Tarndog wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:49 am

rozzieoz wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 8:46 pm I know many many Khmers who cannot read or write. In many cases it was because the family could only afford to educate one or some of the kids.

After spending the bulk of their money on beer, cigarettes and gambling, education for their children just isn't always possible.

Dear Tarndog,

For many kids growing up in Cambodia in the 80s, life was difficult beyond imagination. Take some time to view some videos on Youtube to witness the reality of life in Cambodia during that period. The nineties was not much different.
Potable drinking water was hard to come by.
Medicines were not always available, and even if they were, there often wasn't enough to effectively treat people, so they were left to die in order to save the medicine for someone who could be saved.
Khmer doctors, the ones who hadn't been killed off, were for the most part living abroad as refugees.
Same for teachers.
A trip to the big city (Phnom Penh) was nigh on impossible due to the condition of the roads (and bridges), not to mention the lack of cars and motorbikes to travel anywhere.

My wife grew up in the 80s. She went to school at the local wat and from what I can understand of the time, the teacher was any adult who was able to read and write. If there were any qualified teachers, they were probably in the city.
Although my wife went to school for 4 years, her reading ability is like that of a 2nd grader. Her writing is as messy as a first grader. Her spelling is atrocious.
Many of her childhood friends cannot read or write effectively, some are totally illiterate. Not because their parents were busy playing cards and getting drunk, but because of the lack of teachers, facilities, and generally because of the situation in the country at that time.

Tarndog, you seem to have a habit of writing negatively about Khmer people. It would also seem that you have no understanding of the country's history, or understanding of why they are the way they are. But, obviously, you being so superior to Khmers why should you be interested in understanding or learning when its so obvious that they are nothing but drunkards and retards.

I'm in agreement with the several people who have reported your post, in that your post is offensive and has no place on an expat forum that we are members of.
I just checked your IP address and I'm surprised to see that you are actually posting from Cambodia. I hope the locals catch up with you and tar and feather you. Why do you live here?
You can have one month break from the forum. Get off your barstool and go and meet some rural Khmers and learn what they think about your impressions of them. Adios.

xandreu wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 8:05 pm I'm sure we've all been in those situations where we've had to pull out Google translate to help us get a word or two across the language barrier, only to be met by a blank stare when we show them whatever Khmer script our phones end up displaying.

When that happens, I often assume that Google translate simply hasn't translated it well enough for the other person to understand, but I've been told by several people that it's not all that uncommon for Khmers to simply not know how to read / write Khmer.

How much truth is there to that?

Where i live i too use google translate and i thought to myself i wonder how many cannot read but everyone i showed it to could . Intelligent country folk