they'll all go completely doolally.)

[Norseman]

I've even found myself acting as interpreter between a Norwegian and a Thai, all of us speaking English.

The problem is that most Norwegians only learn English, German and French in school and many students are really lazy.
We should all learn to speak and write at least 4 different languages.

[crazy88]

What an interesting and informative thread .

I tested the Cambridge example on my PR manager and she read it aloud faster than she reads a news of the world headline .(My neighbour drops a copy off every monday for some reason).

Any further information on this subject would, I feel , be appreciated by many of us as effective communication and understanding is essential to surviving an expatriate lifestyle .

On a lighter note can anyone explain why a restaurant owned by a native English speaker can spell 'chicken' differently four times on the same page of the menu . A new thread would be more appropriate on this one .

[Jaime]

The additional A following the S is due to the fact that there is no sound in Thai for "SP", "ST", "SN", etc, two consonants and no vowel, they simply insert a vowel so its easier to pronounce!

This is true for Thai words also, where 'S' and 'T' sounds follow one another in the written form of the word but are pronounced with the vowel inserted between them.

Kairng or Gairng, Kai or Gai.

All language books spell them differently, but the spoken sound is more a mixture of the two.

And we musn't forget that like other languages, Thai also has regional accents.

[PeteC]

That may be a good idea for our photo competition. Those who travel the roads of Thailand, take a pic of the more strange English language signs and menu items you see. Perhaps we can have a sub section for those in the competition.

Years ago when I was getting the FE Economic Review, there was a bald headed guy who did travel throughout Asia and published stories and pics like this.

I forget his name and his column. He resided in HK and had been with FEER for many years. Good writer and funny stuff. Pete

[dtaai-maai]

I've even found myself acting as interpreter between a Norwegian and a Thai, all of us speaking English.

The problem is that most Norwegians only learn English, German and French in school and many students are really lazy.
We should all learn to speak and write at least 4 different languages.

Which is at least three more languages than most British students learn.

I agree entirely, Norseman. Foreign languages, whether European or Oriental, don't come easily to everyone, but they should be tried out, and, where promise is shown, encouraged.

The Norwegian I was referring to is over 70 and he's mostly picked up his English through his job. I understand him perfectly, but he finds it difficult to communicate to Thai people.

[redzonerocker]

yes, we brits are lazy when it comes to languages. i think the general thinking is that wherever you go in the world, most people speak english.
i began learning french at school & went on several student exchanges. i also ended up living & working in north africa for 4 years.my french improved dramatically living & speaking it on a daily basis.this is by far the best way to learn the spoken language.
i also learned pretty basic german during my time there too. that was out of neccessity because we worked mostly in the east just after the wall came down & english speakers were few & far between.when we moved west practically everyone spoke english.
i will no doubt be trying to learn some of the basics of thai & would hope to progress to a decent standard if i intend to stay long term.
i will add,if you think thai is hard, try arabic!

[barrys]

This isn't really on topic, but since the theme has been broadened to language more generally, I'll give it a try.

I'm looking for someone living here who can translate documents written in French (varying subject matter and sometimes quite complex) into very good English. Preferably a native English speaker with a very good knowledge of French, rather than the other way round.

If anyone is interested, please let me know.

[Terry]

Mon Dieu

[Terry]

Pete

Not sure if you've seen this site - always makes me smile

try it

http://www.engrish.com/

T

[SuperTonic]

This isn't really on topic, but since the theme has been broadened to language more generally, I'll give it a try.

I'm looking for someone living here who can translate documents written in French (varying subject matter and sometimes quite complex) into very good English. Preferably a native English speaker with a very good knowledge of French, rather than the other way round.

If anyone is interested, please let me know.

Try talking to the chap who owns the Blue Angel, he's French but his English is more English than most English people's.

[barrys]

Thanks for the tip SuperTonic

I'm happy to say, thought, that almost immediately after I made the first posting, a member of this forum offered his services and I've been absolutely delighted with the assistance he has given.

[SuperTonic]

Good to hear you've got it sorted out, but at least you've got someone to consider if your forum contact is run over by a tuk-tuk!

[johnnyk]

Kairng or Gairng, Kai or Gai.

All language books spell them differently, but the spoken sound is more a mixture of the two.

K and G are very similar, both are voiced consonants and are formed at the velum (upper back throat). People tend to speak what they hear and for a non-native English speaker k and g are pretty much the same.
Trust me, I got 95% in my Teaching Pronunciation course

[Vital Spark]

Umm..JK - Can I just correct you on something?

'K' is unvoiced.
'G' is voiced.

Kai is Thai for an egg. Gai is Thai for a chicken. Not the same at all. (unless you're going to discuss which came first...)

VS