How to provide an audio guide in Thai
A Thai guide is added to a guide that already exists rather than built from nothing. The English stops are translated, reviewed by someone who reads Thai, and narrated, and the Thai version then sits behind the same QR code the English version already uses. Nothing on the wall changes, and no second sign is printed.
In practice a venue works through it in this order, and the review step is the one most often skipped and most often regretted.
- Settle the regional variant and register before any translation starts
- Translate the English stops, keeping the source text locked while that happens
- Have a Thai reader review it, ideally someone who knows the collection
- Narrate the reviewed text, checking proper nouns and place names first
- Publish it behind the QR codes already on the wall, with no reprinting
What Thai needs from your layout
Thai is comparable to English in overall length, but it needs noticeably more vertical space per line.
Thai is written without spaces between words, so line breaking has to be handled by software that understands Thai word boundaries. Thai also stacks vowel and tone marks above and below the base line, so tight line height causes marks to collide or clip.
Formal written Thai, and the politeness particles
Standard central Thai is the written norm for public information. Thai also carries politeness through sentence-final particles, and the choice affects how a guide sounds throughout rather than in isolated places.
Thai has an elaborate register system including specific royal vocabulary. Content touching on royalty requires care that a general translator may not supply by default.
Getting the Thai narration right
Narration in Thai raises questions that do not exist in English, and they are far cheaper to answer before a voice records anything than after.
- Thai is tonal, so a wrong tone produces a different word rather than an accent.
- Tone marks and vowel length both need verifying in the rendered audio.
- Foreign proper nouns need an agreed Thai rendering before recording.
Where Thai fits in your language plan
Across the New Zealand museums using Journey Pal, between 50% and 60% of guide use is in English. That is our own usage data, and it is worth knowing before committing to a long list of languages: local-language listening is usually the largest share, and translations extend a guide rather than being the reason for one.
That makes Thai an addition to a working guide rather than a prerequisite for launching. Get the source script right, publish it, then add Thai where your visitor numbers justify the translation and, just as importantly, where you have someone who can review it.
Frequently asked questions
Can we provide an audio guide in Thai at our museum?
Yes. The Thai version is translated from your English stops, reviewed, narrated, and published behind the QR codes you already have on the wall, so adding it does not mean new signage, a new app, or new hardware.
Do we need a separate Thai version of our signage as well?
Usually not. The physical sign can stay short and carry a QR code, with the full Thai text and audio behind it, which avoids reprinting signage every time the content changes.
How much longer will the Thai version be?
Thai is comparable to English in overall length, but it needs noticeably more vertical space per line.
Do visitors need an app to hear the Thai guide?
No. The guide opens in the visitor's phone browser from a QR code, and phone-language detection can take a Thai-speaking visitor straight to the right version when it exists.
Make this easier for your visitors
Journey Pal helps museums, heritage sites, zoos, and attractions deliver audio guides and translations through QR codes, with no app download required.