Thailand has been a nation for a very long time. This peninsular country avoided colonizationwhen most of its neighbors did not, which is a point of pride for the citizens of Thailand. Even though Thai boxing has given Thai culture a bit of a rough-and-tumble stereotype, the Thai language contains an incredible amount of elegance. This “polite” aspect of Thai might not be apparent to outsiders at first.
Good manners when speaking and writing in Thailand — even if you’re working with an English to Thai translation — are very important when you want to get your message across.
Thai language makes use of honorifics with personal pronouns and kin. “Farangs,” or people with non-Asian ancestry living in Thailand, aren’t necessarily expected to know this when first learning Thai.
Most people try and speak with a measure of politeness when dealing with or writing in a foreign language. In Thailand, finding the appropriate “register” for speaking, and knowing how not to make people uncomfortable, can take a very long time to learn for non-native speakers. Speaking in super polite Thai or in “street” Thai are two different skills.
That being said, how you say something in Thailand can often be just as important as the content of what you’re saying. While Thais aren’t usually as big on “please” and “thank you” as people in the West are, tone and smiles convey a lot of meaning.
A smile can smooth over the most awkward of conversations. And having a “cool heart,” (not cold), which is known as jai yen in Thailand, is usually the best policy to adapt in conversation. Even if you’re in a heated argument, you should never shout or scream. Once you do that, you’ve lost the argument.
Of course, with English to Thai translation, you’ll need an expert translator who knows the minutiae of Thai language and how to convey formality in written documents. It’s not as easy as speaking in a soft tone and smiling — written text is a different matter.
