I've known lots of expats over 40 years that never learned the language, but many if not most married Thai women that could speak enough English to translate, and the men learned a little bit. To say that there is "always" someone around to help with a translation is a stretch, and does not apply in every possible location.
Learning at least some words is always recommended, and with some the exception of some people who grasp languages quickly, don't expect to learn it overnight.
There are a number of tools you can use to learn or to facilitate getting around. Paper dictionaries and phrase books are still available in book stores. Robertson's English Thai Dictionary is one of the best. Electronic talking dictionaries are available in shopping malls, at book stores, and they can be ordered online at places like www.lazada.co.th, www.se-ed.com (both are partially bi-lingual) or purchased in person at computer centers like Panthip Plaza and Fortune Town's IT Center. Well known brands are Cyberdict and TalkingDict (www,talkingdict.com) and there are online dictionaries like http://dict.longdo.com and http://trans.google.com but the former translations use the "community": concept, which can get confusing, and the latter translations are not very good for long sentences or paragraphs.
There are also translators or translation apps for various mobile devices, like the iPhone, iPad, and other "smart" devices and people do use them, but they are not always accurate because Thai - English translations are often tricky.

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I'd say it depends on where you're getting around to. If you stick to touristy areas, no problem. If you move up country to the boondocks, you're gonna want some Thai. Are you going to move there or just visit? If you're moving there, just learn the language, it'll be fun. What is your purpose? I've been there four or five times for about 10 days at a time and never needed to speak Thai but when I move there this year, I'm going to learn the language. If you don't want to learn a language, consider moving to New Zealand.

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