Expat Diary: American Slang Redux
LA VIE: As I navigate my life as an American expat, I’m learning quickly that American slang and idioms often do not translate well. While there are many phrases which mean the same in English and in French, being part of an European English-speaking office of an American-based company presents a new set of challenges.
The top three categories that I often find myself re-adjusting my words/phrases/tone:
Inspirational messages: many of the “uber positive” phrases we use in American English either sound dumb when translated or the colloquium of the entire phrase forces me to re-evaluate the intended message
Public Figures/Celebrity references: Not as many people know who Oprah is, aren’t necessarily caring about John Wooden or Bobby Knight and are confused why some artists are even relevant outside their body of work (music, film or art)
Popular Antiphrasis: Antiphrasis are when the word or phrase means the opposite of what is said. “Better you than me” is a common one that was confusing to explain because it sounds positive and isn’t meant to be.
Here’s my list thus far (it’s only been 6 months so I’ll update this post or add on later!)
Better you than me… - often meaning you’re dumb for doing something; in my office it was misinterpreted as a gesture of good will!
Bless your (his/her) heart… - again it means the person or group is ignorant or doesn’t know any better yet was often misused as a form of phrase
Agree to disagree… - often used to end a debate or silence someone; I taught many of of European co-workers to use this with our Texas team to ensure conversations didn’t last longer than anticipated
Strive (or dress) for the job you want, not the one you have - viewed as form of aspiration; it was often misunderstood as a phrase that one wasn’t working hard enough or was lazy
It takes a nation… - American English uses it as a form of inclusivity that “we all need to work together,” but was often confusing because one person isn’t a nation and usually we are referring to ourselves or a small group to make change
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The British versions were similar within the construct that America loves to change things and behave as if it came from “us” first. I’ll save the British sarcasm for another post. I feel they are the masters of it while Americans use it as an under-handed insult way too often!
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