ForbesBrandVoice
Connecting marketers to the Forbes audience. What is this?
Business 42,550 views
Lost In Translation: Overcoming The Language Barrier As A Brit In America
Lucy Millington
, SungardAS
Comment Now
Follow Comments
It’s
been said that the UK and the US are two countries separated by a
common language—and after seven years as a Brit abroad, I couldn’t agree
more. While Americans and Brits both officially speak the same
language, our different communication styles and cultural contexts can
make it really hard to communicate with one another.
As a UK native, raised to speak the Queen’s English, I never could have foreseen just how much translating would be required while living on the east-coast of America.
I have countless examples of the confusion different nouns can bring. Translations learnt from the TV shows of my childhood were an easy adaption “pavement = sidewalk”, “motorway=highway”, “boot = trunk”, but after we had children we were stretched a little more: “push-chair = stroller”, “nappy = diaper” and “paddling pool = kiddie pool” (really Mr. ‘Happy to help’ at Target TGT +2.55% – you couldn’t work out that one?) Most times, English words are met with a blank look from store-clerks and when the right US noun is slow at coming to mind, my husband and I have become experts at impromptu Charades or Taboo in an effort to make ourselves understood.
Similar scenarios of being misunderstood, or just plain not
understood, by Americans have played out in the business arena during my
seven years in the US. On the business front, I’ve found that the need
to adapt not only my terms, but moreover my communication style, is even
more critical than in the personal realm. My ability to perform
effectively at my job has demanded this kind of adaptation.
In many ways, the stereotype of Brits as overly polite, reserved, understated, apologetic, indirect communicators does hold true—and it does not serve us well in the US. I’ve forced myself to stop prefacing emails with “I believe…” or “maybe….” when I actually mean “it is” or “just do it.” I used to do this all the time, in an attempt to not be seen as a bully or bossy. But the fact is that a self-effacing, apologetic start to anything in the straight-talking land of the free is interpreted as a weak suggestion, or a lack of confidence in oneself. And I strongly encourage all Brits to stop being “sorry” for having a differing opinion. In the US, saying sorry is almost always interpreted as an admittance of guilt, whereas in the UK, it is just a polite phraseology as common as “hello.”
Be direct and be bold. I was once berated by a woman in a Boston supermarket for making her feel bad after I had politely and silently waited my turn to select lettuce as she dithered over the right iceberg.
It’s true: We British sometimes avoid just saying what we mean. (See the What the British Say vs. What They Mean – it’s funny because it is true.) But it’s not because we can’t or don’t want to just come right out with it. In the UK’s cultural context, directness can be perceived as rudeness. So when we politely query, “Are there any other options to consider?” instead of bluntly stating the fact that “I don’t like your idea,” it’s because we’re just too polite. But we tend to assume that the people we’re addressing know that. And when we “almost agree” with a proposal, or admit to being “a bit disappointed” with an outcome, we’re expecting our audience ADNC -5.95% to read between the lines to find the message we think is abundantly clear: we don’t agree; we don’t approve.
However, for a UK transplant spending any amount of time in the US, it quickly becomes clear that understatement and subtlety are just not the order of the day. I’ve learned from experience that messages delivered in the self-effacing or tentative tone of the typical British communication style often miss their mark. Our audience isn’t reading between the lines in the same way our compatriots would; they’re expecting us to state our case in “plain English,” just like Americans would.
Audience empathy and effective communication are pillars of my chosen
career, and I encourage anyone hot off the “aeroplane” to consider the
basics when they find themselves misunderstood. Dive deeper than just vocabulary to uncover the root of miscommunication.
I’ve seen positive results from adjusting my communications style and
language and have definitely achieved a greater understanding of my
colleagues and our differing cultures. More often than not now, the
message I intend to send the first time, is the one that’s received.
The next time you think you’ve communicated effectively, think “soda” or “pop” and check with your audience for understanding. This example also highlights the regional differences (West-Coast, South vs. Midwest) that exist in the US, so you may not even need to cross an ocean to find yourself misunderstood. Even if you’re speaking the same language, take a page from my experience as a British professional in America. Communicating is about a message being sent AND received—and you’ll want to make sure your audience is receiving the message you intend to deliver.
As a UK native, raised to speak the Queen’s English, I never could have foreseen just how much translating would be required while living on the east-coast of America.
I have countless examples of the confusion different nouns can bring. Translations learnt from the TV shows of my childhood were an easy adaption “pavement = sidewalk”, “motorway=highway”, “boot = trunk”, but after we had children we were stretched a little more: “push-chair = stroller”, “nappy = diaper” and “paddling pool = kiddie pool” (really Mr. ‘Happy to help’ at Target TGT +2.55% – you couldn’t work out that one?) Most times, English words are met with a blank look from store-clerks and when the right US noun is slow at coming to mind, my husband and I have become experts at impromptu Charades or Taboo in an effort to make ourselves understood.
Language differences between American
English and British English are amplified in the business world – where
Americans seem more direct and straightforward than the usually more
concealed Brits.
In many ways, the stereotype of Brits as overly polite, reserved, understated, apologetic, indirect communicators does hold true—and it does not serve us well in the US. I’ve forced myself to stop prefacing emails with “I believe…” or “maybe….” when I actually mean “it is” or “just do it.” I used to do this all the time, in an attempt to not be seen as a bully or bossy. But the fact is that a self-effacing, apologetic start to anything in the straight-talking land of the free is interpreted as a weak suggestion, or a lack of confidence in oneself. And I strongly encourage all Brits to stop being “sorry” for having a differing opinion. In the US, saying sorry is almost always interpreted as an admittance of guilt, whereas in the UK, it is just a polite phraseology as common as “hello.”
Be direct and be bold. I was once berated by a woman in a Boston supermarket for making her feel bad after I had politely and silently waited my turn to select lettuce as she dithered over the right iceberg.
It’s true: We British sometimes avoid just saying what we mean. (See the What the British Say vs. What They Mean – it’s funny because it is true.) But it’s not because we can’t or don’t want to just come right out with it. In the UK’s cultural context, directness can be perceived as rudeness. So when we politely query, “Are there any other options to consider?” instead of bluntly stating the fact that “I don’t like your idea,” it’s because we’re just too polite. But we tend to assume that the people we’re addressing know that. And when we “almost agree” with a proposal, or admit to being “a bit disappointed” with an outcome, we’re expecting our audience ADNC -5.95% to read between the lines to find the message we think is abundantly clear: we don’t agree; we don’t approve.
However, for a UK transplant spending any amount of time in the US, it quickly becomes clear that understatement and subtlety are just not the order of the day. I’ve learned from experience that messages delivered in the self-effacing or tentative tone of the typical British communication style often miss their mark. Our audience isn’t reading between the lines in the same way our compatriots would; they’re expecting us to state our case in “plain English,” just like Americans would.
todayilearned.co.uk
The next time you think you’ve communicated effectively, think “soda” or “pop” and check with your audience for understanding. This example also highlights the regional differences (West-Coast, South vs. Midwest) that exist in the US, so you may not even need to cross an ocean to find yourself misunderstood. Even if you’re speaking the same language, take a page from my experience as a British professional in America. Communicating is about a message being sent AND received—and you’ll want to make sure your audience is receiving the message you intend to deliver.
