Although in both the UK and America the most commonly spoken language is English, one of the first things you’ll notice when you get to the states is the occasional language barrier.
There are words and sayings that are common in the UK, that are said or mean something completely different in the US, and discovering these can be quite a comical experience. I’ll always remember telling my campers at summer camp, to put their cozzie on for pool time, and I forever wish I had their reaction on camera – absolutely priceless, it was like I was speaking another language, and I had no idea what I did wrong until my co-counsellor asked me what I meant and told me they only call it a swimsuit. Same goes for when I asked my campers to put their rubbish in the bin after lunch…total confusion. It’s surprising how different the language is at times!
Below, is a list of the English words (in bold), and the American counterparts to go with it (in italic).
Mum – Mom
Swimming costume/Cozzie – Swimsuit
Bobble – Hair tie
Wellies – Rainboots
Bin – Trash Can
Chips – Fries
Crisps – Chips
Car Park – Parking lot
Woodlouse – Roly Poly (Bug)
Trainers – Sneakers
Joggers/Tracksuit bottoms – Sweatpants
Jumper – Sweater
Postbox – Mail
Cinema – Movie Theatre
Film – Movie
Jam – Jelly
Jelly – Jello
Lolly/Ice lolly – Popsicle (this was one of my favourites, I had no idea what my campers were getting excited about when they were told they could have ‘Popsicles’)
Holiday – Vacation
Candyfloss – Cotton Candy
Christmas/Easter – Holiday
Biscuit – Cookie (This ones difficult to explain!)
Scone – Biscuit
Torch – Flashlight
Plaster – Band Aid
Tap – Faucet (When I was reading instructions to turn the faucet on, I stood blankly for at least 5 minutes, looking around the room trying to work out what it was instructing me to do)
Queue – Line
Rubber – Eraser
Trousers – Pants
Motorway – High way
Sweets – Candy
Taxi – Cab
Fizzy Drink – Soda
How many of you have experienced this yourself? And are there any words you’ve come across that are different in America?
-Always exploring,
A
Dreams to Departures 