Interesting article.
For me, there was a stage that I call self-doubt but have now overcome:
Is my Thai pronunciation that bad? No, the Thai person I'm speaking to is just perplexed that a foreigner is speaking to her/him and can't grasp the complexity of my question (e.g. "When does this bus leave to Mae Sot?" - first a blank stare, then "Yes!").
Did we agree to meet at 11 am or did we not? Solved by written communication (Line): yes we did, but the boy is late or no show.