Language and cultural barriers

[jaquo]

@casailinglady

I find using local vernacular is the perfect way to misunderstandings resulting in either arguments or hilarity.

I think that I could write a book about the misunderstandings I said / heard when I first came to the US.

Like asking for the toilets when I was busting for a pee in KMart ; “Oh we don’t sell toilets” said the employee I asked. Or getting a delivery pizza with a broccoli topping when I’d asked for black olives…

@casailinglady

“Why doesn’t Sears have trollies,”

Great example. But I would have said “They do, in the underwear department”.

[muddy]

I think a lot of people don’t even realize that the words they use in English are not understood by English speakers from other countries.
It took a long time before I knew what British authors were referring to when using “biro” as a word for ballpoint pen.

[Notahost]

@casailinglady

I’m tall and blonde. I end up leading a parade in China and they always want to touch my hair or me to make sure I’m not really a white ghost. One poor guy biking on the outskirts of Schenzhen almost collided with a bus when he saw me walking down a rural street.

LOL, oh yeah, you’re a double wow to them.

I was traveling with a really tall guy once in China, he was about 6-5, so many places we went people were doing double takes, following him around trying to take pictures of him or some would just come up and ask to take a picture with him, they loved it. He wasn’t expecting any of that, he felt like a celebrity for most of the trip.

[Notahost]

The easiest way to “China proof” your unit is to put signs everywhere, the Chinese are used to signs everywhere telling them what they can and can’t do. One of the funny ones you will see in China sometimes when there is a western style toilet (not an asian style squatty hole version) you will sometimes see a sign that says along the lines “Do not stand on the toilet”, or “Do not take toilet seat!”. Traveling to China you will get to read lots of signs posted everywhere, all over your hotel room etc…

Signs would help you but your place is going to look kind of funny to everyone not Chinese staying there.

[Nung]

I had a Chinese guest use my kettle to boil their noodles. I had to buy a new one because I couldn’t get rid of the smell. Then again, lots of Americans don’t know what an electric kettle is. I have seen posts in AirBnB groups where they have put it on the gas cooker.

[Nung]

It used to be a big problem here in Thailand with the Chinese spitting everywhere. or having a pee in the street,

[muddy]

What’s the deal with spitting? Mexican men are always spitting on the street, too. Why do they need to spit so much? I never feel like I need to spit, even in private.

I see these young tourists walking around barefoot all the time- I have to stop myself from going up to them and saying, "Do you realize you’re walking in spit and powdered dog shit? "

I go barefoot all the time, too- on my own property. But I’d never go barefoot in town.

[Lozette]

Going off on a tangent here, i know! But…
Sob!! I so love my aussie slang - how boring the world would be if we all clearly enunciated the same plain language. I have an Indonesian daughter in law who spoke good ‘formal’ english when she and my son came to live with us. It was then i realised just how much slang I spoke and had to
frequently translate. Now she speaks slang with the best of us !!
Of course slang is different to names of items - like bench for countertop etc etc
Your country’s slang would be different too I expect.

[Lozette]

And youve entered that culture a little more knowing what a biro is. I think understanding another culture’s slang opens the door to being part of it.

[zillacop]

Was in Queensland about 15 years ago for 2 months. I pretty much understood Aussies until there was a group, then forget it, I couldn’t understand anything. I loved it there and would go back in a heartbeat if I could–it was an amazing journey.