Learn what topics you should avoid during small talk in Thailand
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What topics are taboo in Thailand? |
| Nantanee: And what are some things you should avoid doing? |
| Michael: At ThaiPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee and Arisa Ampawa are chatting in a nice atmosphere while drinking coffee. Everything changes when Karen says, |
| "Your kids are so pretty!" |
| Karen Lee: ลูก ๆ ของคุณน่ารักมาก ๆ เลย (lûuk lûuk khǎawng khun nâa rák mâak mâak looei) |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: ลูก ๆ ของคุณน่ารักมาก ๆ เลย (lûuk lûuk khǎawng khun nâa rák mâak mâak looei) |
| Arisa Ampawa: ไม่เลยค่ะ (mâi looei khâ) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: ลูก ๆ ของคุณน่ารักมาก ๆ เลย (lûuk lûuk khǎawng khun nâa rák mâak mâak looei) |
| Michael: "Your kids are so pretty!" |
| Arisa Ampawa: ไม่เลยค่ะ (mâi looei khâ) |
| Michael: ""Not at all."" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: Thais are incredibly friendly. When you smile at them on the street, they won't hesitate to smile back at you. They're also fun to converse with and will be happy to talk about anything under the sun. Unless, of course, you touch a subject that's considered taboo, or in Thai, |
| Nantanee: ข้อห้าม (khâaw hâam) |
| Michael: As with any culture, Thai has some things they would prefer not to talk about in public. In this lesson, we'll discover what topics are taboo in Thai and which customs you need to observe to avoid offending or embarrassing people. |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen Lee says "Your kids are so pretty?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Nantanee as Karen Lee: ลูก ๆ ของคุณน่ารักมาก ๆ เลย (lûuk lûuk khǎawng khun nâa rák mâak mâak looei) |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Arisa Ampawa says ""Not at all?"" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Nantanee as Arisa Ampawa: ไม่เลยค่ะ (mâi looei khâ) |
| Michael: In this scenario, we have two friends happily chatting together, until one of them, Karen, decides to notice how cute her friend's kids are. Anyone who's not a native of Thailand won't easily recognize that something is wrong here. However, you need to understand that, in Thailand, telling people their kids are beautiful, or |
| Nantanee: สวย (sŭuai) |
| Michael: is a big no-no. Thais are very religious and superstitious. They believe that jealous evil spirits might come and steal their children if the spirits deem the little ones more beautiful than they are. Some Thai parents even go as far as giving their kids silly nicknames like |
| Nantanee: แปลก (bplàaek) |
| Michael: or "strange" just to convince the evil spirits that their children are not worth their time. It's also not unusual for Thai moms to "compliment" another that their baby is |
| Nantanee: น่าเกลียด (nâa-glìiat), |
| Michael: meaning "ugly." This is quite interesting because Thai moms actually want their babies to be born beautiful. During their pregnancy, they would make sure never to drive a nail into a wall, avoiding the risk of having their babies born with defects. While this kind of criticism of someone's children is welcomed in Thai culture, actual criticism of another person just because you want to be shunned is not considered acceptable. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: So far, you've learned about one particular practice that you should avoid when you're in Thailand. If you're not sure whether something is taboo or not, it's better not to act on it or speak of it at all. |
| Expansion 1 |
| Michael: Thai has a few topics that are considered taboo. Most of these include Nantanee: พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย (phrá má-hăa gà-sàt thai) |
| Michael: or the "Thai monarch." Thai people are very proud of their Monarchy and have great respect and honor for the king and his family. It is best to avoid talking about the king if you have no positive thing to say about him and his government. Thais are just as honoring to their religion, which is |
| Nantanee: พุทธศาสนา (phút-thá-sàat-sà-năa) |
| Michael: "Buddhism." Any insult about both the king and the image of Buddha can get you thrown into jail. This is not to scare you, of course, but to remind you of how to appropriately behave when visiting Thailand. In light of this, whenever you see an image of the king or of Buddha, be careful not to loom above it, but pay your respect by bowing your head. Speaking of Buddhism, another thing you should never do when in Thailand is to touch Buddhist monks, or |
| Nantanee: พระสงฆ์ (phrá-sŏng) |
| Michael: This is especially true for women. This is because Buddhist monks are forbidden to physically touch a woman. If you're a woman and want to give something to a monk, you can give it first to a male instead, and that person will give the gift to the monk. Since we're talking about touching, here's another reminder when in Thailand. In Thailand, it's taboo to touch another person's head. Yes, even if that head belongs to a very adorable or cute child. Thais believe that the head is sacred, and touching it could bring bad luck, or |
| Nantanee: โชคร้าย (chôok ráai) |
| Expansion 2 |
| Michael: The Thai culture may have quite a good number of practices that are taboo, but you might be surprised by a Thai person's directness when it comes to conversations. What may be considered as |
| Nantanee: ไม่สุภาพ (mâi sù-phâap) |
| Michael: or "impolite" in your country is normal in Thailand. For instance, when in a conversation with a Thai, you might be asked about your |
| Nantanee: อายุ (aa-yú) |
| Michael: "age," |
| Nantanee: สถานภาพการสมรส (sà-thăa-ná phâap gaan sŏm-rót) |
| Michael: "marital status," |
| Nantanee: งาน (ngaan), |
| Michael: or what kind of job you do. Don't be offended when you encounter these questions. Thai people ask these things not simply because they're nosy or intrusive. They ask about these things because they want to ensure that they address you correctly. You see, being courteous and polite is a big deal in Thai culture, and if they're asking you about your age or status, it's because they want to make sure you don't get offended in case they fail to use the right title in addressing you. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Nantanee: แล้วพบกันใหม่เร็วๆ นี้ค่ะ (láaeo-phóp-gan-mài reo-reo-níi khâ) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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