Chiang Mai

[Syzygies]

I haven't tried it for chatting, but for other things I've found this one works much better than Google: https://www.thai2english.com/.

Was using it for a bit while trying to learn Thai too. I failed, but will take it up again soon I hope.

Sorry it certainly is not a method for helping to learn Thai. Perhaps you did not intend that meaning. You can use a dictionary to get all the possible meanings for a Thai word.

[Syzygies]

While most of this is true, it is not very relevant as to why plain Thai writing is mashed by the Auto Translate:

Another example:
ขาว หุ่นดี หน้าเด็ก เนื้อนุ่ม นมมหาลัย บริการประทับใจ
สนใจติดต่อขอรายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมได้ที่

Auto Translate:
White puppies in front of children, soft milk, college milk service impressed.
Please contact us for more details.

My Translate:
White skin, good figure, baby face, soft flesh, college girl tits, impressive service, if interested, you can contact us for more details.

Nothing whatsoever that could be translated to "puppies". LOL It just imagined that word or is trying to use it as a euphemism for something, but the tits had not been at all mentioned at that stage of the script. So that is mystifying. First word by itself is just "White". That has to be interpreted as white skin, not white puppies. LOL.

Part of the problem, is that the Thai does not use proper sentences. It is just a string of words, or clauses. The translate should be capable of seeing spaces between things in the Thai which suggest things to be translated separately, not combined.

I fed the same example into thai2english.com:

"khao" to be white; light coloured.
"hun dee" good puppet.
"na thek" childish face.
"nua-num nom-maha-a-lai bor-ri-gaan-bpr-tap-jai" Nueanum Namomhalai Borikanprathapchai.

I don't see it is doing much better than Google, and the last phrase shown here is not translated at all for some reason. It should have been translated as "soft flesh, college girl tits, impressive service" or approximation.

So I have to remain sceptical to it's use for translating colloquial phrases that girls might write. I will try it on some formal Thai script another time and see how close it gets.

Anyone knows that the very common Thai expression "hun dee" means (the girl) has a good figure. "Good puppet" does not cut it. It means the software is not recognising a phrase and attempting to translate individual words without using context to choose the right meaning, when a word has several alternate meanings.

If a Thai word always had exactly one meaning and one way to translate it, then the software could do well. In reality to do well, it has to recognise common phrases, and at least groups of words that occur next to each other often.

If they don't have an adequate database of translated phrases, and a method to match them, why bother? If a word like "hun" has 3 or 4 meanings, it makes no sense to select any one of those meanings. Hence out came "puppet", a rare meaning for "hun" instead of "figure" a more common meaning. "mannequin" is another possible meaning.

Thai-language.com is a dictionary and sometimes recognises common expressions.
Fed this expression:

หุ่นดี

into it (hun dee) and it came up with:
(of male physique and female figure) well-built, in great shape.

So why does it do better than "good puppet"? O.K. Just got lucky this time. Most of the other expressions, less common, it would not know.

[Werqweq]

I don't think you have the patience for it. With a little persistence, and tech savvy, you can enter that scene too.

I haven't tried it for chatting, but for other things I've found this one works much better than Google: https://www.thai2english.com/.

Was using it for a bit while trying to learn Thai too. I failed, but will take it up again soon I hope.

[Arthur Tick]

Are you telling me after probably 10 + years in chiang mai enjoying cheap food and lodging and thai hospitality you have no thai relation that would for a small price pound the keys on your behalf? What does that mean?

What does it mean? It means I have failed, not only myself but also all the other posters on here as well. I must withdraw myself from society, become a monk and reflect on where I've gone wrong in life.

[Forever69]

I would have no objections against paying a reasonable price

Are you telling me after probably 10 + years in chiang mai enjoying cheap food and lodging and thai hospitality you have no thai relation that would for a small price pound the keys on your behalf? What does that mean?

[Member #4591]

Sometimes when a service is offered for free and doesn't work, then that still amounts to receiving nothing, free or otherwise. If I offered you a mouldy past it's sell by date bar of chocolate, then in fact I am not giving you anything. I could say; I know it's useless, but it is free, so be grateful.

I would have no objections against paying a reasonable price for an automatic translation service that is accurate and works, but at the moment that option is not available. It would be well worth the price because being able to text in legible translated Thai and vice versa would open up many doors for us in Thailand that are presently keeping us firmly locked on the outside.

I have learned there is a booming mongers scene in Chiang Mai that is restricted and limited to us because of the language barriers. So paying for a decent service would be of great benefit and I'm sure many would be up for it.

I don't think you have the patience for it. With a little persistence, and tech savvy, you can enter that scene too.

[Arthur Tick]

Free of charge of course.

Sometimes when a service is offered for free and doesn't work, then that still amounts to receiving nothing, free or otherwise. If I offered you a mouldy past it's sell by date bar of chocolate, then in fact I am not giving you anything. I could say; I know it's useless, but it is free, so be grateful.

I would have no objections against paying a reasonable price for an automatic translation service that is accurate and works, but at the moment that option is not available. It would be well worth the price because being able to text in legible translated Thai and vice versa would open up many doors for us in Thailand that are presently keeping us firmly locked on the outside.

I have learned there is a booming mongers scene in Chiang Mai that is restricted and limited to us because of the language barriers. So paying for a decent service would be of great benefit and I'm sure many would be up for it.

[Dg8787]

Free of charge of course.

It is free of charge now and no one has come up with it. The power of "for profit" will come up with it!

We can wish for everything free and get nothing.

[GoodEnough]

.
But translating an Asian language into a European language is a completely different ballgame, often there are no translations from certain Asian languages into English, so it becomes a guessing game. I find it really frustrating. It amazes me that after many years these machine translation services are unable to provide credible translations and can be at times completely useless, only giving a hint of the meanings of translated words. Hoping in the future someone will invent an automatic translation system that actually works.

I have the same problem with Tagalog (Philippino), which all of the translation software bungles completely and the result is simply often gibberish. Given that Tagalog has no tenses and no conjugations, perhaps this is understandable. The problem in the Philippines (and perhaps Thailand) is that locals freely mix Tagalog with words and verbs from the regional patois (such as Visayan) with the result being a melange of at least two languages.

GE.

[Forever69]

Hoping in the future someone will invent an automatic translation system that actually works.

Free of charge of course.

[Mostek6502]

I should clarify this, I have not been clear. My Isaan girlfriend will post comments onto facebook or line (for all to read, not just me). These comments will be in the Isaan language (Lao) using Thai characters. They are really meant for consumption by her friends. I cut and paste them into translate to try and figure out what they are talking about. That is when the translation mashes it all up. Sorry, when she chats with me she uses "correct" Thai only rarely, mostly it is in English.

[Arthur Tick]

A language is an unbreakable code, unless the language is known somewhat. Americans used the Navaho native language as a basis for an unbreakable code during the war, since the enemy had no knowledge of the language whatsoever. Meanwhile the German's Enigma machine code, was breakable and assisted firstly by the "bombe" machine of rotating turrets, and later code breaking was done by the world's first computer Collossus. A completely unknown language is not breakable by computers. The language has to be learned by exposure to massive amounts of it in a meaningful context.

Google translate should be trying to match phrases or parts of phrases to known already translated texts, and failing that look up short phrases or words in dictionaries, and have some clues about the language grammar structure. Then it has to pick one of several possible meanings of a word based on context. Thai has such loose grammar structure and omission of implied words, that going from Thai to English maybe more difficult than the reverse. Many Thai words can be used as several of nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs all from the same word. From structure of a sentence the program has to decide which it is.

e.g. "geng" = to be skilful (verb), skilful (adj), skilfully (adverb)
"Thorasap" = to telephone (verb), or Telephone (noun)
"Khmer" can be noun or adjective

A Thai pronoun like "khao" could mean he, she, or they, and my GF even uses it to mean "I" or "me". Needs a smart program to guess which one. LOL

Many of my ancestors came from Holland and I have been working on my family history for a number of years. This often involves using Google to translate Dutch into English and even then the translated English sentences can be mumbo jumbo. But being I am translating one European language to another European language it gives me a fighting chance of making sense of it all and eventually I manage to create an article in perfect English translated from the Dutch.

But translating an Asian language into a European language is a completely different ballgame, often there are no translations from certain Asian languages into English, so it becomes a guessing game. I find it really frustrating. It amazes me that after many years these machine translation services are unable to provide credible translations and can be at times completely useless, only giving a hint of the meanings of translated words. Hoping in the future someone will invent an automatic translation system that actually works.

[Syzygies]

As I said; it is a parallel world and almost impossible to find a code to break in unless fluent in Thai and all the dialects that go with it.

A language is an unbreakable code, unless the language is known somewhat. Americans used the Navaho native language as a basis for an unbreakable code during the war, since the enemy had no knowledge of the language whatsoever. Meanwhile the German's Enigma machine code, was breakable and assisted firstly by the "bombe" machine of rotating turrets, and later code breaking was done by the world's first computer Collossus. A completely unknown language is not breakable by computers. The language has to be learned by exposure to massive amounts of it in a meaningful context.

Google translate should be trying to match phrases or parts of phrases to known already translated texts, and failing that look up short phrases or words in dictionaries, and have some clues about the language grammar structure. Then it has to pick one of several possible meanings of a word based on context. Thai has such loose grammar structure and omission of implied words, that going from Thai to English maybe more difficult than the reverse. Many Thai words can be used as several of nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs all from the same word. From structure of a sentence the program has to decide which it is.

e.g. "geng" = to be skilful (verb), skilful (adj), skilfully (adverb)
"Thorasap" = to telephone (verb), or Telephone (noun)
"Khmer" can be noun or adjective

A Thai pronoun like "khao" could mean he, she, or they, and my GF even uses it to mean "I" or "me". Needs a smart program to guess which one. LOL

[Syzygies]

I don't know what it does or the Thai language, but when I am using translate to talk to an Isaan girl on "line" the translate does a terrible job. It's only because they are using Thai characters to talk another language, IE Issan (which is the same as Lao).

My GF sometimes speaks to me in Issan dialect (just to tease me I suspect since I understand perhaps only 50% of Issan. The real easy stuff or words common with Thai). However when she messages me, it is virtually always plain Thai. It is possible for her to throw in a simple Issan phrase in Thai script for fun, e. G. (here converted to Romanised) "Bor bpen nyang dork" (mai bpen rai. No worries) or "bpai la der" (let's go). However not common.

Normally Issan girls can type plain Thai script very well. So I am surprised if your girl really makes it difficult by using Issan in a message. Perhaps you can post an example phrase (in the Thai script), and I can confirm if it is really Issan dialect, since you would not be able to tell yourself, most likely.

The two girls I know that really mess up their Thai script somewhat are non Thai girls, one from northern mountains of Myanmar, and other from Savanakhet (Laos) who likes to use Issan like spellings of some words (Seu rather than Cheu, hak rather than rak). Real Thai girls make spelling mistakes or typos like anyone else, but otherwise it should be good Thai. Almost all Thai girls can speak plain Thai too.

Remember that auto translators already stuff up converting plain Thai to English, quite badly, so I will be surprised if Issan dialect is really used to make it totally impossible to work.

[Arthur Tick]

I don't know what it does or the Thai language, but when I am using translate to talk to an Isaan girl on "line" the translate does a terrible job. It's only because they are using Thai characters to talk another language, IE Issan (which is the same as Lao).

As I said; it is a parallel world and almost impossible to find a code to break in unless fluent in Thai and all the dialects that go with it. It's a shame because I recently heard of an undercover dek sideline scheme which is run by a Thai lady who was a receptionist in a Chiang Mai hotel not far from where I live. She was supplying girls from 16 to early 20's for 1500 baht. 1000 for the girls and 500 baht for the woman agent. I heard about this from the news as the agent was arrested, but I guess there are many more in operation. In the news report it said that these girls were supplied to Thai customers, police, local authority workers and businessmen. But hidden well out of sight from Farangs. A sideline agent could be operating next door to my house, but I still wouldn't get to know about it, unless by chance.

Consider this; to hire an early 20's escort from an escort agency can cost almost 6 times what the Thais are paying for the equivalent or even better quality dek sideline girls. Also I know in my area there are love motels, hire a room for two hours cost 100 baht, but again all strictly for Thais. I am starting to feel segregated and deprived living in this country.