May 3, 2010 Thai Judges Delegation Special points of Administrative Office of the Courts Volume 1, Issue 1 Certified Court Interpreter Program interest: Society Etiquette Kingdom of Thailand - Background Notes Did You Know That… Geography: other. either the Royal or National Anthem is played. The Na- Public Behavior Do’s and Area: 198,114 sq. mi. Languages: Don’ts tional Anthem is played daily at (equivalent to the size of Thai (official language); English 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. in public France, or slightly smaller than is the second language of the places and simultaneously Texas) elite; Malay and regional dia- broadcast on television and Cities: Capital--Bangkok lects. radio. Virtually all shops and (population 9,668,854) Education: business have portraits of the People: Years compulsory--12. Liter- King and Queen. above them. acy--94.9% male, 90.5% female. Nationality: Noun and adjec- tive--Thai. Population (2009 est.): 67.0 Monarchy: million The monarchy is deeply re- Ethnic groups: Thai 89%, other vered by the Thai people and 11%. strict customs towards it are observed. Never speak disre- Religions: spectfully of the Royal family; Inside this issue: to do so is a criminal offence. Buddhist 93-94%, Muslim 5-6%, Christian 1%, Hindu, Brahmin, Always stand quietly when Background Notes 1 Thai Society Thai Culture 2 Society Meeting and Gift 2 Hierarchical Society When Thais meet a stranger, Status can be determined by Giving Etiquette they will immediately try to clothing and general appear- Thais respect hierarchical rela- place you within a hierarchy so ance, age, job, education, family Business Meeting 3 tionships. and Dress Etiquette they know how you should be name, and social connections. Social relationships are defined Did You Know 3 treated. That... as one person being superior This is often done by asking to the other. Parents are supe- Cultural 4 what might be seen as very Competency rior to their children, teachers personal questions in other to their students, and bosses Public Behavior 4 cultures. Do’s and Don’ts to their subordinates. Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 1 Thai Culture Thai Family Values value on outward forms of the spirits, which in turn could courtesy such as politeness, cause violence and tragedy. The family is the cornerstone respect, genial demeanor and Openly criticizing a person is a of Thai society. Family life is self-control in order to main- form of violence as it hurts the often more closely knit than in tain harmonious relations. person and is viewed as a con- western cultures. The Thai Many of their rules of etiquette scious attempt to offend the family is a form of hierarchy are by-products of the Bud- person being rebuked. with the parents at the top. dhist religion. It is a non- Loss of face is a disgrace to a Children are taught to honor confrontational society, in Thai so they try to avoid con- their parents. which public dispute or criti- frontations and look for com- cism is to be avoided at all promises in difficult situations. Thai Demeanor costs. If two parties disagree, one will need to have an outlet to re- Thais place great emphasis and To be openly angry with some- treat without losing face. one might attract the wrath of Meeting Etiquette The wai is the traditional form Thais generally use first rather lows everyone to understand “It is a non- of greeting, given by the per- than surnames, with the hon- your status relative to their son of lower status to the per- orific title Khun before the own, and thus know who per- confrontational son of higher status. name. Khun is an all- purpose forms the wai and how low the society , in which form of address that is appro- head should be bowed. Raising both hands, palms priate for both men and public dispute or joined with the fingers pointing Thai communication is formal women. upwards as if in prayer, lightly and non-verbal communication criticism is to be touching the body somewhere In general, wait for your host is often more important than avoided at all between the chest and the and hostess to introduce you verbal communication. forehead, is the standard form. to the other guests. This al- costs.” Gift Giving Etiquette If invited to a Thai's home, a good quality chocolates or make good wrapping paper. gift is not expected, although it fruit. Do not give marigolds or Only use red wrapping paper if will be appreciated. carnations, as they are associ- giving a gift to a Chinese ated with funerals. Thai. Gifts should be wrapped at- tractively, since appearance Try to avoid wrapping a gift in Gifts are not opened matters. green, black or blue as these when received. are used at funerals and in Bows and ribbons add to the mourning. sense of festivity. Gold and yellow are consid- Appropriate gifts are flowers, ered royal colors, so they Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1 Business Meeting Etiquette Appointments are neces- meetings on time as it and Thai. sary and should be made signifies respect for the You must be patient. one month in advance. person you are meeting. Although most Thais will It is good idea to send a try to be on time, punctu- list of who will be attend- ality is a personal trait. ing the meeting and their Remain standing until told credentials so that Thais where to sit. The hierar- know the relative status of chical culture has strict the people attending the rules about rank and posi- meeting and can plan tion in the group. properly. Written material should You should arrive at be available in both English Dress Etiquette Business attire is conser- Since Thai's judge you on ‘Thai’ in the Thai vative. your clothing and accesso- ries, ensure that your language means Men should wear dark shoes are always highly colored conservative busi- ‘freedom’. polished. ness suits. So, Thailand Women should wear con- means “land of servative business suits or dresses. Women need not freedom” or “land wear hosiery. of free”. Did You Know That... Thailand is bigger than the people. Siam was the old name of United Kingdom, Iceland, Thailand. (It was the offi- Thais do not like someone Belgium and Austria com- cial name of the country touching them on head. bined. until 1949.) They believe that soul, Thai boxing is the national which is considered ex- ‘Thai’ in the Thai language sport in Thailand. tremely sacred, resides in means ‘freedom’. So, Thai- head. land means “land of free- Thailand is often nick- dom” or “land of the named as the “Land of Thailand has 5 UNESCO free”. Smiles” because of the World Heritage Sites. perceived gentleness of its Cultural Competency Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cul- tures. Cultural competence comprises four components: NV Supreme Court Awareness of one's own cultural worldview Attitude towards cultural differences Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and Administrative Office of the Courts Certified Court Interpreter Cross-cultural skills. Program Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. Regional Justice Center 200 Lewis Avenue, 17th Floor Las Vegas, NV 89101 Phone: 702-486-9332 Fax: 702-486-3733 E-mail: [email protected] www.nevada judiciary.us Public Behavior Do’s and Don’ts When meeting a man for your head to touch your should give your card to the the first time, a handshake fingers, and saying most senior person first. is an appropriate greet- “sawatdee”. (Wai) Look at a business card for ing. Smiling or nodding is a suffi- a few seconds before plac- When meeting a woman for cient greeting for people ing it on the table or in a the first time, it is recom- you see on a daily basis. business card case. As in mended that you smile most Asian countries, it is Watch your body language instead of shaking her hand. polite to make some com- and facial expressions, as The best policy is to allow a ment about the card, even if these will be believed over Thai woman to initiate a it is only to acknowledge your words. handshake. the address. Since Thai's judge you on Upon meeting and depar- your clothing and accesso- ture, you can use the tradi- ries, ensure that your shoes tional Thai greeting by are always highly polished. pressing your hands to- gether as though in prayer, Business cards are given out keeping arms and elbows after the initial handshake close to your body, bowing and greeting. In theory, you .