Lost In Translation: Overcoming The Language Barrier As A Brit In America

[Captain Kong]

I was on the wheel of the Esso Yorkshire taking her up the Bay from San Francisco to Benicia.
The Pilot said, "Hard Right Rudder"
I said, "Yer What?",
he shouting , "Hard Right Rudder goddamn it."
I looked at the Captain, he said, " I think he means Hard a Starboard,"
Pilot."Ya all like a bunch of goddamn Greeks, "
Cheers
Brian

[Rodney Mills]

As stated before, we lived in Oz half the time for thirteen years. The worst shock, and then became the funniest with the language is this: Each year we rented a unit (Flat, small efficiency apartment)...see what I mean? In Bowen, Queensland. We became very good friends with the owners, and still are. Anyway, now and again, we would take care of the units--eight of them--, I would make up the rooms and so forth, my wife would run the office. Doing this one day, a neighbor across the road came over, entered the office and asked for the owner. My wife told her they were away for a couple of days, she said:

neighbor: "Oh! would you happen to have a rubber I could borrow, I'll replace it when I go up the shops."

My wife, somewhat flustered at the audacity of a stranger saying that, answered, "I'm sorry we don't use them."

A prophylactic is a rubber in the states.

Cappy, prophylactic is a French letter or a small pak-a-mac.

For Yanks and others, a rubber is an eraser.

Cheers, Rodney

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Captain, are you sure the pilot didn't say Geeks?

Cheers Rodney

[Ivan Cloherty]

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Eeh ba gum lad, also in't Yarkshaar wen I were a lad

[j.sabourn]

Durex is something totally different in WA. Cant remember what it is now here, will have a look on the supermarket shelves tomorrow when out shopping. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

So right there John. When I first began working here I would hear the staff say pass me the Durex, in the middle of working if you don;t mind. We used to call it Sellotape. Now can you just imagine attempting to stick two pieces of papaer together with a condom or having sex with Sellotape on the end of you old fella????