Filipina woman on trip to Thailand draws backlash after criticising locals’ English
A Filipina woman travelling in Thailand has sparked online controversy after posting a video in which she criticised the country for what she described as poor English proficiency.
She expressed frustration over being unable to communicate in English during her trip, with her comments quickly gaining traction on social media and sparking widespread backlash.
The reaction eventually led her to issue an apology on 13 Jan.
Posts video criticising Thailand’s English proficiency
In the clip, the woman said: “I’m Filipina. Of course my English is good. But when I arrive in Thailand, it’s f***ing useless.”
Source: Crispy Froid on Facebook
She went on to claim that despite speaking English, locals were unable to understand her, adding that she was frustrated by having to rely on a translation app.
Her remarks triggered a wave of criticism online, with many netizens describing her comments as entitled and disrespectful.
Thai influencer Crispy Froid, who teaches English and has more than 900,000 followers on Facebook, also weighed in.
“As a Thai person, I understand how frustrating language barriers can be,” she said. “However, when we travel, we become representatives of our countries.”
Crispy Froid also pointed out that English is not Thailand’s first language, and that many people may struggle to speak it as it is not used in their daily lives, even though there are still many locals who are fluent.
She added that she hoped the woman would be able to look past the language barrier and appreciate Thailand for its culture and people.
Woman apologises for rant
Amid the backlash, the woman issued an apology a few days later, saying she had no ill intentions towards the country.
“I didn’t mean anything hateful about Thailand,” she said, adding that she was simply sharing her personal experience.
She also clarified that she was not looking down on Thai people, but acknowledged that she had expressed herself poorly.
However, the apology sparked another wave of criticism online.
Some commenters urged her to be more mindful when speaking about another country, pointing out that not every destination is English-speaking and that travellers should respect local languages and cultures.
Source: Facebook
There were also remarks focusing on her own English usage, with some users correcting her phrasing or questioning her fluency, given the emphasis she had placed on her command of the language in the earlier post.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
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Featured image adapted from Crispy Froid คริสปี้ฟรอยด์ on Facebook.
