Even English speakers are baffled by these words
Getty ImagesNative speakers leave others in the dark with strange phrases and words that don’t make sense.
With non-native English speakers outnumbering native speakers, those who speak English as a first language are under pressure to communicate more clearly—sans idioms and slang.
The problem is so acute, with native speakers being dubbed the world’s worst communicators by some, that a growing number of people are going back to school to “relearn” English in a way that helps them communicate better with non-native speakers.
Getty ImagesLast week, we asked you which phrases and words baffle people most when trying to communicate in “different Englishes” – and what we can do to communicate better. Your answers bring a new meaning to smart talk.
It’s all Greek to me
“Any native speaker talking to a majority of native speakers will tend to assume that everyone, even the non-native speakers in the room, can understand everything they say regardless of speed of speech and idioms used,” Mike Conroy commented on our Facebook post.
Some of the words that get lost in translation: torch versus flashlight, spanner versus wrench. Phrases such as “the umpteenth time” and “watching paint dry” and “taking the mickey,” tripped some readers up, while even subtle differences in spelling, such as ‘centre’ and ‘center’ caused trouble.
“During a holiday in the US I had more problems with people understanding my [British] English than I do with my colleagues and customers on mainland Europe,” wrote Ray Gloster. “In Europe, I find it does help to tailor your choice of words, selecting Latin or Germanic origin words from the English vocabulary.”
“[British] English and American English are full of instances of this,” commented Martin Hawkins. “I'm a Brit living in the US and the phrase 'two cultures separated by a common language' is very appropriate.”
The hardest adaptations
Martin Searle, a native English speaker living in Asia, noted three key lessons he had learned for adapting his mother tongue to his new surroundings: “One: never use a negative question such as "you didn't go to the office today?" You probably won't understand if the answer is a confirmation or not! Two: many Asian languages have no direct translation for "no" and "yes" so use a phrase like ‘that’s correct.’
“Three: even the most fluent speakers of English as a second language often speak more directly than native speakers - levels of courtesy and discretion are very hard to learn. They don't intend to be rude so lose your sensitivity.”
Australian Arran Airs worked in an English pub where between 22 staff there were 14 different nationalities, all communicating in English. Everyone was generally understood with no trouble… apart from him.
“The Australian accent and turns of phrase were too much. Quite often when I was talking, I would be told to speak slowly and clearly. It was said so often it became a bit of a joke. I did alter my manner of speaking – now I can even be understood in the US!”
AlamyStanding their ground
Some of you blanched at the idea of anyone going to great lengths to adapt their language in their home country, to accommodate others.
“As a non-native speaker, I wouldn't like native speakers to speak to me any differently - it's condescending as it assumes that my English is not good enough to understand,” wrote Isabella Chan.
John Smith offered another twist on the idea: “You learn a foreign language to communicate with people who speak it, not to have them water it down and de-bone it of its structure.” Part of learning, other writers noted, is to ask questions and understand peculiarities of a language.
Help me help you
That said, many native speakers among you said you were happy to adapt your way of speaking for non-native Anglophones. That’s “essential for effective communication in a multinational environment,” one reader, Denise Willmott-Green, stated. A British national living in Belgium, she added that, when socialising with Anglophones she uses her mother tongue – complete with slang, idioms, cultural references.
Getty Images“But when networking, giving a presentation or in the workplace if you are unable or unwilling to adapt to be understood by the majority, you run the risk of limiting your prospects,” she added. “The English spoken in Brussels is not as rich and varied as the English I spoke daily prior to leaving the UK.”
The need to adapt often depends on the scenario, some said. Tara Ballance, who writes manuals for technology, wrote that she recently changed the phrase “rule of thumb” in a manual to the word “guideline”.
“The purpose of my writing is, simply, to communicate,” she wrote.