Cultural Differences in English

This article takes a look at some cultural behaviours in language that you should be conscious of if you are an English language learner.

If you work with different nationalities it is very important that you know the cultural differences between you and the other person - this could help you avoid misunderstandings in your communication.

There are a lot of cultural differences that exist between English and other languages. My specific experience is with Spanish because I am an Irish person living in Spain, but it applies to other languages as well.

There are lots of differences and it's not only in the translation, but it's also in how you say something, your gestures, your tone of voice, and in the words that you use.

We are going to look at some words and expressions in English that you probably shouldn't say, or that you should say in a different way.

Let´s get started.

What does this sentence mean to you?

´Would you possibly mind considering staying a little later after work to finish off that project that was due this afternoon?´

(Context: You should have delivered a project but you didn´t).

What is the true meaning of that sentence?

A. You can stay if you want but if you don't it's okay

B. You should stay to finish the project that you didn't finish on time or you will have problems?

Although at first glance it looks like the answer is A, the truth is that the most likely answer is option B.

Let me explain:

We often use very polite English but as a native speaker, you automatically understand the tone and what is really meant by that. However, as a non-native speaker, you may not pick up these nuances.

Reasons for this are that it is formed as a request, not an order, so in purely grammatical terms you shouldn´t feel like it is an obligation.

It is also super-polite, therefore also implying that you have a choice. In addition, the passive is used so it is not totally directed at you 100% - it doesn't say the project that you didn't finish. But it is implied you already know that you didn't finish that project.

A native speaker would realise that he or she had better stay and finish the project, or he/she will be in trouble.

This is just one example of how you just have to be careful and watch for signs when you're speaking with a native speaker in English because sometimes the language may appear different from what they are actually saying, and similarly, I would recommend that you take care how you use the language too, when you are in work situations or when you don´t know someone very well.

I have a few tips below to help you:

Be careful with using the imperative in English.

In your native language, it may be very common and very natural to use imperative a lot when you want something, or when you want to say something. For example, tell me when you're available, or tell me what time you are going to finish the meeting.

A better way to say it would be could you let me know when you finish?, or Let me know please when you finish the meeting.

It is preferable to either make a request - Could you?, Would you mind +ing? for instance, or use the Imperative by saying let me know. Please and thank you always go down well (are well-received, the other person likes it), too.

Try not to say NO directly

when someone asks you for something.

In this case, I am talking about something work-related, or non-compromising, NOT any case where it is better and, indeed, safer for you to say no.

What I mean is if someone is asking you for your opinion, or asking you to agree with something, it may be more constructive to use expressions like I'm not sure that's a good idea or maybe we can look at that another time but right now we need to do something else.

So you get the picture, you`re saying no but in a more indirect way.

Native speakers often do not speak directly, especially in the UK and Ireland (I am Irish). This must be very confusing, even frustrating, for non-native speakers whose native language is more direct. It can be quite difficult for people to figure out what exactly someone means when they say something, or if they should be direct or not in certain situations. This can cause issues in business meetings or negotiations if you are not clear about what someone means when they say something, or if you understand something differently. This is why it is always important to ask for clarification.

Please & Thank You.

As I mentioned before, please and thank you are used often in English. Indeed, my children, who were born in Spain but have Irish passports, say please and thank you for everything. They are age 7 and age 9 and often other parents will say to me, ´Wow, they say please and thank you a lot!´

Probably a little bit too much for Spain, but the perfect amount for Ireland.

However, when you're speaking to an English-speaking native, it's better to say please and thank you.

Let´s give an example. If you go for coffee, it's not appropriate to say I want a Coffee. You need to say something like Can you please bring me a coffee?

It's not unusual to hear someone say Would you mind bringing me a coffee when you have a minute if it's not too much bother? that would be fantastic, thank you so much.

Extremely polite, isn´t it?

Let's look at some more examples of cultural differences in the language

I want the report.

This is a little bit forward and could be considered a little bit rude. It´s better to say could you please give me the report? or Would you mind giving me the report?

Send me the minutes of the meeting.

This can also be considered a little bit rude. Obviously, everything depends on your tone of voice - if you say something in a very nice way with an imperative, it´s better than saying something in a rude way with a very nice question, so context is everything. But if you are sending an email where you don't have body language or tone of voice as a reference, send me the minutes could be considered rude.

It´s better to say can you please send me the minutes?

Another word that sounds rude in English is what? As a question, when you don´t understand or hear something and you want the other person to repeat.

In English, it's almost like you're angry.

It´s better to say something like Pardon? Excuse me? or Sorry?

But not What?

The next one is Tell me when you are available. This is not the worst, but it is better to say let me know when you are available please.

Another example: I want to cancel the meeting.

Again, you will not go to prison for saying this but it's better to say something like:

I need to cancel the meeting, sorry for any inconvenience or Would it be okay with you if we cancelled the meeting? or Sorry but I have to cancel the meeting.

Finally, this infographic has been doing the rounds (circulating) for the last year. It is quite tongue-in-cheek, it may not be true in all cases, but it's quite funny and interesting to read.