Language barrier - those funny misunderstandings! lol

So I was laughing to myself that sometime the words americans use and people from the UK use can sometimes cause confusion...in a funny way.

Have you had any funny communication problems?

My example:

My DF was staying with me in my house at the time in the USA.  We were doing work to the house and he was rewiring some electrical sockets in my home.  I was standing there being his little helper and he asked me to run and get him a torch.

So I tromp on down to the basement to follow his request.  I grab a blow torch as that is the only torch I know of....and im carrying this blow torch up thinking...."What the heck could he possibly be doing with a blow torch??"

I bring it to him and he stares at it funny, and says "Whats this?"

"A blow torch, like u asked"

He then remembered we call them flashlights and we both had a laugh.  He still makes fun of me. lol

That might have been part language barrier/part my stupidity.

my husband had the same problem at a hardware store in the states. He asked where the torches were and was led down some stairs and just looked at them, said no thank you and left the store. I got a call asking me to pick one up on my way home from work cause he didn't want to go back and explain what he meant.

Not sure I've run into real misunderstandings, it's more just getting made fun of for phrases like 'the peanut gallery' or 'for s**ts and giggles'

I had finished my lunch break at work, and went down to the main kitchen to get some more dishwashing liquid for our staff kitchen. So, after 2 minutes of asking the kitchen ladies for "dishwashing liquid", and then pointing to the bottle that was sitting on the ledge, we all realised that I was asking for...."washing up liquid". 

There has been a thread on this in the forum already but I think it is still entertaining.

See this thread.

"Daily Mail article on Americanisms ruining the English language"

my BF have a hilarious one that comes from his Scottish accent...

For new-years he told me that we were going to Aaran (the isle) but I kept hearing Ireland. He told me this some time in early Nov and I responded that i didn't have much money to go, as I think this meant I would need to get a plane ticket on top of the costs of transport, housing, drinks and food.  So for over a month I thought we were going to Ireland and then one day in Dec. I asked where in Ireland we were going and I got the strangest look.... this is when we discovered, or I discovered he was saying Aaran... I think I laughed for weeks.

To be fair, my Brazilian friend who was taught english from a scotsman also thought he was saying Ireland.

Hahaha, yeah the Scottish accent can be so misleading at times!  My BF's son has a half-brother who I thought was named Rudy for the longest time.  Then I come to find it's Ruaridh, a gaelic name, and the way my BF and his son say the second 'r' sounded like a 'd' to me.  Needless to say it was embarrassing when I realized I'd been hearing it wrong the whole time.

I had finished my lunch break at work, and went down to the main kitchen to get some more dishwashing liquid for our staff kitchen. So, after 2 minutes of asking the kitchen ladies for "dishwashing liquid", and then pointing to the bottle that was sitting on the ledge, we all realised that I was asking for...."washing up liquid". 

See, I don't get that. I mean, you clearly stated what you wanted to use it for. What else could it be? Like if someone said "hair washing liquid" it would sound strange, but I'm pretty sure I'd know instantly they meant shampoo. Maybe that's because I'm used to hearing stuff in other languages and know that things can be expressed in many different ways.

See, I don't get that. I mean, you clearly stated what you wanted to use it for. What else could it be? Like if someone said "hair washing liquid" it would sound strange, but I'm pretty sure I'd know instantly they meant shampoo. Maybe that's because I'm used to hearing stuff in other languages and know that things can be expressed in many different ways.

Thank you!  While there are real misunderstandings, I don't understand when people are just being pedantic.  Like the washing up liquid vs dishwashing liquid example, while one may sound strange, you can figure it out.  I have numerous examples of the other person "not understanding."  Bin versus can was a recent example.  Are garbage bin and trash can really so different you haven't a clue what i mean?  It really exasperates me.

Not sure about the bin thing, but I have personally experienced the "dish washing issue" with my MIL, and it turned out that she was searching for those tables that you use in a dishwashing...machine. So for her, "washing up liquid" (or, ahem fairy liquid, as it is known in our flat...), is the stuff you use to do things by hand and "dishwashing" stuff is what you use in a machine.
My favourite thing to do is throw the word "pants" into as many sentences as possible with one particular friend of ours.  He absolutely cannot keep a straight face as I proclaim my love of various people's pants. 

Thank you!  While there are real misunderstandings, I don't understand when people are just being pedantic.  Like the washing up liquid vs dishwashing liquid example, while one may sound strange, you can figure it out.  I have numerous examples of the other person "not understanding."  Bin versus can was a recent example.  Are garbage bin and trash can really so different you haven't a clue what i mean?  It really exasperates me.

I totally agree. I mean, I was like, "Umm, you know, dishwashing liquid...." and they said, "What, for the dishwasher?" and I was like, "No, you know, dishwashing liquid" then that's when I had to physically just point to the washing up liquid and say, "That, that's what I need, for upstairs." And then they were like, "Oh, that's what you were on about." Umm, really?

One of the first arguments my husband and I got into was in part over language.  We were already a bit upset about something and I settled down to watch something on TV.  He asked me what was on the "other side" and I thought he was trying to be annoying.  I didn't know if he was asking a philosophical question or what.  He saw my confusion and gestured at the TV repeating, "The other side...other side?"  I said that I didn't know, maybe some tubes and wires or something (I had an old TV) and rolled my eyes.  When he finally figured it out, he explained he meant the channel.  We always joke about "changing sides" to this day.  I have a feeling it's a bit like old people in the US saying that they're going to "look at their stories" though.  I doubt many young British people say it nowadays.

About 10 years ago a friend was visiting from Chicago and at my parents house before dinner she asked if she could "wash up" and my father said "of course not, you're a guest". She was really confused as to why my dad wouldn't let her wash her hands until I explained to her that here it meant to wash the dishes!

I got confused when DH asked me to get something "off the side" for him.  The side of what?

I still have a hard time with the silent h's.  DH was putting up a fake Christmas tree and had scratches all over his arms.  He said he looked like a self-armour.  I kept trying to figure out how a person could look like armour.  Then I realized he meant self-harmer (only after he said a "cutter").  My mom also had to ask several times what a 'ous' was.

I also find it annoying when people act like they don't know what you mean...especially when it's blatantly obvious.  I thought it was kinda strange when my MIL said she was going to "wash the pots", yet there were no actual pots in the sink.  But it wasn't hard to figure out she meant "dishes" (in general).

I still have a hard time with the silent h's.  DH was putting up a fake Christmas tree and had scratches all over his arms.  He said he looked like a self-armour.  I kept trying to figure out how a person could look like armour.  Then I realized he meant self-harmer (only after he said a "cutter").  My mom also had to ask several times what a 'ous' was.

That's really funny 'cause my only experience with silent Hs (so far) has been getting maed fun of for saying 'erbs. Lots of people like to take the piss out for that one, but I'm sticking to my guns 'cause Herb is a person, not a plant.  We've gone on to name the 'erbs when they have different names (eg Bah-zil the Bay-sil).

The first place that I ever worked here (and I think this might have just been specific to that employer) - they referred to the kitchen (or what I would call a break room) something like the 'rest room' or 'rest area' (can't remember which).  I was still pretty new here then (less than a year or so), and I used to laugh to myself everytime when I thought - I'm going to eat my lunch in the rest room.  And I got weird looks when I said I was off to the restroom for a loo break.