I moved to Thailand 12 years ago, and at first my understanding and ability to use the language went really well. withing a few weeks to months it wasn't hard for me to say.. order a beer or chat someone up. I could get what I asked for about 80% of the time.. which wasn't bad considering..

However, once I got a bit more comfortable with the language, is when it all started to get.. a bit.. mixed up. Mostly to do with the emergence of..

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Tinglish

Let me clarify from the start.. There are many forms that Tinglish (Thai + English fusion of language) can take. For example, it could be poorly translated signs..

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Or broken English aka Pigin English aka Grammar-doesn't-matter such as:

• "You, friend, My name is?" = What's your friend's name?
• "No have.." = We don't have..
• "I boxing you!" = I'm going to punch you!
• "You have rice home me." = Come have dinner with me at my house.

Actually, while this kind of Tinglish is good for a laugh, I'm usually able to understand intention and therefore bypass confusion.

No, the danger comes when you know just the right amount of thai--> not enough. You see, often times Thais will speak English, but slip a random Thai word seamlessly into the sentence. If you aren't familiar enough with the Thai words, it can lead to some pretty confusing, and potentially dangerous situations.

For instance.. the word "shua" in Thai means "to believe", however it sounds an awful lot like the English word 'sure'.. let's see how that could be a problem..

" I no shua that you will come."

You might hear that this person is not sure that you will show up like promised, but what they are REALLY saying is they don't BELIEVE you. a small but important difference in trust.

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Another Thai word that used to get me in trouble a LOT is the word "dtong" (pronounced 'Dough-ng') which means "must" but when said quickly sounds like the English word 'don't'..
Take a look..

"You dtong go to the immigration office for this problem."

Again, hearing all the other words in English, your brain processes this as "You don't go to the immigration office.." but what they are really telling you is "You MUST go to the immigration office.." Two distinctly different messages here.

I could go on, but the point is, when learning a new language, you should be careful of what you think you are hearing vs what is actually being said. Make sure you clarify instead of smiling and nodding to avoid embarrassment. Also making a list of potential words that could cause confusion can be helpful. Carry around a moleskin notebook and if you find yourself constantly mixing up a word.. write it down, make a note of remembering it.

I have a friend, older Texas gentleman, who likes to visit Thailand for half the year. He is very polite, but often gets in trouble because of his lack of understanding of the local language. A female Thai official could be sternly reprimanding him and he will sit there nodding saying:

"yes, mam!"

which sounds awfully similar to the Thai words for... 'f@#k your mother!'

.....

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Have you ever made a serious, or silly mistake due to communication breakdown? What are your experiences with foreign languages, whether difficulties trying to learn one, or just to get buy in a strange land? Let us know in the comments below!

Until Then...