Written by Jamie Mackinnon, Monday 19th Sep 2011
Lost in translation

Having been in Thailand several times and for long periods of time you would expect me to be able to speak and understand Thai. I would say that I have basic understanding of the language but to be honest I should know more than I do and I’m sometimes just to shy to use it. I do try to speak when I go out but because my knowledge is basic when I do go and ask/order something I always feel stupid when the person answers/asks me something in Thai and I don’t understand. Due to the fact of training a lot and being a little lazy when not training my learning has been slow. I find it a difficult language to learn mainly because it is a lot to do with tone. There are many things that sound so a like but it’s the difference in tone that can make you say something completely different from what you meant.

My girlfriend has went home to visit her family for 3wks so I can not turn and look at her with the blank expression on my face when I don’t understand something. I am going to use this time to make more of an effort to learn more. I have looked out my phrase book and downloaded some audible learning stuff off the net to try and get some more practice in. Now is going to be a good time to go out my comfort zone and use what I learn when I go out and I will maybe surprise my girlfriend when she comes back with some new phrases.

*blows the dust off his Thai book :)