The Man Who Never Learned Thai

Dear friend,

One of the strange things about living abroad is realizing not everyone experiences a country the same way.

A few months ago, I met an older man who’d lived in Thailand for over 12 years.

“Wow, do you speak Thai too?” I asked him.

He paused.

Then before he could speak, his Thai wife chimed in:

“Not really.“

It shocked me, to be honest.

I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be fluent. But after living in a country for more than a decade, I figured he’d at least know enough to hold a simple conversation.

I’m sure he had his reasons.

Maybe he never needed it.

Maybe he hung out mainly with other expats.

It begs the question though…

Is it still worth learning another language in 2026?

If you’re only traveling somewhere for a week or two, I’d say learning a few basic phrases is a sign of respect. A nice gesture, but not totally necessary.

(I can’t speak for every country, but Thais usually appreciate the effort… even if you completely butcher the pronunciation 😉)

Google Translate is more than capable of helping you order food, ask for directions, read a menu, or figure out which bus to catch.

But traveling somewhere and living somewhere are two completely different things.

You can’t pull out your phone every time someone starts chatting with you.

Or at least…

…not without making things awkward.

Just the other day while getting a massage near my condo, I was able to tell my masseuse in Thai (who didn’t speak a word of English) “Could you use a little less pressure?“

(Those massages can be painful lol)

Or when I’d like a coffee to go, I can ask “Can I have a bag please?” directly without fumbling through my phone trying to find the Google Translate app.

Ease of living, I’d say.

Over the past 6 months of learning Thai (and more recently, learning how to write Thai) I’ve found that even knowing the language to a basic level opens up so many fun, and sometimes hilarious conversations that could’ve never happened with Google Translate.

Shop owners smile when I order in Thai…

Taxi drivers ask where I’m from…

And of course, we all laugh whenever nobody quite understands.

Conversations that would’ve ended after “hello” now last a minute or two. Usually clumsy on my end (I mix up tones and forget words lol) but nobody cares.

They just seem happy I’m trying.

I think that’s what learning a language is all about.

Anybody can pull up Google Translate, and it will probably do you just fine. Though to truly connect with a place, to be more than a mere traveler passing through…

…learning the language is, in my opinion, 100% worth the effort.

~ Joshua
Chiang Mai, Thailand 🇹🇭