Thread: English and USA English Translations

If anone is interested.



http://englishclub.8m.com/ukus1.htm

DDT
thank you for the link

In many cases this list may be useful, but as always, I'd take it with a grain of salt. Basically, everything on that first page, for instance, that is said to be dated is NOT dated. Many "translations" provided are either really unwieldy (Chat flirtatiously? If someone said that to me, I'd think they were from Mars.
How about just 'chat' or 'flirt'?) or just plain out-of-fashion/not spoken naturally (buttocks=usually "butt," plastic wrap = "Saran wrap" (brandname), tractor-trailer = many times, just 'semi', I think most Americans would say "hamburger bun" or "bun", ie it's not regional, etc. ). If you have specific questions about words, it may be safer to ask others on this forum than to trust the list.

In many cases this list may be useful, but as always, I'd take it with a grain of salt. Basically, everything on that first page, for instance, that is said to be dated is NOT dated. Many "translations" provided are either really unwieldy (Chat flirtatiously? If someone said that to me, I'd think they were from Mars.
How about just 'chat' or 'flirt'?) or just plain out-of-fashion/not spoken naturally (buttocks=usually "butt," plastic wrap = "Saran wrap" (brandname), tractor-trailer = many times, just 'semi', I think most Americans would say "hamburger bun" or "bun", ie it's not regional, etc. ). If you have specific questions about words, it may be safer to ask others on this forum than to trust the list.

It's hard for me to determine how dated the words on the first page are but I want to say that it's not critical that you don't know a British equiavalent of some word. I mean- - if you know a word "faucet', you oughtn't to know the British equivalent - tap. And vice versa. I think that everyone should decide for themselves which dialect of English to study. If you've been studying American English from the very beginning and you're going to Australia, you should probably devote some time to learning the most important equivalents used in Australia.

Originally Posted by ReDSanchous

It's hard for me to determine how dated the words on the first page are but I want to say that it's not critical that you don't know a British equiavalent of some word. I mean- - if you know a word "faucet', you oughtn't to know the British equivalent - tap. And vice versa. I think that everyone should decide for themselves which dialect of English to study. If you've been studying American English from the very beginning and you're going to Australia, you should probably devote some time to learning the most important equivalents used in Australia.

For the most part you are right -- if you told me turn something "anticlockwise" I'd probably look at you funny, but I'd understand. Still, if you asked me if we had any "aubergines" for sale, I'd have NO clue what you're talking about. Still, I think the "standard" form typically taught abroad is "British English" right?

And I'm still confused where they heard that "car battery" was outdated. What are we supposed to say then? "My car won't start; I need a new electric black boxy thingamajigger?" Is that a critical piece of vocabulary for the Russian folks on here? No. But I guess it's just the principal of the thing, and frankly, not having read the entire list, nor being any authoritatvie source, it leads me to question the overall veracity of the list. I assure you that we still have plenty of "badgers" roaming the wilderness and even though "propellers" may be outdated as a technology for aircraft, every single American knows exactly what a propeller is.

Sorry for the ranting...

For the most part you are right -- if you told me turn something "anticlockwise" I'd probably look at you funny, but I'd understand. Still, if you asked me if we had any "aubergines" for sale, I'd have NO clue what you're talking about. Still, I think the "standard" form typically taught abroad is "British English" right?

And I'm still confused where they heard that "car battery" was outdated. What are we supposed to say then? "My car won't start; I need a new electric black boxy thingamajigger?" Is that a critical piece of vocabulary for the Russian folks on here? No. But I guess it's just the principal of the thing, and frankly, not having read the entire list, nor being any authoritatvie source, it leads me to question the overall veracity of the list. I assure you that we still have plenty of "badgers" roaming the wilderness and even though "propellers" may be outdated as a technology for aircraft, every single American knows exactly what a propeller is.

Sorry for the ranting...

Frankly speaking, it's quite possible to learn all those equivalents if you want to or need to. I honestly don't feel like learning that whole list. I'd far rather learn some other new words. That will be a lot more useful! Yes, you're right that British English is the standard here. I don't really know why. My guess is that the Soviet government disliked the USA and forbad teaching American English. Perhaps, the verb "forbid" is inappropriate here but I don't know how else to put this into English.

It's good for you, guys, that we don't have this kind of differences in Russian. A word that is understood in Moscow will normally be understood elsewhere in Russia.

I couldn't care less about the veracity of that website because I'm not going to use it anyway

I always thought British English was the standard form of english taught in most places because, at one point or another, the British probably occupied that country. At any rate, after looking at this list, and as others have said, don't put too much stock in it. A lot of the things it lists as 'dated' or 'regional' just simply isn't true.

tdk

I think that you are missing the point Bar ol' boy. When it is stated that something is out dated it is stating it from the British point of view. Meaning that The English are starting to use the American word. It is interesting to me to note that some of these words I still use after all these years in the US ie "anticlockwise" I had no idea until now that I had been using a different word than most Americans use. I quit using "bonnet" right away but it must have taken me several years to figure out what a "faucet" was.

And what do you think now? You wrote that you always thought that....bla-bla-bla... I think that the British pronunciation's regarded as the standard.

All I know is that American's don't speak English

That's very interesting!!! Do you they speak American? Is my guess right?

Originally Posted by DDT

I think that you are missing the point Bar ol' boy. When it is stated that something is out dated it is stating it from the British point of view. Meaning that The English are starting to use the American word.

I understand what you are saying; and if you're telling me that it's "accumulator" and not "car battery" and so forth, that's outdated, then so be it. *sigh* This is the problem with translating from English to English.

It is interesting to me to note that some of these words I still use after all these years in the US ie "anticlockwise" I had no idea until now that I had been using a different word than most Americans use. I quit using "bonnet" right away but it must have taken me several years to figure out what a "faucet" was.

Yet, oddly enough, we use "faucets" to get our "tap water" (I've never heard of someone asking about "faucet water"). Go figure. For what it's worth, you do find "tap" in usage too; I'd say it's probably not quite as common -- and maybe regional? Oh, and wise choice on the bonnet - lol -- you'd probably get strange looks for that one, since typically only women and infants wear bonnets!

Americans have been cherishing the futile thought that their language is truely American. How wrong they are!

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Originally Posted by ReDSanchous

It's hard for me to determine how dated the words on the first page are but I want to say that it's not critical that you don't know a British equiavalent of some word. I mean- - if you know a word "faucet', you oughtn't to know the British equivalent - tap. And vice versa. I think that everyone should decide for themselves which dialect of English to study. If you've been studying American English from the very beginning and you're going to Australia, you should probably devote some time to learning the most important equivalents used in Australia.

For the most part you are right -- if you told me turn something "anticlockwise" I'd probably look at you funny, but I'd understand. Still, if you asked me if we had any "aubergines" for sale, I'd have NO clue what you're talking about. Still, I think the "standard" form typically taught abroad is "British English" right?

And I'm still confused where they heard that "car battery" was outdated. What are we supposed to say then? "My car won't start; I need a new electric black boxy thingamajigger?" Is that a critical piece of vocabulary for the Russian folks on here? No. But I guess it's just the principal of the thing, and frankly, not having read the entire list, nor being any authoritatvie source, it leads me to question the overall veracity of the list. I assure you that we still have plenty of "badgers" roaming the wilderness and even though "propellers" may be outdated as a technology for aircraft, every single American knows exactly what a propeller is.

Sorry for the ranting...

The translations are explanations. It isn't saying it's what you'd say in everyday speach. You can't explain "Chat up" in one word.

ReDSanchous,
>A word that is understood in Moscow will normally be understood elsewhere in Russia.


Московская булка = СПб батон
М подъезд = СПб лестница.

The last time I was in SPb I saw лестница and thought it very strange until I read about the vocab differences! But I suppose a native would know these differences.

I think there may be a different word that is sometimes used for "entrance," also; but I think the overall point with regards the Russian "mainland" still holds up. What I would be interested to know is whether it does so with regard to other places where Russian is spoken -- maybe Kazakhstan, the Baltic states, or even Kaliningrad (which I know IS part of Russia), since after all, we are comparing a colony with the mother country over a period of hundreds of years. I would suspect -- with very little research, it's just a hunch -- that the Russian spoken there may be somewhat different than in Russia proper. Of course there are many reasons why it would change or wouldn't change -- or more likely the language will completely die out; indigenous American languages were destroyed, in a practical every day sense, whereas, say, Latvian wasn't.