British Versus American Terminology – Don’t get lost in translation!

The UK and the US have a wonderful relationship – we have lots in common with our transatlantic neighbours but contrary to what many people think, language might not be one of them.

We recently opened new offices in America and everything was going swimmingly, until we suddenly realised that our teams on both sides of the Atlantic were sometimes completely confused after a conference call or Skype meeting. It turns out that despite both offices speaking English, they were speaking very different languages.

Our team in the US seemed outraged when their British peers went outside for a quick “fag”, and the UK team were left baffled when they were asked to meet an American client on the “first floor”, which in British English means ground floor.

It transpires there are hundreds of words that have a completely different meaning across the pond, so to ensure you don’t get caught saying something offensive or embarrassing, we created this jolly good video comparing the British and American terminology for certain objects.

The biggest attack to British English comes at the sacred, quintessential British ritual of tea time (you will not believe what they call a biscuit, it’s almost blasphemous).

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/things-americans-say-wrong_uk_56f4131fe4b04aee1b702ad1?utm_hp_ref=uk


lol Video on link

I sometimes say on here that I'm off for a fag, and it used to get filtered.

Re the first floor, isn't it the other way round? Americans mean the ground floor.

They call a bread roll a biscuit I think?

I only realised a lot of Americanisms after reading heaps of Stephen King when I was younger (Judy Blume when I was really young!) and you pick up on things.

I mean "pants" is another one. That could be very confusing on a date.....

eddie wrote:They call a bread roll a biscuit I think?

I only realised a lot of Americanisms after reading heaps of Stephen King when I was younger (Judy Blume when I was really young!) and you pick up on things.

I mean "pants" is another one. That could be very confusing on a date.....

I think what we call scones, are biscuits in the States.   Or something similar.

eddie wrote:They call a bread roll a biscuit I think?

I only realised a lot of Americanisms after reading heaps of Stephen King when I was younger (Judy Blume when I was really young!) and you pick up on things.

I mean "pants" is another one. That could be very confusing on a date.....

The worst of course is Fanny, which is front bottom to us and bum to them.  Terribly confusing.

The first time I had a Twinkie, I realised just how bad the state of affairs of commercial cakes were in the States.   The most vile sugary thing ever.   And as for Hershey chocolate...the least said about that the better.  Tastes like doggy choc drops.

Raggamuffin wrote:I sometimes say on here that I'm off for a fag, and it used to get filtered.

Re the first floor, isn't it the other way round? Americans mean the ground floor.

Don't get the major started!!!!

HoratioTarr wrote:The first time I had a Twinkie, I realised just how bad the state of affairs of commercial cakes were in the States.   The most vile sugary thing ever.   And as for Hershey chocolate...the least said about that the better.  Tastes like doggy choc drops.

My friend loved USA side for a while (can't remember exactly where) and she said the food was awful! She put on so much weight.

I have to say, I'm very fussy about food and I hate fried shit and I dislike meat so I'd probably starve over there.
English cuisine isn't always much better but we do have some top restaurants in London.

In a similar but different vein ...

Yes nems!!!! Love that clip!!

HoratioTarr wrote:

eddie wrote:They call a bread roll a biscuit I think?

I only realised a lot of Americanisms after reading heaps of Stephen King when I was younger (Judy Blume when I was really young!) and you pick up on things.

I mean "pants" is another one. That could be very confusing on a date.....

I think what we call scones, are biscuits in the States.   Or something similar.

Yep...

AND most Americans can't pronounce the word scone either..

MOST seem to pronounce it skown,  as in the town;
Rather than skonn -  as Brits, Aussies and Kiwis know it !

Not all Brits - some pronounce it as skone.

A banger...

Then apologize..

Raggamuffin wrote:Not all Brits - some pronounce it as skone.

Ahhh...but it's a Scot-ish pastry. They call it a scooon, is it not?

Some say potato, some say tomato ------ect.

Americans say 'mad' when they mean angry...

Brits say 'mad' when they mean crazy...

Americans say pissed for angry. British say pissed for drunk

Is it just Americans who say "could care less" rather than "couldn't care less"? That never made sense to me.

Americans pronounce Vayse for Vase.

Raggamuffin wrote:Not all Brits - some pronounce it as skone.

why do Americans say Moss-Cow instead of Moscow?

HoratioTarr wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Not all Brits - some pronounce it as skone.

why do Americans say Moss-Cow instead of Moscow?

Yes, that's a bit weird really. They say Eye-raq for Iraq as well.

Raggamuffin wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

why do Americans say Moss-Cow instead of Moscow?

Yes, that's a bit weird really. They say Eye-raq for Iraq as well.

One is tempted to point and laugh 

Ever heard an American try to say Worcestershire Sauce!   

Werchestershire.   Werkestersheer.  Worsstestersheer.  

No,  you numpties it's Wooster Sauce!

Raggamuffin wrote:Is it just Americans who say "could care less" rather than "couldn't care less"? That never made sense to me.

I've heard both ways...and they mean the same. Better to say, "I'm indifferent."

Raggamuffin wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

why do Americans say Moss-Cow instead of Moscow?

Yes, that's a bit weird really. They say Eye-raq for Iraq as well.

And Eye-talyan, too.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Is it just Americans who say "could care less" rather than "couldn't care less"? That never made sense to me.

I've heard both ways...and they mean the same.  Better to say, "I'm indifferent."

Technically, the first one means that they do actually care.

What about Coe-lin Powell? Are all men in the US who are called Colin referred to as Coe-lin, or was it just him?

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I've heard both ways...and they mean the same.  Better to say, "I'm indifferent."

Technically, the first one means that they do actually care.

Technically, yes. But it depends on the position of the speaker. He could be saying, I'm so indifferent that I might care less. Or, my level of indifference is such that it couldn't be lower.

Raggamuffin wrote:What about Coe-lin Powell? Are all men in the US who are called Colin referred to as Coe-lin, or was it just him?

I think it's very common....Coe-lyn.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Technically, the first one means that they do actually care.

Technically, yes.  But it depends on the position of the speaker.  He could be saying, I'm so indifferent that I might care less.  Or, my level of indifference is such that it couldn't be lower.

Well then he would say he couldn't care less.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Technically, yes.  But it depends on the position of the speaker.  He could be saying, I'm so indifferent that I might care less.  Or, my level of indifference is such that it couldn't be lower.

Well then he would say he couldn't care less.

The logic works either way. Depends on where the speaker starts: high enough to care less (and wants to be lower); or so low that he simply couldn't care less.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Well then he would say he couldn't care less.

The logic works either way.  Depends on where the speaker starts: high enough to care less (and wants to be lower); or so low that he simply couldn't care less.

So if he says he could care less, he means that he cares a little bit. In that case, why comment at all, or why not just say that he cares a bit but not much?

I remember ceecil in dynasty. Joan Collins called him Cecil. 
I like Ay-rabs too

Miffs2 wrote:I remember ceecil in dynasty. Joan Collins called him Cecil. 
I like Ay-rabs too

Interestingly, in A Room with a View Helena Bonham Carter often referred to Cecil as "Sissal".

Raggamuffin wrote:

Miffs2 wrote:I remember ceecil in dynasty. Joan Collins called him Cecil. 
I like Ay-rabs too

Interestingly, in A Room with a View Helena Bonham Carter often referred to Cecil as "Sissal".

Haven't seen that. I do like her though, she is mad as a box of frogs.

Miffs2 wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Interestingly, in A Room with a View Helena Bonham Carter often referred to Cecil as "Sissal".

Haven't seen that. I do like her though, she is mad as a box of frogs.

Yes, she does those period dramas so well. She was great in The Wings of the Dove as well.

Is it Dem-ee Moore or Dem-eye Moore?

eddie wrote:Is it Dem-ee Moore or Dem-eye Moore?

Or Dem-ee with the emphasis on the first or last syllable?

Or is it Dudley Moore?

Anyone remember the episode of Friends where Monica asked Phoebe to cut her hair like Demi Moore, and Phoebe thought she meant Dudley Moore?

Hahahahaha yep I remember rags
Loved friends

Do you get sky? If so try and watch the series called New Girl
It's like friends but much funnier in a darker way and no canned laughter - the chemistry between the cast is electric

eddie wrote:Hahahahaha yep I remember rags
Loved friends

Do you get sky? If so try and watch the series called New Girl
It's like friends but much funnier in a darker way and no canned laughter - the chemistry between the cast is electric

I don't have Sky eddie.

Raggamuffin wrote:

eddie wrote:Hahahahaha yep I remember rags
Loved friends

Do you get sky? If so try and watch the series called New Girl
It's like friends but much funnier in a darker way and no canned laughter - the chemistry between the cast is electric

I don't have Sky eddie.

Check out the dare wall. Just X off any ads and you will be able to stream most tv

Or putlocker

Isn't it Peen-a-lope?

HoratioTarr wrote:Ever heard an American try to say Worcestershire Sauce!   

Werchestershire.   Werkestersheer.  Worsstestersheer.  

No,  you numpties it's Wooster Sauce!

DOWN here, most Aussies would probably pronounce Worcestershire sauce as

Wister_shear sorse.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:What about Coe-lin Powell? Are all men in the US who are called Colin referred to as Coe-lin, or was it just him?

I think it's very common....Coe-lyn.

I KNEW an Amercan woman named Molly, who's from Ocean City, Maryland.  Her friends pronounced her name Mah_lee.

THEY also pronounce Rob as  Raahb,  mum as mom, buoy as boo_eee..

Original Quill wrote:Americans say 'mad' when they mean angry...

Brits say 'mad' when they mean crazy...

MAD has both meanings down here...

All depends on the context it's used in..

Then there's that handy phrase : "I might be mad, but I'm not crazy !"

Brits say 'sussed' and Americans say 'figure out'. I like the British version....handy word, sussed. I like 'sorted' too...a lot of 'figuring out' is actually what data managers call, sort and retrieve.

Lots of old words we are beginning to go back to, and finding them really handy. Thence...whence... make more sense than then onto... or wherefrom it came...

Miffs2 wrote:Americans say pissed for angry. British say pissed for drunk

We add an 'off' if we are angry.
It's not only different countries that have different meanings...different areas do to.
Tea cakes were balm cakes where I grew up in Salford....here ( just a few miles away) tea cakes have currents in them....and finger rolls are now bunnies...very confusing.