1Common Mistakes I:Misunderstandings

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2 >>> Correct English for Thais

Common Mistakes I:Misunderstandings

CULTURE«—≤π∏√√¡

®–‡√’¬°ª√–‡∑» À√—∞Õ‡¡√‘°“«à“Õ¬à“߉√¥’

§π∑—Ë«‰ª√«¡∂÷ß™“«Õ‡¡√‘°—π‡Õß¡—°®–‡√’¬°

the United States of America (USA) ßà“¬ Ê «à“

America ·μà¡’™“«·§π“¥“·≈–§π„π·∂∫∑«’ª

Õ‡¡√‘°“‡Àπ◊Õ·≈–Õ‡¡√‘°“„μâÕ’°‡ªìπ®”π«π¡“°∑’ˉ¡à

‡√’¬°‡™àππ—Èπ ·μà®–‡√’¬°«à“ the United States À√◊Õ

‡√’¬°Õ¬à“߉¡à‡ªìπ∑“ß°“√«à“ the US À√◊Õ the States∑—Èßπ’È ‡ªìπ‡æ√“–™“«‡¡Á°´‘°—π ™“«·§π“¥“·≈–™“«

∫√“´‘≈ œ≈œ ≈â«πÕ¬Ÿà„πÕ‡¡√‘°“¥â«¬°—π∑—Èßπ—Èπ (‰¡à«à“

®–‡ªìπ‡Àπ◊Õ °≈“ß À√◊Õ„μâ) ·μà§π‡À≈à“π’ȉ¡à‰¥â¡“

®“° À√—∞œ ·≈–ª√–‡∑»¢Õ߇¢“‰¡à‰¥â‡ªìπ à«πÀπ÷Ëß

¢Õß À√—∞œ ¥—ßπ—È𠇫≈“‰¥â¬‘π§π‡√’¬°ª√–‡∑»

 À√—∞Õ‡¡√‘°“«à“ America ®÷ß°√–∑∫μàÕ§«“¡√Ÿâ ÷°

¿“§¿Ÿ¡‘„®„𧫓¡‡ªìπ™“μ‘¢Õ߇¢“

·∫∫©∫—∫§«“¡§‘¥‡°’ˬ«°—∫«—≤π∏√√¡

·∫∫©∫—∫§«“¡§‘¥‡°’ˬ«°—∫«—≤π∏√√¡ ∑”„Àâ

‡°‘¥§«“¡‡¢â“„®∑—Èß∑’Ë∂Ÿ°·≈–∑’˺‘¥μàÕ«—≤π∏√√¡π—Èπ

‰¡à„™à®–‡À¡“√«¡‰ª«à“ §π‰∑¬∑ÿ°§π¥Ÿ¥’ ¢’ȇ°’¬® —π-

À≈—߬“«À√◊Õ¡’ —¡¡“§“√«– œ≈œ „π∑”πÕ߇¥’¬«°—π

„™à«à“™“«μ–«—πμ°∑ÿ°§π®–‰¡à√Ÿâ®—°‡°√ß„® ‡ÀÁπ·°àμ—«

™Õ∫¬°μ𠇩≈’¬«©≈“¥ ‡ªìπæ«°°√–‡ªÜ“Àπ—° À√◊Õ

‰¡à ÿ¿“æ œ≈œ §π‰∑¬∑ÿ°§π‡ªìπªí®‡®°∫ÿ§§≈ ™“«

μ–«—πμ°°Á‡ªìπªí®‡®°∫ÿ§§≈‡À¡◊Õπ°—π ∂÷ß·¡â«à“°Æ

√–‡∫’¬∫∑“ß«—≤π∏√√¡ À√◊Õ√Ÿª·∫∫°“√¥”‡π‘π™’«‘μ

∑’ËÀ≈àÕÀ≈Õ¡∫ÿ§≈‘°≈—°…≥–‡©æ“–¢Õß¡πÿ…¬å„π

 —ߧ¡¥—ß∑’Ë°≈à“«¡“¢â“ßμâπ ®–¥Ÿ‡¢â¡¢âπ„πª√–‡∑»

‰∑¬¡“°°«à“„π™“μ‘μ–«—πμ°Õ’°À≈“¬ Ê ™“μ‘

What is the best term in English forAmerica?

People from the United States of America(USA) and many other countries as well callthat country simply America. But many peoplefrom Canada and other countries in North andSouth America do not usually do that; they callthat country çthe United Statesé or, informally,çthe USé or çthe States.é This is becauseMexicans, Canadians, and Brazilians, etc.all live in çAmericaé (whether North or Central orSouth), but they are not from the United Statesand their countries are not part of the UnitedStates. It offends their national pride to hearçAmericaé used for the United States.

Cultural StereotypesAs cultural stereotypes can lead to or assist

understanding, so can they also lead tomisunderstanding. Not all Thais are good looking,or lazy, or polite, or whatever, and not allWesterners are inconsiderate, or selfish, orconceited, or clever, or rich, or impolite, orwhatever. All Thais are individuals and allWesterners are individuals, although culturalrules or norms guiding human characteristics,such as some of those mentioned above, tendto be stronger in Thailand than they are inmany Western countries.

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Culture

Common Mistakes I: Misunderstandings <<< 3

Is this statement correct?Thais eat rice, but Westerners eat breadand potatoes.

Do not make statements like this! Thaiseat many foods other than rice, and Westernerseat many foods other than bread and potatoes.Use something like this: The primary staple(food) in Thailand is rice while two staples inthe West are bread and potatoes.

Which is best:1) Westerners eat bread and potatoes; or2) Many Westerners often eat bread and/

or potatoes?

Not all Thais eat rice for their morningmeal, although many or maybe even most do.So when discussing or writing about people, itis advisable to use çsomeé or çmanyé or çquitea fewé or çmosté or ça majority ofé, etc. Use ofçallé should be avoided unless one is dealingwith a basic human need; e.g. All people musteat to survive.

Ω√—Ëߢ’È∫àπfiWhy?

Many Thais who have had experiencewith Westerners think Westerners tend to becomplainers, grumblers, crabs, grousers, malcon-tents. Those Thais think many Westerners like

¢âÕ§«“¡π’È∂Ÿ°μâÕßÀ√◊Õ‰¡à§π‰∑¬√—∫ª√–∑“π¢â“« ·μà™“«μ–«—πμ°√—∫ª√–∑“π¢π¡ªíß·≈–¡—πΩ√—Ëß

Õ¬à“°≈à“«¢âÕ§«“¡¥—ߢâ“ßμâπ §π‰∑¬√—∫-

ª√–∑“πÕ“À“√À≈“°À≈“¬™π‘¥ ‰¡à„™à¢â“«‡æ’¬ß

Õ¬à“߇¥’¬«  à«π™“«μ–«—πμ°°Á√—∫ª√–∑“πÕ–‰√

Õ’°À≈“¬Õ¬à“ß ‰¡à‡©æ“–·μà¢π¡ªíß ·≈–¡—πΩ√—Ëß „Àâ

≈Õ߇ª≈’ˬπ§”查„À¡à‡ªìπ«à“ Õ“À“√À≈—°¢Õߧπ‰∑¬

§◊բ⓫ „π¢≥–∑’ËÕ“À“√À≈—°¢Õß™“«μ–«—πμ°

¡’ ÕßÕ¬à“ß §◊Õ¢π¡ªíß·≈–¡—πΩ√—Ëß

ª√–‚¬§„¥¥’∑’Ë ÿ¥ ?Ò) ™“«μ–«—πμ°√—∫ª√–∑“π¢π¡ªíß·≈–

¡—πΩ√—ËßÚ) ™“«μ–«—πμ°‡ªìπ®”π«π¡“°¡—°®–√—∫-

ª√–∑“π¢π¡ªíß ·≈–/À√◊Õ¡—πΩ√—Ëß

∂÷ß·¡â«à“§π‰∑¬‡ªìπ®”π«π¡“° À√◊ÕÕ“®®–

‡ªìπ à«π„À≠à¥â«¬´È”∑’Ë√—∫ª√–∑“π¢â“«μÕπ‡™â“ ·μà

°Á„™à«à“§π‰∑¬®–∑”‡™àππ—Èπ‡À¡◊Õπ°—πÀ¡¥ ¥—ßπ—Èπ

‡«≈“查∂÷ßÀ√◊Õ‡¢’¬π∂÷ߺŸâ§π ®÷ß ¡§«√∑’Ë®–„™â§”«à“

ç§π∫“ߧπÀ√◊Õ∫“ß°≈ÿà¡é ç§π‡ªìπ®”π«π¡“°é

ç§πÀ≈“¬§π∑’‡¥’¬«é ç§π à«π¡“°é À√◊Õ ç§π

 à«π„À≠àé œ≈œ §«√À≈’°‡≈’ˬ߰“√„™â§”«à“ ç§π

∑ÿ°§πÀ√◊Õ∑—ÈßÀ¡¥é ‡«âπ·μà«à“®–‡°’ˬ«¢âÕß°—∫

§«“¡®”‡ªìπ¢—Èπæ◊Èπ∞“π¢Õß¡πÿ…¬å ‡™àπ ∑ÿ°§πμâÕß

°‘π‡æ◊ËÕÕ¬Ÿà

∑”‰¡Ω√—Ëß®÷ߢ’È∫àπ

§π‰∑¬À≈“¬§π∑’Ë ‡§¬√Ÿâ®—°™“«μ–«—πμ°

Õ“®§‘¥«à“ ™“«μ–«—πμ°¡—°‡ªìπ§π™à“ßμ‘ ™à“ß«à“

®Ÿâ®’È®ÿ°®‘° «à“‚πàπ«à“π’Ë®ππà“√”§“≠ ‡ªìπæ«°‰¡à‡§¬

æÕ„®Õ–‰√ §π‰∑¬‡À≈à“π’ȧ‘¥«à“ ™“«μ–«—πμ°

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4 >>> Correct English for Thais

to grumble, find fault (with), criticize, bellyache,complain.

In developed countries, arrangements andinstruments and vehicles are expected to oper-ate smoothly and go according to plan. So whenthings go according to plan and/or according totheir wishes, people say little, as that is whatthey expect. But when things do not go accord-ing to plan or the way they might wish, peoplecomplain, and some complain heartily and atlength. (A proverb: The squeaky wheel gets thegrease.)

But in developing countries it is expectedthat things often will not work properly and thatarrangements often will not go according to plan.(A plan is seen as something that people hope,not believe, will be carried out.) So people arequiet (for the most part) and say little when thingsgo wrong, as things going wrong is only to beexpected. When things go well people arepleased and complimentary.

Ω√—Ëߢ’Èπ°fiWhy?

Many people from developed countrieswho go on holidays in developing countries actlike yobbos (pron: YAW-bo, UK-Aust. English),yahoos (US-Can. English), louts, slobs; i.e. theyact without tact or sensitivity to the local peopleor customs where they are holidaying. Some doit because they do not care about local customs(çTheir government wants us to come, and so Ihave special rights/privileges to act pretty much

 à«π„À≠à™Õ∫∫àπ ™à“ß®—∫º‘¥ ™à“ß«‘æ“°…å«‘®“√≥å μ‘

‚πàπμ‘π’ˉ¡à¡’‡Àμÿº≈ ∫àπ‰ª‡√◊ËÕ¬

„π°≈ÿࡪ√–‡∑»æ—≤π“·≈â« ¡—°®–§“¥À«—ß

°—π«à“°“√®—¥°“√·≈–‡§√◊ËÕ߉¡â‡§√◊ËÕß¡◊Õμà“ß Ê √«¡

∂÷߇√◊ËÕ߬«¥¬“πæ“Àπ–®–¥”‡π‘π‰ªÕ¬à“ß√“∫√◊Ëπ

·≈–μ√ßμ“¡·ºπ°“√ ¥—ßπ—Èπ ‡¡◊ËÕ ‘Ëßμà“ß Ê ¥”‡π‘π

‰ªμ“¡·ºπ·≈–/À√◊Õ‡ªìπ‰ªμ“¡∑’ËμâÕß°“√ ‡¢“

°Á®–‰¡à查Ֆ‰√¡“° ‡π◊ËÕß®“° ‘Ëß∑’ˇ°‘¥¢÷Èππ—Èπ‡ªìπ‰ª

μ“¡∑’˧“¥À«—ß ·μàÀ“°‰¡à‡ªìπ‡™àππ—Èπ ‡¢“°Á¡—°®–

∫àπ«à“À√◊Õ√âÕ߇√’¬π ∫“ߧπ°Á®–∫àπÕ¬Ÿàπ—Ëπ ∫àπ·≈â«

∫àπÕ’° (¡’ ÿ¿“…‘μ∫∑Àπ÷Ëß«à“ ç≈âÕ√∂∑’Ë à߇ ’¬ß‡Õ’ͬ¥

Õä“¥®–‰¥â√—∫°“√À¬Õ¥πÈ”¡—π°àÕπé)

·μà„π°≈ÿࡪ√–‡∑»°”≈—ßæ—≤π“ §π¡—°

‰¡à§àÕ¬§“¥À«—ß«à“Õ–‰√ Ê ®–‡ªìπ‰ªÕ¬à“ß∂Ÿ°μâÕßπ—°

·≈–°“√¥”‡π‘π°“√„¥ Ê °Á¡—°®–‰¡à§àÕ¬ ”‡√Á®

μ“¡·ºπ (¡Õß°—π«à“°“√«“ß·ºπ‡ªìπ‡æ’¬ßΩíπ∑’Ë

«“¥‰«â ‰¡à‡™◊ËÕ«à“®–∑”„À⇰‘¥º≈‰¥â®√‘ß) ®÷ßæ“°—π

Àÿ∫ª“°‡ ’¬ (‡ªìπ à«π„À≠à) ·≈–‰¡à§àÕ¬μ‘«à“‡¡◊ËÕ

‡°‘¥§«“¡º‘¥æ≈“¥¢÷Èπ ∑—Èßπ’È ‡æ√“–‡ªìπ‡æ’¬ß ‘Ëß∑’Ë

§“¥°“√≥剫âÕ¬Ÿà·≈â« ·μàÀ“° ‘Ëßμà“ß Ê ‡°‘¥¥”‡π‘π

‰ªÕ¬à“ß√“∫√◊Ëπ°Á®–√Ÿâ ÷°æÕ„®·≈–π‘¬¡™¡™◊Ëπ

Ω√—Ëߢ’Èπ° . . . ∑”‰¡ ?

‡ ¡◊Ë Õ ‰ª ‡∑’Ë ¬ « „πª√– ‡∑»°”≈— ßæ—≤π“

π—°∑àÕ߇∑’ˬ«‡ªìπ®”π«π¡“°®“°ª√–‡∑»∑’Ëæ—≤π“

·≈â« ™Õ∫∑”μ—«‡À¡◊Õπæ«° yobbo (ÕÕ°‡ ’¬ß«à“

¬Õ-‚∫ ‡ªìπ§”∑’Ë„™â„π À√“™Õ“≥“®—°√ ·≈–ª√–‡∑»

ÕÕ ‡μ√‡≈’¬) yahoo (§”∑’Ë„™â„πª√–‡∑» À√—∞-

Õ‡¡√‘°“·≈–·§π“¥“) lout À√◊Õ slob ´÷ËßÀ¡“¬∂÷ß

°“√ª√–æƒμ‘μπ‰¡à‡¢â“∑à“À√◊Õ‰¡à∂Ÿ°°“≈‡∑»–°—∫

§πÀ√◊Õ∏√√¡‡π’¬¡∑âÕß∂‘Ëπ ∫“ߧπª√–æƒμ‘‡™àππ—Èπ

‡æ√“–‰¡à§‘¥®–„ à„® (ç√—∞∫“≈¢Õßæ«°π’ÈÕ¬“°„Àâ

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Culture

Common Mistakes I: Misunderstandings <<< 5

as I wish.é). Others do it because they do notcare about local people (çIûll never see them again,and so I donût care what they think.é). Some donot know what is appropriate, and East Asiansoften do not say, nor show with their facial ex-pressions, that they disapprove of the way thetourist is behaving and/or dressing, and so thetourist may not realize that s/he is acting likea yobbo. Some tourists never even think toexamine why they are behaving differently ontheir holidays than they might if they were athome, or whether their home behaviour isappropriate in the country they are visiting. Someothers have the attitude, çI will be me whereverI amé, thus showing that if a person looks, acts,and talks like a yobbo, then that may very wellbe what s/he is.

Why are so many Westerners fat?Fat in the West

Although being fat is culturally frownedupon in the West, many Westerners are fat.While a few people in any culture are fat dueto glandular or other medical conditions, manymore than just ça fewé Westerners are fat.To cite recent statistics spotted in Westernnewspapers, 65% of Americans and 53% ofBritons are overweight. This comes aboutbecause Westerners:

1) eat too much;2) eat the wrong foods;

æ«°¢â“¡“‡æ√“–ß—Èπ¢â“°Á¡’ ‘∑∏‘摇»…∑’Ë®–∑”Õ¬à“ß∑’Ë

¢â“Õ¬“°∑”é) ∫â“ß°Á‡ªìπ‡æ√“–‰¡à‡ÀÁ𧫓¡ ”§—≠

¢Õߧπ∑âÕß∂‘Ëπ (牡ࡒ«—π∑’ˢ⓮–æ∫‡®Õæ«°π’ÈÕ’°

‡æ√“–ß—Èπ¢â“®– π„®‰ª∑”‰¡«à“æ«°π’ȧ‘¥¬—߉ßé)

·≈–∫“ߧπ°Á‰¡à√Ÿâ«à“Õ–‰√‡À¡“–Õ–‰√§«√  à«π§π

‡Õ‡™’¬μ–«—πÕÕ°‡Õß°Á¡—°®–‰¡à查À√◊Õ· ¥ßÕÕ°

∑“ß ’Àπâ“«à “‰¡à™Õ∫«‘∏’°“√·μà ßμ—«·≈–/À√◊Õ

°“√ª√–æƒμ‘ªØ‘∫—μ‘¢Õßπ—°∑àÕ߇∑’ˬ« π—°∑àÕ߇∑’ˬ«

®÷ßÕ“®‰¡àμ√–Àπ—°«à“ μπ°”≈—ß∑”μ—«‡À¡◊ÕπΩ√—Ëߢ’Èπ°

∫“ߧπ‰¡à·¡â·μà®–§‘¥∑∫∑«πæƒμ‘°√√¡¢Õßμπ‡Õß

«à“‡Àμÿ„¥®÷ß∑”μ—«μà“ß®“°‡«≈“∑’ËÕ¬Ÿà„πª√–‡∑»∫â“π

‡°‘¥ À√◊Õ‰¡à·¡â·μà®–æ‘®“√≥“«à“ §«“¡ª√–æƒμ‘„π

·∫∫¢Õßμππ—Èπ ‡À¡“– ¡°—∫ª√–‡∑»∑’ˇ¢â“‰ª‡∑’ˬ«

À√◊Õ‰¡à ∫“ߧπ¡’∑—»π§μ‘«à“ ç∂÷ߢ⓮–Õ¬Ÿà∑’ˉÀπ ¢â“°Á

®–‡ªìπ¢Õߢâ“Õ¬à“ßπ’Èé ´÷Ëß°Á· ¥ß„Àâ‡ÀÁπÕ¬Ÿà·≈â««à“

§π∑’Ë¡’∑à“∑“ß·≈–¬—ߪ√–æƒμ‘ªØ‘∫—μ‘μπ·≈–查®“

‡À¡◊ÕπΩ√—Ëߢ’Èπ° °ÁÕ“®‡ªìπÕ¬à“ß∑’ˇ¢“· ¥ßÕÕ°¡“

®√‘ß Ê π—Ëπ·À≈–

∑”‰¡™“«μ–«—πμ°∂÷ßÕâ«π°—ππ—°‡√◊ËÕßÕâ«π Ê „πΩíòßμ–«—πμ°

∂÷ß·¡â«à“§«“¡Õâ«π‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕßÀπâ“π‘Ë«§‘È«¢¡«¥

 ”À√—∫«—≤π∏√√¡μ–«—πμ°·μà°Á ‡ÀÁπ ‡¢“Õâ «π

°—π‡ªìπ·∂« „π¢≥–∑’ËæÕ®–¡’§πÕâ«πÕ¬Ÿà∫â“ß„π

«—≤π∏√√¡Õ◊ËπÕ—π‡π◊ËÕß®“°μàÕ¡À√◊Õ¿“«–Õ◊Ëπ Ê „π

√à“ß°“¬ ·μà§πμ–«—πμ°°≈—∫¡’¡“°°«à“§”«à“ çæÕ¡’é

‡ ’¬Õ’°  ∂‘쑇¡◊ËÕ‰¡àπ“π¡“π’Èμ“¡Àπâ“Àπ—ß ◊Õæ‘¡æå

μ–«—πμ°√–∫ÿ«à“ ™“«Õ‡¡√‘°—π√âÕ¬≈– ˆı ·≈–™“«

Õ—ß°ƒ…√âÕ¬≈– ıÛ ª√– ∫ªí≠À“πÈ”Àπ—°‡°‘π¥â«¬

‡Àμÿº≈¥—ßμàÕ‰ªπ’È

Ò) √—∫ª√–∑“π¡“°‡°‘π‰ª

Ú) √—∫ª√–∑“πÕ“À“√∑ÿæ‚¿™π“°“√

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6 >>> Correct English for Thais

3) eat at the wrong times; and4) do not get enough exercise.

Why are Westerners forgetful, and is thata bad thing?Forgetful

In the West, being forgetful or absent-minded is not as scorned as ¢’È≈◊¡ seems toconnote to most Thais. Being forgetful is seensimply as the way many people are, and isviewed with mild amusement if thought of at all.Possibly the greater forgetfulness of many West-erners compared to many Thais is due to thelesser importance placed upon remembering inWestern cultures. For example, rememberingsomeoneûs name is not considered particularlyimportant unless you have a connection withthat person.

Another reason Westerners are moreforgetful than Easterners might be the lesserimportance placed on remembering in Westerneducation systems than in traditional Asianeducation systems. Western school and post-secondary students are taught to analyzeinformation. They are taught how and where tofind information, to understand and developanalyses of the information. Very little emphasisis placed on remembering the information afterit has been dealt with. Information is seen assomething to be used and manipulated, notnecessarily to be memorized. Thus Westernersare never trained in memorization as Thais are,

Û) √—∫ª√–∑“πÕ“À“√º‘¥‡«≈“ ·≈–

Ù) ÕÕ°°”≈—ß°“¬‰¡à‡æ’¬ßæÕ

∑”‰¡§πμ–«—πμ°®÷ߢ’È≈◊¡ ·≈–¡—π‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕ߇≈«√⓬լà“ßπ—ÈπÀ√◊Õ¢’È≈◊¡

„πª√–‡∑»μ–«—πμ° °“√‡ªìπ§π≈◊¡ßà“¬À√◊Õ

„®≈Õ¬‰¡à‰¥â‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕßπà“¥Ÿ∂Ÿ°‡À¡◊Õπ°—∫∑’˧π‰∑¬

 à«π„À≠à√Ÿâ ÷°°—π °“√‡ªìπ§π¢’È≈◊¡‚¥¬∑—Ë«‰ª°Á‡ªìπ

‡√◊ËÕߪ√°μ‘∑’ËÀ≈“¬ Ê §π‡ªìπ ·≈–À“°§‘¥‰ª·≈â«

ÕÕ°®–‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕßπà“¢—ππ‘¥ Ê ¥â«¬´È” ‡ªìπ‰ª‰¥â«à“

°“√∑’Ë™“«μ–«—πμ°À≈“¬§π¡’Õ“°“√¢’È≈◊¡¡“°°«à“

‡¡◊ËÕ‡ª√’¬∫‡∑’¬∫°—∫§π‰∑¬π—Èπ  ◊∫‡π◊ËÕß®“°«—≤π-

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Culture

Common Mistakes I: Misunderstandings <<< 7

and information is not usually memorized byWesterners unless they think it is particularlyimportant.

Do parents want to live with their grownchildren?

While the phenomenon of elderly parentsliving with their grown children may not beuncommon in Thailand, it is uncommon in thedeveloped West (and is becoming less commonin Japan) unless the people in question arerecent immigrants from a developing country.This does not mean the children do not carefor or love their parents. The parents often donot want to live with their children, nor wouldthe children want them to. Children are broughtup to be self-reliant, to stand on their own twofeet and not rely on others very much. Theparents themselves have always been andwill want to continue (if possible) to be self-reliant as well. Visits, even lengthy ones, areokay, but usually neither side wants to livetogether permanently; both sides want to beindependent.

Do Westerners understand 燰√ß„®é?

‡°√ß„® has been defined by culturalanthropologist Niels Mulder as çanticipatingand taking into consideration the thoughts,feelings, and wishes of others before acting.éWesterners often define it as çbeing thoughtfuléor çbeing considerateé, but that is only 50% of

ºŸâ ª°§√ÕßÕ¬“°Õ¬Ÿà∫â“π‡¥’¬«°—∫≈Ÿ°∑’Ë ‚μ·≈â«À√◊Õ‰¡à ?

¿“æ∑’ËæàÕ·¡à Ÿß«—¬Õ“»—¬Õ¬Ÿà°—∫≈Ÿ°∑’Ë‚μ·≈â«

Õ“®‰¡à„™à‡√◊ËÕß·ª≈°„πª√–‡∑»‰∑¬·μà‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕß

·ª≈°„πª√–‡∑»∑’Ëæ—≤π“·≈â«„π·∂∫μ–«—πμ°

(·≈–°”≈—ß°≈“¬‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕß·ª≈°„πª√–‡∑»≠’˪ÿÉπ

¥â«¬) ‡«âπ·μà«à“§π‡À≈à“π—Èπ‡æ‘ËßÕæ¬æ¡“®“°

ª√–‡∑»°”≈—ßæ—≤π“  ‘Ëß∑’ˇ°‘¥¢÷Èππ’ȉ¡à‰¥âÀ¡“¬§«“¡

«à“≈Ÿ° Ê ‰¡à‡Õ“„®„ à À√◊Õ‰¡à√—°∫ÿæ°“√’ ∫àÕ¬§√—Èß°Á

‡ªìπæàÕ·¡à‡Õß∑’ˉ¡àμâÕß°“√Õ“»—¬Õ¬Ÿà°—∫≈Ÿ° Ê ‡À¡◊Õπ

°—∫∑’Ë≈Ÿ°°Á‰¡àμâÕß°“√„ÀâæàÕ·¡à¡“Õ“»—¬Õ¬Ÿà¥â«¬ §π

‡ªìπ≈Ÿ°‰¥â√—∫°“√‡≈’ȬߥŸ„Àâ√Ÿâ®—°æ÷Ëßμπ‡Õß ¬◊πÀ¬—¥

∫π Õ߇∑â“¢Õßμπ‡Õß ‰¡àՑߧπÕ◊Ëπ¡“°π—° æàÕ·¡à

‡Õß°ÁÕ¬“°æ÷Ëßæ‘ßμ—«‡Õߥ⫬ ·≈– (À“°‡ªìπ‰ª‰¥â)

°Á¬—ßÕ¬“°æ÷Ëßæ‘ßμ—«‡Õ߉ª‡√◊ËÕ¬ Ê °“√‰ª‡¬’ˬ¡‡¬’¬π

°—π ·¡â®–‡ªìπ°“√‡¬’ˬ¡§√—Èß≈–π“π Ê °Áπ—∫‡ªìπ

‡√◊ËÕß∑’Ë¥’ ·μàª√°μ‘·≈â« ‰¡à¡’ΩÉ“¬‰ÀπμâÕß°“√

Õ“»—¬Õ¬Ÿà√à«¡™“¬§“‡¥’¬«°—πÕ¬à“ß∂“«√ μà“ßΩÉ“¬

μà“ß°ÁμâÕß°“√Õ¬ŸàÕ¬à“߇ªìπ‡Õ°‡∑»

™“«μ–«—πμ°√Ÿâ®—° 燰√ß„®é À√◊Õ‰¡à

π—°¡“πÿ…¬«‘∑¬“¥â“π«—≤π∏√√¡™◊ËÕ Niels

Mulder 𑬓¡§”«à“ 燰√ß„®é ‰«â«à“‡ªìπ ç°“√§“¥-

À¡“¬·≈–°“√§”π÷ß∂÷ߧ«“¡§‘¥ §«“¡√Ÿâ ÷°·≈–

§«“¡μâÕß°“√¢ÕߺŸâÕ◊Ëπ°àÕπ®–°√–∑”°“√„¥ Êé

‚¥¬∑—Ë«‰ª ™“«μ–«—πμ°¡—°®–„À⧔®”°—¥§«“¡μ√ß

°—∫§”«à“ being thoughtful À√◊Õ being considerate

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8 >>> Correct English for Thais

the Thai concept. Some other cultures have thesame concept fi çtepa seliraé of the Javanese,for example fi but many do not.

It is very difficult and usually takes a longtime for someone who is not part of a cultureto understand and internalize cultural conceptsthat are alien to his/her own, which is whymany Westerners do not understand ‡°√ß„®.They do not realize when they are causingothers to lose face; they only realize or feel itwhen it happens to themselves. It is simply alack of understanding.

Some Westerners may even try to causeother people to lose face (synonyms: cut aperson down, show a person up, put a persondown, etc.) because they think or feel it showsthem as being smarter or somehow better thanthose other people. But this is not common.Much more often they are acting through igno-rance, not malice.

People in big cities everywhere tendto be more similar to each other regardless ofnational background than do people in smallercenters. In New York and Buenos Aires andJakarta and Bangkok, çbig-city peopleé tend tobe pressed for time and in a hurry. They tendto be unconcerned about others and veryconcerned with the accumulation of money andacquiring status-laden, expensive possessions.

·μàπ—Ëπ„À⧫“¡√Ÿâ ÷°‰¥â‡æ’¬ß§√÷Ë߇¥’¬«¢Õß√–¥—∫

§«“¡‡°√ß„®·∫∫‰∑¬ Ê ∑—»π§μ‘„π‡√◊ËÕߧ«“¡

‡°√ß„®‡™àππ’Ȫ√“°Ø„π«—≤π∏√√¡™“μ‘Õ◊Ëπ¥â«¬

¥—߇™àπ «—≤π∏√√¡™«“ ´÷Ë߇√’¬°«à“ tepa selira ·μà

°Á¡’À≈“¬ª√–‡∑»∑’ˉ¡à¡’«—≤π∏√√¡‡™àπ∑’Ë«à“π’È

 ”À√—∫§π∑’ˉ¡à‰¥â‡ªìπ à«πÀπ÷ËߢÕß«—≤π∏√√¡

π—Èπ π—∫‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕ߬“°¡“°·≈–¡—°®–μâÕß„™â‡«≈“

π“π°«à“®–‡¢â“„® ·≈–´÷¡´—∫·π«§‘¥¢Õß«—≤π∏√√¡

´÷Ëßμà“߉ª®“°«—≤π∏√√¡¢Õßμπ π’ˇªìπ‡Àμÿº≈∑’Ë™“«

μ–«—πμ°À≈“¬§π‰¡à‡¢â“„®·π«§‘¥‡√◊ËÕߧ«“¡‡°√ß„®

‡¢“‰¡à√Ÿâ«à“°”≈—ß∑”„Àâ§πÕ◊Ëπ‡ ’¬Àπâ“ ®–μ√–Àπ—°À√◊Õ

√Ÿâ ÷°°ÁμàÕ‡¡◊ËÕ‡°‘¥¢÷Èπ°—∫μ—«‡Õß ́ ÷Ë߇À≈à“π’ȇ°‘¥®“°°“√

¢“¥§«“¡‡¢â“„®π—Ëπ‡Õß

™“«μ–«—πμ°∫“ߧπÕ“®∂÷ß°—∫欓¬“¡

∑”„À⺟âÕ◊ËπÕ—∫Õ“¬ (§”‡À¡◊Õπ §◊Õ∑”„À⺟âÕ◊Ëπμ°μË”

ª√–®“πºŸâÕ◊Ëπ ∑”„À⺟âÕ◊Ëπ¥Ÿ·¬à ‡ªìπμâπ) ‡æ√“–§‘¥

À√◊Õ√Ÿâ ÷°«à“ °“√°√–∑”‡™àππ—Èπ®–∑”„Àâμπ¥Ÿ©≈“¥

°«à“À√◊Õ¥’°«à“ ·μà∑’Ë°≈à“«¡“π’ȉ¡à‰¥â‡°‘¥¢÷Èπ‡ ¡Õ‰ª

∑’ˇ°‘¥¢÷Èπ∫àÕ¬°«à“¡“° §◊Õ°√≥’∑’Ë∑”‰ª‡æ√“–§«“¡√Ÿâ

‡∑à“‰¡à∂÷ß°“√≥å ‰¡à„™à¥â«¬‡®μπ“√⓬

§π∑’ËÕ“»—¬„π‡¡◊Õß„À≠àÊ ∑ÿ°·Ààß ¡’

·π«‚πâ¡∑’Ë®–¡’Õ–‰√‡À¡◊Õπ Ê °—π¡“°°«à“ºŸâ§π

„π™ÿ¡™π∑’ˇ≈Á°°«à“ ∑—Èßπ’È ‚¥¬‰¡à§”π÷ß∂÷ßæ◊Èπ∞“π

„π‡√◊ËÕ߇™◊ÈÕ™“μ‘ „ππ§√𑫬Õ√å° °√ÿß∫—«‚π ‰Õ‡√ 

°√ÿß®“°“√åμ“ ·≈–°√ÿ߇∑æœ ç™“«°√ÿßé ¡—°®–∂Ÿ°

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®–‰¡à π„®§πÕ◊Ëπ Ê ·μà®–æ–«ß°—∫°“√À“‡ß‘π∑Õß

°“√‰¥â¡“´÷Ëß∞“π– ·≈–°“√‡ªìπ‡®â“¢Õß∑√—æ¬å ‘π∑’Ë

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_10-0355(001-008) 3/1/10, 1:22 PM8