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HOW TO AVOID CONFUSING
EXPRESSIONS
Table of Content
Introduction
I was laughing very hard (or "rolling on the floor") while watching the TV program in which Lisa and Professor Yu Chilik exchanged many "funny stories." Professor Yu cited a great deal of anecdotes about how we may create some confusing and even embarrassing situations for ourselves if we roughly or unwittingly translate our thoughts in Chinese into English. While all of these anecdotes are indeed very funny on one level, I am sure none of us in Action English would want to be in such a situation. How can we avoid it?
In this column, I would like to share with you several ideas about this issue.
Enlarge Your Vocabulary in English
In principle, most if not all of the "funny" and yet embarrassing situations Professor Yu described could have been avoided. Of course, we need to know what the source of the problem is before we can come up with appropriate solutions. And one of the problems facing many of us speakers of English as a second language is that our vocabulary in English can be and often is limited.
A language (any language) is not simply a tool for communication or conveying message. It is in fact a specific way of thinking. For example, Chinese as a language embodies a way of thinking that is quite different from English, which embodies another thinking process. In principle, therefore, we have to think "in" English if we want to speak English or express ourselves in English fluently. Otherwise, if we express ourselves in English while thinking in Chinese, we would run into those funny and yet embarrassing situations Professor Yu has so insightfully demonstrated. It is because our communication is confused by or mixed up with two different ways of thinking processes (Chinese vs. English).
But being able to think in English (or any second language) will take some time. Let me emphasize here that IT CAN BE DONE; after all, the fact that a very humble Hong Kong Cantonese guy like myself with not even a single linguistic gene in my brain can somehow dream in English once in a while should clearly indicate to you that YOU certainly can achieve this level of sophistication in English. Nonetheless, the point is that it does take time.
So, while you keep on practicing your Action English with us, it is important that you consciously work to enlarge your vocabulary in English, including single words and expressions.
Of course, we cannot possibly just memorize everything there is to memorize in English. So I think this is a good principle to follow: Build up and enlarge the vocabulary that is the most immediately helpful to you in your specific profession, industry, or business. This is your bottom line on the professional level, so to speak. For example, if you are an insurance broker, build up your English vocabulary and expressions that your foreign colleagues in the industry typically use.
Once you feel you have a reasonable command of the vocabulary and set of expressions for your profession or business, you should then expand to other areas of your personal interest, such as sports, international politics, fashion, shopping, and so on. Be focused in what you choose to learn and be systematic in how you progress in your study.
Ask Questions If You Are Not Clear
Another important principle to remember is that you will be better served by asking for help when you are not sure with certain words or expressions. As I said elsewhere in this program, your foreign friends know and appreciate the fact that you are doing them a big favor by speaking their language on their behalf. So it is fine to ask them when you are not clear about certain words or expressions. In fact, this IS one of the best ways to learn Action English, that is, English that you learn and use in everyday life.
Let us now take one of the funny situations discussed in the TV program with Professor Yu for our example. Our Chinese colleague was at a loss as to what to say about "the thing we use to hang clothes with." He seemed to have made the decision to "borrow" the word "hooker" for his purpose; obviously, "the thing we use to hang clothes with" has a hook. Well, as you know, "hooker" means "prostitute" in American slang and it does not mean "the thing we use to hang clothes with."
By now, you may ask me: "Casey, what's wrong with you!? Why do you keep saying 'the thing we use to hang clothes with'?"
This is why. If and when you are not sure the exact word or expression for communicating an idea in English (or any foreign language), do your best to use other words to describe it for your listeners and ask them to tell you what the proper word or expression is. In the above example, if our Chinese colleague in that funny situation simply asked the question ("What do you call the thing we use to hang clothes with?), his foreign friend could have easily told him that "hanger" is "the thing we use to hang clothes with."
Be As Specific As You Can
There is yet another important principle to remember when it comes to avoiding embarrassing situations such as some of those discussed by Professor Yu and Lisa: Be as specific as you possibly can when you express your idea. It is particularly important when you have to express it in a foreign language you are not entirely familiar with.
Remember the episode about this man who had to choose whether he would take the upper or the lower level of a bunk bed? He chose the upper level and said to the woman "May I sleep upon you?"? While this may be "funny" on one level but, seriously, what is wrong with this scenario?
One of the problems is that the man used an abstract expression to declare his intention. For example, he chose to describe a rather abstract spatial relationship between he and the woman if and when he takes the upper deck, that is, he would be "above" the woman.
Instead, the gentleman should have expressed himself in a concrete fashion. He should have focused on the specific choice: "May I take the upper deck?" "Choosing either the upper deck or the lower deck" was THE choice the man was asked to make (and not whether he was to be sleeping in a space "above" the woman), and he should just focus on that choice in his expression.
By the way, you should note that "May I take the upper deck" (in this example) is in fact a very simple expression or question form in English. That is to say, you really do not need to know very complex or fancy expression to make your ideas clear to your foreign friends in English.
This principle can also help you better understand the segment in the TV program where Professor Yu suggested how best we should respond to questions such as "Where did you come from?" The best way to answer this question is to focus on what the question asks for, that is, WHERE. So, a specific answer such as "I came from Taiwan" is the best answer for the question because it directly addresses the issue of WHERE (and not what or who you are politically or ideologically).
Just be as specific as you can.
How Do I Know If An Error Has Been Made?
The key is to pay attention when and after you speak. The verbal or non-verbal reaction from your listeners usually gives you very good feedback.
If your listeners say things like "Pardon me," "Say that again," "Can you run that by me one more time?", then you should know something is not clear enough. Follow the above principles: Try you best to say what you want to say as specifically as you possibly can. And if you are not sure about a word or expression, ask your foreign friends about it.
Meanwhile, some people are more subtle in their reaction to confusion or things that are not clear to them. There can be many reasons. One of the reasons is that they are being polite with you and they do not want to embarrass or upset you by asking you questions about your mistakes or screw-ups. Another possible reason is that they are simply caught by surprise in reference to what you have just said.
But if you pay attention, their facial expression, a form of non-verbal communication, can usually give off to you what they might be thinking or reacting in silence. When I teach in the classroom, I always pay attention to how my students react to what I say non-verbally. If I detect puzzlement on their face, for example, I will make an effort to re-phrase what I just said to help them understand my point. You can and should do the same. If and when you see puzzlement on your foreign friend's face or expression, then you should address the situation accordingly.
Instead of repeating what I said that might have created some confusion, I usually ask my listeners directly and in a sincere or concerned manner. These are some examples: Am I confusing you? Did I just say something funny? What did I just say? Or, nice, easy, and simple questions like these. I usually get very nice responses from my American friends with such questions if I indeed confuse them earlier.
What If I Screw Up After All?
I would give you the same advice that Lisa and Professor Yu gave you in their conversation: Be positive and always maintain a sense of humor if and when you indeed make a "funny mistake." I will not say much about the role of humor in intercultural communication in this column because it is a topic for another column. But suffice it to say is that it is very important that you do not become defensive when you realize that you make one of those "funny mistakes."
Americans and the British, for example, love it when they know you have a good sense of humor, especially when you can even make fun of your own mistake. Remember what Lisa (or was it Professor Yu?) said about the woman's response to the man who said "Wonder Bra" (the woman undergarment) instead of "Wonder Bar" (the chocolate)? The woman's response was a typical, humorous way, at least among many Americans, to help the confused speaker reduce his embarrassment. This example indicates a very nice intercultural communication skill on the part of the woman.
Do you know what is perhaps an equally, if not more important, thing to do if you get yourself in one of those "funny situations"? For me, I would in fact ask my foreign friends to teach me the proper word or expression. ("What is the word for this?" "What would you say in a situation like this?" "Can you teach me the proper expression for this idea?" "Please say that word slowly so I know how to pronounce it correctly.") Believe me, I still ask questions like these. I have learned what I believe to be a great deal about how to express myself effectively in American English by asking questions. Americans, like many other people on earth, love to be asked questions such as these and enjoy teaching others about their language and culture.
We have a saying in the US: "It doesn't hurt to ask."
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