The Great Language Barrier

  “Teacha. Speak Thai.”

- My students

Remember how I said last week that I was super psyched that my students knew a lot of English? Man, I’ve been eating those words all week. The first lesson turned out to be a fluke because most of my classes seem to know less than last term. Mai pen rai I guess.

The language barrier has been one of the most frustrating and humorous parts of living here. Day-to-day, it’s not really a big deal. I know enough Thai (very little) to buy food, go to places in Bangkok, get home, and find bathrooms. I can live comfortably for the most part.

The more frustrating aspect comes in the classroom. Because my students don’t know much English, even basic commands can turn into rocket science. Who knew that, “Work with the person next to you,” is surprisingly complex. Took 10 minutes for that one.

But it makes sense why these things happen in the classroom. I can hardly understand Thai, so I know how difficult it is when someone in a foreign language asks you to do something. It becomes a guessing game of finding the vocabulary they know at working with that. When someone doesn’t understand me, it becomes a game of smiling, patience, and pantomiming. Seriously, I think my hand gestures are more effective than the words I say. If my teaching career tanks I could be one of those mimes who’s trapped in a box.

Let’s end with the funny. Thai is super tonal so I consistently botch saying my student’s names/nicknames. They think it’s hilarious when I say them wrong. The other interesting thing is that the spelling of their nicknames usually aren’t how they sound. I have a student whose nickname is “Palm.” But she pronounces it “Bom.” Hey it’s her name, I’m not gonna argue.

My worst mistake? I once tried to pronounce the name of a town in the north. I ended up talking about a female reproductive organ. Still haven’t lived that one down.

This weekend I’m visiting some friends in the quaint town of Pitsanulok. Tomorrow is also my birthday! My last three birthdays I’ve spent in the Appalachian Mountains drinking Monster out of solo cups. We’ll have to see how this one stacks up.

Mark