Here are the latest additions and corrections to the Thai English Page…

Photo Courtesy of Private Boy Movie

Look – means watch, observe, stare, gaze, gawk, appear, or see. I look (watch) TV. He look (stare at) me long time. You look (appear) same not happy. I look (see) before mall.

Sharp – means smart – OH! You very sharp about this! He so sharp computer.

Tissue – can mean toilet paper, facial tissue, paper napkin, or paper towel.

If you notice a boy has just gotten his hair cut and you say “change hair” in commenting on it, he will politely inform you he has not. Thais only consider their hair changed when they have changed the style or color. Style changes are common with a lot of the boys that have long hair. Boys do not understand “hair cut” or “cut hair”. The only thing I’ve found that works is a hand gesture using your fingers like scissors as if you are cutting your hair.

Most Thais know what a microwave is, but when talking about cooking with one they just say wave. You want wave? I wave for you.

Thai boys do not take pills, they eat pills.

If you ask a boy something, and his response is “nothing” it means he does NOT want to talk about it.

Not really Tinglish, but just how they say it in Thailand:

Mobi (Moe By) = Cellular Phone
Powder = Baby Powder

I’ve also added this new section that is sure to grow over time…..

Difficult English To Learn

English words that are frequently used, when living with a Thai boy, that seem particularly difficult for them to learn.

Towel
Sheet (bed)
Blanket
Quilt
Laundry
Trash
Sandal(s)
Scissors
Pants
Shirt
Watch (time piece)

At some point in the past I’ve probably told the story of my friend asking the girl he was with to lower the radio, and her interpretation of that request resulted in the radio being moved from the dresser top down to the floor. The other night I had a similar experience, one that will take a few more paragraphs to explain.

I was out for dinner with a farang friend and three Thai boys. The restaurant I selected was pure Thai - cheap, good food, and Thai only menus. In these situations I find it best to simply turn the boys loose on the ordering of our meal. Speaking to the boy sitting next to me and loud enough for the others to hear, I said to order 5 dishes, and no sea food. Knowing some boys don’t fully understand what sea food is, I began listing examples; no fish, no shrimp, no squid. Before completing the list I was interrupted with OK OK, so I shut up and left them to their task.

I was being very specific about this, because my American friend does not like sea food of any kind. In addition, the one boy had eaten with us before and ended up ordering a bunch of sea food dishes, despite my instruction not to. While he should have remembered his previous mistake, I wasn’t taking any chances.

Any way, I went back to visiting with my American friend while the three boys chattered vigorously with each other and the waiter. The two of us noted the interaction with the waiter was more than usual, suggesting there was a lot of clarification going on. We quickly dismissed it with the confidence everything was in good hands.

Well, of the five dishes ordered, three ended up being sea food, two of which were on the more pricy end of the scale. Not that it was a big deal, because this place was very inexpensive, but it did add insult to injury. The other two dishes were a plate of odd tasting sausage, and a nicely presented dish of fried pig skin. I was of course both angry and embarrassed. My friend had a look on his face like he had been summarily dismissed by the boys and left to sit in the corner with an old cold potato.

I immediately laced into the boy, wanting to know why he had done this to my friend, whom all the boys knew and liked. To make things worse, the boy was laughing about it, something Thais do when they’ve just screwed up. The only answer he could give me was he did not understand sea food. Later I learned he was really trying to say he didn’t know what I “meant” by sea food, something I was unaware of at that moment. My reaction was to remind him of the list I began to give him, and that he said OK OK. He responded by apologizing, and continued laughing about it with the other boys. Of course, this went over like a fart in church with both of us farang.

I did everything I could to restrain myself from completely exploding, something you never do in Thailand, but it was clear to all parties I was furious. The boys quickly ordered a chicken dish for my friend, but the damage had already been done, and the dish ended up being less than tasty, a fact that was not lost on the boys.

When everyone was finished eating, I instructed the two boys that were with me to leave, as I needed to talk with my friend in private. My friend followed by asking his boy if he would not mind leaving, so we could talk, and he left with the other two. Before departing, I asked the boy sitting next to me if he was responsible for the food that was ordered, or was it a group decision. He quickly took the blame, and ask me if he “needed” to pay for the meal. I told him he “needed” to do what he thought was right, and to his credit he handed me 1000 baht.

The two boys I brought to the table are currently living with me, so later that night I had a sit down with them to try and sort out why this could have happened. I spoke to each separately, because you don’t have this type of discussion with a boy while in front of others, something I had already abused while in the restaurant - it’s a face thing. I started with boy number one, because he seemed to be the instigator, AND he had done this once before. I explained I wasn’t angry, but really wanted to understand why this happened, for a second time. All he could say was he did not understand sea food. Of course, I reminded him again of the list I started to give him, and he responded with, “Sorry, I so stupid.”

Seeing I was getting nowhere with the one, I moved to the other room in hopes of getting something out of the other boy. Now this boy’s English skills aren’t as good, so my expectations were not that high. Much to my surprise, I got quite an education. First he told me the ordering of food was a group effort, and he, in fact, had requested one of the fish dishes. After a little more discussion it was revealed that I said no sea food, and no sea food had been ordered. He clarified this by saying the fish and prawns they ordered all came from the river, not the sea.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

Well, at this point light bulbs are going of in my head, and I’m feeling a bit foolish. Immediately I recalled being specific about no fish, not shrimp, and so on. As I questioned boy number two about this, boy number one was joining us. He had apparently been listening on the other side of the door and realized things were going well. Boy number two explained that I had started my instructions by saying no sea food, and therefore it was assumed I was just being more specific about the different types of sea food. At this point boy number one chimed in with a resounding YES!

Now boy number 2 isn’t the brightest bulb on the planet, and I know he does not possess the skills to be clever, so there is no doubt in my mind I got to the bottom of all this confusion. I also know that this is typical with the Thai language. You say something followed by specifics to isolate exactly what you mean. From what I gather, catch-all words and phrases are not as common in Thai as they are in English.

I then explained to the boys that when a farang says sea food, he means ANYTHING that lives in the water. I don’t care if it is the sea, a lake, the river, or a bucket of water. If it lives in water, it’s sea food. OH! The boys exclaimed. I also explained its how something tastes, and not about where it lives…all things that live in the water taste same same. OH! The boys exclaimed…followed by, “Yes I understand now.” Then they wanted to make it very clear to me ALL Thais think sea food means things that live in the sea. I think they repeated it about five times so I would be sure to understand this was an innocent mistake, a realization I had reached on my own much earlier in the discussion.

I also thought it prudent to explain to the boys that while they may think sausage and fried pig skin is to die for at any meal, we farang might differ with them.

Then it dawned on me what all the back and fourth with the waiter was about. The boys were making absolutely certain everything being ordered came from the river. They are such good boys, after all.

Another day in Thailand…you gotta love it.

If you are on-line chatting with a boy and suddenly he says something like “I go now bye” it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s snubbing you.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

I watched a boy do this the other night. He was deep into a conversation with a farang about staying with him for 4 weeks when he visits Thailand in a couple of months. A fee had been negotiated and everything was on track. Clearly the farang was not done talking to the boy, when suddenly he got cut off - I go now bye.

The boy had lost track of time and needed to leave immediately. Rather than trying to explain this he simply ended the conversation. I tried to explain to the boy this was not a good idea. All I got was a smile (can be interpreted any number of ways) followed by a hasty departure.

The conversation was taking a different direction just before this happened. The farang was asking the boy to get on his web cam and had hinted he wanted to have cyber sex. I thought the guy might have been leading the boy on about taking him for 4 weeks to get a free sex show. The boy legitimately told the man he didn’t have a cam, but the farang didn’t seem to believe him, as he kept making the request. The boy had said something to the man regarding not being honest about the 4 weeks if he also wanted sex on cam. At this point the farang started to back away from the request, insisting he was not looking for that. It was at this point the boy cut him off.

The boy did, in fact, have to leave, and had lost track of the time, so I don’t know if the cam thing had anything to do with it. I suspect the farang thinks it did.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

I have experienced this many times with boys I’ve been talking to on-line. In most cases the boy was at an Internet Café, lost track of the time, and had run out of purchased minutes. The boys usually explain this before ending the conversation, but not always. Assuming the boy is talking to several farang at the same time, he might not have time to gracefully exit with each.

I should also mention that boys, not using an Internet Café, will take the time to explain they have to leave, and then not log off. The natural first impression is the boy just wants to get rid of you, but that’s not necessarily the case. I’ve watched several boys hookup with a farang, using my computer, and quickly head out the door to see him. In their haste, they forget to log off their Gay Romeo account. I’ve met many boys that have their own computer and Internet connection, so it is reasonable to assume this happens a lot.

The point is don’t be so quick to assume the obvious. The boys tend to get a little flustered when under pressure. That, and their lack of communication skills, can produce results we may not have considered.

In the tourist areas, we all get accosted by vendors while walking or sitting outdoors. Over time I’ve learned the most effective way to say no is to just shake your head no the Thai way. This is a very short and quick jerk of the head while closing your eyes briefly and then looking away. If walking, do not slow down or stop.

The way you are dressed my be a determining factor in how well this works, something I have not been able to test. The clothes I wear are clearly from Thailand, delivering an overall visual cue I’m not a tourist.

A friend, that’s been coming to Thailand for the past 5 years, told me he discovered wearing Thai shoes makes a huge difference. He said the Thais do notice what shoes you are wearing and assume you are not a tourist if wearing something made in the Land Of Smiles. The only downside to this is Thai shoes are notorious for having poor arch support.

Photo Courtesy of Private Boy Movie

I’ve just added the following items to the Thai English page…

Fashion is sort of a catch all for anything having to do with looking good – clothing, jewelry, accessories, and hair style. While we use it the same way, the important thing to understand is it’s the only English word they use for this. As an example, the boys wear a lot of things that are directly tied to their Buddhist religion. So if you were to ask a boy if the necklace he’s wearing is for Buda, and its not, his answer will most likely be, “No…fashion.” To articulate in any greater detail is outside their limited English skills. Boys that speak only a few words of English will typically know the word fashion. I’m guessing this is because fashion is also used in the Thai language, but I’m not sure.

Photo Courtesy of Private Boy Movie

Thais probably won’t understand the word change, as it relates to money. The most common phrase I’ve heard used is “money come back”. After you have sent the boy to the store for something, he may hand you the change and say, “Money come back [insert amount] baht.” If the boy forgets to give you your change, you can question, “Money come back?” He should smile, maybe say “OH!” and dig into his pocket for the change. If he spent all the money, expect him to say “finish”. That said, most boys will say nothing and just hand you your change, or put it on the table for you to see.

The boys have a unique way of telling time, that is probably a result of direct translation, but I’m not sure. As apposed to twelve thirty, a boy will say twelve o’clock thirty. When it comes to quarter hour increments they typically get a little flustered when trying to speak it, but usually understand when spoken by you – eleven forty-five. They probably will not understand five till nine, but usually comprehend five minute before nine. The boys typically do not have any problem speaking about time in terms of how long something will take – one hour, thirty minute, two hour thirty minute. Of course, a standard rule of thumb is to double whatever they say, but that’s not an English translation issue.

I’ve recently learned about a Thai gesture, similar to that of the all too familiar Italian “UP YOURS”. As I understand it, this gesture is relatively new and not widely recognized, even among youth. According to one boy it is an adaptation of a farang gesture, and I’ll go ahead and make the assumption which one that is. Best I can tell, it is used much in the same way we do when flipping someone the bird, and has the same impact.

The variation from the Italian gesture is slight, but significant. The elbow of the extended right arm, with clinched fist, is slapped into the palm of the left hand. This is interesting, because a very respectful way to hand someone something, such as a drink, uses the right hand while cradling the arm in the left hand, at the elbow. Perhaps a coincidence, but I think not.

A variation of this involves the extension of the middle or pinky finger, meaning big cock or small cock respectively. I’ve not been able to pry out of the boys if it changes the overall meaning of the gesture. All I know, at this point, is it too is a bad thing to do. One boy hinted, with a tone of uncertainty, that extending the middle finger was akin to flipping the bird. If true, it makes using the pinky finger all that more confusing to me. Frankly, I’m not completely certain the boys actually know the full meaning of the gesture.

I’ve only seen it used once, and when I questioned him about it the boy tried to convince me it meant good luck. It was obvious he was using the gesture jokingly with another boy, much as western friends will flip each other off.

I tried getting a few different boys to model the gesture for me, but none would agree, even after making it clear their face would not be in the photographs. Finally I found one brave soul willing to bare it all for the camera, but he insisted on wearing a long sleeve shirt…go figure.

While on the subject of shit…

I was looking at the Swearsaurus page I link to under Interesting Reads, and noticed they had “farang keenohk” (keynook) listed with the English translation being “bird shit foreigner”.

I know several farang that are familiar with this phrase and believe it means you are being called a piece of shit or someone that is about as worthless as bird shit, and they are wrong. Just as choking one’s chicken has nothing to do with strangling the life out of a bird, farang keenohk has nothing to do with calling someone a piece of shit.

Farang keenohk is an idiom that means a westerner with little or no money. A good example would be most of the farang English teachers working in Thailand. Depending on the context of its use, it can be a bit derogatory, or simply a statement of fact.

Photo Courtesy of Private Boy Movie

Being called farang keenohk can, in some cases, be to one’s advantage. If a Thai boy likes you, and truly believes you are down to your last baht, he will very likely try to help you. I know of two farang where this happened. In one case the farang was taken in by a non money boy, who paid for everything until he could get back on his feet. A similar situation involved a farang and a money boy. Both lived a meager Thai lifestyle, but they did survive, and now have good paying jobs in Thailand. Both are still in a long-term relationship with the boys that came to their aid.

Interestingly enough, one of these guys is familiar with the phrase farang keenohk and believes it means bird shit foreigner.

I have lived with several boys, from between a few weeks to several months. During these experiences I’ve noticed they all have a tendency to inform you of things at the very last minute. And it does not necessarily have anything to do with needing money for something.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

A boy will make plans to travel home and visit his family weeks in advance, but I hear about it the day before he is leaving. Earlier in the week the boy makes plans with a friend to go out partying for a night, and I’ll be informed of it 30 minutes before the two are heading out the door. Of course, any time the boy needs money to pay for something, I’ll always hear about it the day he needs it, even though he’s known about this obligation for a week or more.

There are endless scenarios like these, but the point is they all seem to do it. I have no idea why they think it is appropriate to give last minute notice on things. I’ve not been able to determine if it is a lack of forward thinking or strategic in nature. What ever the reason, it can be very frustrating.

After experiencing this so many times, I sat the latest boy down and explained how important it is for him to notify me of things when he learns of them, and not wait until the last minute to drop them on me. Even so, he did it. But this time I reminded him of our earlier conversation, and let him know I was not happy about hearing of this so late. In this particular case it involved money, so I explained to him how I make decisions on how to spend my money each month based on known obligations. I went on to explain that I would have held off on some recent purchases had I known I was going to have to pay this bill. He decided to pay the bill himself, and from that day forward he never dropped a bomb on me again.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

It wasn’t really as big of a financial burden as I made it out to be, but sometimes you have to put things into perspective for the boys to understand…learn by example. Simply talking about it does not always work. It is still important to discuss things in advance, so you have them to reference when a situation occurs. In dealing with it I did not get angry with him. I was firm, and careful to avoid saying he had done something wrong. Thais do not respond well at all to finger pointing. There is a huge difference between saying YOU screwed up, and this is not good for me.

Now this varies from one boy to the next, but generally speaking Thais don’t like to say “no” or “I don’t know”. Instead they will say yes. The explanation I’ve gotten is Thais loose face when saying no or I don’t know. Assuming this is accurate, I have to believe it’s the simple answer, otherwise there would be a total breakdown in communication within the society as a whole. It does suggest that the Thai language has ways of dealing with it. And if you think about it, the English language does as well. We all know how to say no with out actually saying no, but those with a limited vocabulary would not enjoy that luxury.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

Regardless, this communication barrier does exist, and when it is in response to a yes or no question there is no way to spot it. You just have to assume that yes may not be yes, something I’m lousy at remembering to do.

The more obvious is when a boy answers yes to a multiple choice question, as apposed to saying I don’t know, and should be an indicator he will also answer yes when it’s really no. So, perhaps testing a boy with a series of multiple choice questions will help identify those that can’t be trusted with yes or no answers. However, a lot of Thais will respond with “not sure” when they don’t know, and in Thai English “not sure” does mean I don’t know. I’m just guessing here, but “not sure” isn’t really the same as saying “I don’t know”, so its use may be a way of staying within a certain comfort zone.

The bottom line is this does exist, and you have to be on the lookout for it. More important, no matter how frustrating it is, you can not get angry with the boy when he does it.

Don’t drop your bath towel on the floor after drying off, unless you plan on placing it in the laundry.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

Many Thais consider a towel dirty once it hits the floor, and totally inappropriate to use again before cleaning. Interestingly enough they don’t seem to care much about how many times a towel is used, as long as it doesn’t hit the floor.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy