A while ago I was delivering a Great Demo! Workshop in Europe to an international audience and during our first break, a woman came up to me and asked me to:
1. Slow down a bit and
2. Be more careful with my choice of words.
This was a great reminder and humbling. When presenting to non-native and non-U.S. English speakers I work hard to slow down my delivery and try to use “internationally” understood English words and phrases, while avoiding U.S.-specific colloquialisms. I believe I generally do a good job, but it was clear I could do better!
It can be challenging for non-native-English audiences to work in English. It can be confusing, at minimum, and very tiring overall! Accordingly, U.S. folks presenting to international audiences need to be aware of their word and phrase choices (and vice versa).
Here are some examples of colloquialisms that might cause confusion. How many of these have you heard or used?
- “The cat’s out of the bag.”
- “That dog don’t hunt.”
- “It was wicked.”
- “Piece of cake.”
- “That’s just putting lipstick on a pig.”
- “Break a leg.”
- “Hit it out of the park.”
- “Out of left field.”
- “That’s the minor leagues.”
- “Monday morning quarterback.”
- “The whole nine yards.”
- “It fell through the cracks.”
- “We threw him under the bus.”
- “Off kilter.”
- “Out of whack.”
(What others should be added to this list?)
Now, contemplate the challenges faced by your prospects in discovery conversations and demos when peppered with these U.S.-specific phrases.
One of our top priorities in doing discovery and delivering demos is clarity of communication. We should take the guidance from my Workshop participant and:
1. Slow down.
2. Choose words and word phrases that are as international-English as possible…!
Interestingly, it cuts both ways. Just as U.S.-based phrases can be confusing to non-U.S. audiences, other international regionalisms can be equally puzzling. Here are some UK-based examples followed by a rough U.S. translation):
- “Let’s table that.” (The U.S. translates this as the opposite of what other English-speaking countries mean!)
- “Cover off.” (Completed.)
- “Football.” (Soccer, the beautiful game.)
- “Thongs.” (Flip flops, zories, clam diggers…)
- “Entrée.” (Appetizer.)
- “Chips and crisps.” (French fries and chips.)
- “Rubber.” (Eraser.)
- “Storey.” (Floor.)
- “First floor.” (Second floor.)
Winston Churchill (or George Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde) famously remarked that the U.S. and the UK “are two countries separated by a common language.”
Even within the U.S. meanings change regionally. For example:
- “Wicked” – ask someone from Boston.
- “Sugar” – as in “Give me some sugar…!”
- “Pasty” – pale or delicious?
- “Dressing” vs “stuffing.”
- “Fix” – repair vs about to…
- “Dope” – don’t even get me started on this…!
- “Pop” vs “soda.”
- “Shopping cart” vs “carriage” vs “buggy” (vs “trolley” in the UK).
- “Puppy chow” – a U.S. Midwest human food item.
- “Ugly” – unpleasant looking vs rude or unkind.
- “Awesome” – can mean absolutely anything …!
The moral? Be aware of your audience and use “International” English when appropriate.
No comments:
Post a Comment