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Monday 9 June 2008

Signs and notices

I am the first to compliment the many people I work with who can effortlessly speak English as a second language. It is sometimes embarrassing to hear how good they are compared to my complete ineptitude to understand anything other than noise when tuning in to 'local' conversations.
Khamma completely underestimates her skill in speaking English. We have some fantastic conversations (in English) and we are often on the phone for an hour talking about different things. She learns from speaking to me and reading Thai - English books. She has improved tremendously over the last few months. I can utter a few words in Thai, some of which Khamma can just about understand, but if I speak to any of the family they just pass the phone back to Khamma and probably say something like 'It's about time he started speaking proper Thai, can't understand a flamin word. Here you speak to him, he's hopeless!'.
Just like in England there are many dialects in Thailand, and Khamma speaks in an Isaan dialect that is heavily influenced by Laoatian (from Laos which is about 30 miles away). I cottoned on to this so thought it was only right to teach her some words from Manchester. It is funny to hear her say 'Hey Up!' as in 'Hello how are you today!' and 'Ourouse' as in 'Well I'll go to our house', in which she magnificently rolls her R's so it sounds like 'Ourrrouse'.
Anyway in my travels around Singapore and Asia I have noticed a few misguided translations and some amusing notices:

Seen in Singapore - where they apparently apologise for working! You wouldn't see this in the UK. Just look at the submissive way 'the worker' is standing.

I won't be going here if they say they are that bad! Seen in Singapore.

I can only imagine what this is about. Free delivery (ease of passage I wonder) and the 'perfect solution'. Seen in Singapore.

I don't know either. Seen in Beijing.

I think I know what they mean, but you could starve to death first couldn't you? Seen in Thailand.

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