ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK | WHAT I PICKED FROM THE MOVIE

 

Movie time!

I watched it recently, the movie. So just in case you haven’t seen it yet…

                                                     

(*spoiler alert*)

 

 

The movie unfolded to revolve around a man seeking revenge for the death of his daughter and her family in an accident involving and caused by the son of a powerful man in Thailand. And their subsequent framing as the cause of the accident in order to keep the young man from prison and probably save the image of his family.

 

 

While it portrays a lot of themes, dominantly vengeance and forgiveness, one conversation that stuck with me long after the movie was one he(the avenging man,  played by Mark Dacascos) had with his driver-a young woman(played by Vanida Golten) who also happened to be involved in the accident.

 

One of many, but a conversation in which he complimented the quality of her English.

 

(I'm pretty sure you're rolling your eyes now but 'gimme a sec')

It went something like this…

 

 

 

 

“Your English is very good…”

 

‘Well thank you. I studied English in college though that was a long time ago’

 

“I won’t ask about your age if you don’t ask about my white beard”

(both laugh)

‘I watch a lot of movies as well, and YouTube videos. That’s how I practice my English, but I feel my vocabulary isn’t there yet’

 

“Sounds pretty good to me. Besides you’re Thai, you don’t need to speak perfect English”….

 

 

 

 

 

They went further but this was the ‘wow’ part of the movie for me.

 

The last line was not out of spite or anything even remotely close to it but a sincere recognition of her efforts in making her English better.

 

 

This is how I think it would’ve played out with some people I’ve encountered.

 

 

“Your English is very good. Shey you school for abroad before?”

 

‘No, I was born, bred and ‘buttered’ here.’

 

“So you neva travel out before?”

 

‘No, I just practice’

 

“Ehehennn? Who you come dey form for? Abeg talk wella joor”

 

 

Related: Stereotypes in society

 

Some even go as far as ‘demanding’ you speak in a native language.

 

First of all, how someone chooses to go about their English is –as politely as I can muster- none of your business.

If you act or think like that, it would be nice to know that there is more to English than the English alphabet. And while you can leave your learning of the language at whatever level you choose because you are not a Briton or an American, you have no right to vitiate the efforts of another who wants to go beyond that.

 

 

 

In addition, yes you might have come across people who see a high-pitched, R-filled way of speaking English as equal to landed properties, and it may have been annoying but it takes nothing away from the fact that knowledge of and skill in English and its different accents is actually an asset and can be monetized, as seen with voice over gigs.

 

 

Related:Spicing up your vocabulary

 

The man in the movie said it best but I’ll paraphrase it

‘You don’t need to if it’s not your language but who says you can’t anyways’.

 

 

Leave people alone, they’re not forming for you abeg.

Improve your English any way you choose as long as it is improvement. And don’t let anyone try to stop you.

 

Have you experienced a situation similar to this? Share with us.