Careers aliens do not + whore dust: Thainglish at its finest
A recent unintentionally hilarious, but nevertheless highly embarrassing case of “lost in translation” calls to mind that English proficiency is not at its best in Thailand.
Well, we all know that. But that it’s so bad at the highest levels is a bit astounding.
Here is a list published by the Thai Ministry of Labour a few days ago on its Internet portal, listing occupations and professions that are prohibited for foreign workers.
The fun starts with the headline “Careers aliens do not”
and carries on by saying “Not alien to the professional set of career. Professional and not an alien to do. Set in professional video and tea alien life that do not. 2522.”
Among the prohibited professions are some really cryptic ones:
“The Proletariat”
“Farmers gas party animals of the forest or fishery”
“The driving vehicle”
“The sale of every page”
“The haircut or the curl of beauty”
“Paper hand job”
“Lghin a job”
“Job Thai dolls”
“Job Buddha”
Thankfully, interpreter is not on that list, and after it went viral in the Internet, the Ministry of Labour obviously called one in that can do the job, and published the corrected list here, replacing what was obviously a machine translation.
The episode was made the central topic of an August 16 editorial in the Bangkok Post, which rightly said that the are deeper issues and the problem is bigger than just shoddy translations. The big issue is that Thailand, instead of bracing itself for new competition within the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community, counters with protectionism as it is worried that Thais will lose out in the job market to Myanmar nationals, Cambodians and Filipinos – instead of better qualifying its own people. That this is not a great concept for the future, goes without saying.
However, actually we would miss the world-famous Thainglish which is probably why we should keep calling the country “Land of Smiles.”
[caption id="attachment_26243" align="alignleft" width="400"] Click to enlarge[/caption] A recent unintentionally hilarious, but nevertheless highly embarrassing case of "lost in translation" calls to mind that English proficiency is not at its best in Thailand. Well, we all know that. But that it's so bad at the highest levels is a bit astounding. Here is a list published by the Thai Ministry of Labour a few days ago on its Internet portal, listing occupations and professions that are prohibited for foreign workers. The fun starts with the headline "Careers aliens do not" and carries on by saying "Not alien to the professional...
A recent unintentionally hilarious, but nevertheless highly embarrassing case of “lost in translation” calls to mind that English proficiency is not at its best in Thailand.
Well, we all know that. But that it’s so bad at the highest levels is a bit astounding.
Here is a list published by the Thai Ministry of Labour a few days ago on its Internet portal, listing occupations and professions that are prohibited for foreign workers.
The fun starts with the headline “Careers aliens do not”
and carries on by saying “Not alien to the professional set of career. Professional and not an alien to do. Set in professional video and tea alien life that do not. 2522.”
Among the prohibited professions are some really cryptic ones:
“The Proletariat”
“Farmers gas party animals of the forest or fishery”
“The driving vehicle”
“The sale of every page”
“The haircut or the curl of beauty”
“Paper hand job”
“Lghin a job”
“Job Thai dolls”
“Job Buddha”
Thankfully, interpreter is not on that list, and after it went viral in the Internet, the Ministry of Labour obviously called one in that can do the job, and published the corrected list here, replacing what was obviously a machine translation.
The episode was made the central topic of an August 16 editorial in the Bangkok Post, which rightly said that the are deeper issues and the problem is bigger than just shoddy translations. The big issue is that Thailand, instead of bracing itself for new competition within the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community, counters with protectionism as it is worried that Thais will lose out in the job market to Myanmar nationals, Cambodians and Filipinos – instead of better qualifying its own people. That this is not a great concept for the future, goes without saying.
However, actually we would miss the world-famous Thainglish which is probably why we should keep calling the country “Land of Smiles.”
