It was just supposed to be a holiday, but you arrived in Thailand and instantly knew you’d want to try living here. Now, you’re getting everything ready, packing your bags, processing your visa and finding the perfect home in Thailand.
But have you also considered taking one of those Thai language courses for foreigners (also known as เรียนภาษาไทยสำหรับชาวต่างชาติ in Thai)? Here’s why should include it in your must-do list:
Learning the local language is your first step to becoming a local.
Being a foreigner in a country that speaks a different language can get overwhelming, and a lot of people don’t realise it until they’re a few months into moving in. Now you don’t want to be a tourist in Thailand. If you’re living here, you’d want to feel like a local and the only way to do that is if you speak their language. Taking a language course shows the locals that you’re making the effort to blend in and not stand out, and they surely appreciate that.
Learning the local language makes navigating through life a lot easier.
Sure, there’s Google for just about everything. But let’s face it, you can’t be that foreigner who constantly clicks his phone whenever he needs to buy something or eat out. Learning basic conversational skills help you navigate through life in Thailand a lot easier since you can communicate your needs to locals in a more precise way than just broken English or hand signals. For instance, if you’re trying to order food, you get to tell them exactly how you want it, so you won’t have to eat something that you don’t like. Speaking the local language also protects you from possible scams since you know and understand everything well.
Learning the language allows you to enjoy life in Thailand better.
How fun would it be to surprise everyone by speaking their language? When you break that language barrier, you also break the limitations that come with it, so you can focus on having fun and living the best life in Thailand. You get to appreciate things like their films, their music and even the news. You also get to live with confidence knowing that you are part of the community even if you look differently from them.
Finally
Learning the local language is one of the best ways to show the locals that you honor and respect their culture. Thai people are known to preserve their history and culture, and they truly appreciate people who take the time to learn about them. Learning the language doesn’t only mean getting to talk to the locals more seamlessly, but it’s also a way of gaining their respect.
And wouldn’t it be fun to add another language to your list? Being able to speak different languages definitely has a lot of advantages not only when you’re living in Thailand but also in living your life in general. You get more opportunities for work and building your career and you get to impress people knowing that you have a skill not many people have.