English to USA Translations

My mother is British, and even though she has lived in the United States for a little more than four decades now since marrying my dad, she still has a strong accent. Everything she says sounds awesome and fun!!!

Question for the British: What do you call the cart you put your groceries in while shopping? We have a few variations between northern and southern US. In the north, it is either carriage or shopping cart. In the south I have heard people call them buggies.

In Nz we call them a trolley!!!

Fannie.

Hahahaha

I'm from Chile, I'm a translator.... In college I had to learn both the british and the us way, I had a huuuge list of words, now the only one I can remember (because it's really late and I'm sleepy) is:

condom=rubber
rubber = eraser

.

posh = sophisticated
pub = bar
band-aid = plaster?
have on = joke with
way out = exit

Now just imaging you are from the states and you have landed at Gatwick and you are looking for an exit sign just like all the exit signs you've seen in the airports back home. You walk around the airport several time and you see these signs that say "way out" but that couldn't be it could it. Finally you find some kind looking gentlemen and ask him how to exit the airport. He looks around and points you to the "way out" sigh not 10 feet away from where you are standing.

I finally get to my hotel room and ordered room service. My drink was a coke. It arrived in a bottle. I haven't seen a coke in a bottle in decades. I need a bottle opener. I call down to the front desk for a bottle opener because I can't find one on the tray. Oh no ma'am the bottle opener is mounted in the bathroom. It never occurred to me to look into the bathroom.

Next morning after my shower I'm looking for the hair dryer I don't find it in the bathroom. Call down to the front desk there is because I can't find the dryer in the bathroom. Oh no ma'am there isn't sufficient power in the bathroom for the hair dryer the hair dryer is in the desk dryer and you'll have to dry your hair at the desk.

After getting dressed I went down the hotel restaurant for breakfast. The waitress asked me did I want bacon or American bacon for breakfast? It sounded to me that bacon was what I think Canadian bacon so I ordered American bacon.

Later that night I went to an Italian restaurant and ordered Iced tea. I didn't know that the making of iced tea was going to require 3 waiters and involve the shaker used for mixed drinks but hey they got the job done and it was a fine glass of iced tea. It was better than the slightly warm pepsi with lemon that my dining companion received.

It was quite an experience and one I hope I can repeat some day. I didn't know it at the time but I purchased books while there that I could not have purchased here in the USA.

As for the names of meals, I have noticed quite a bit of variation based on depending on the part of the USA/state you happen to be in

For example, growing up in the Texas: Breakfast, Dinner, Supper & Breakfast, Supper, Dinner (different parts of the state)
Living in California: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Military: Chow, Chow, Chow
Living in Arizona: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

NZ - US

bench - kitchen counter
chilly bin - ice chest
lounge - living room

Here in Nz we have judder-bars.
you know those lumps of tarseal they put on the road to slow traffic down?
what do you call them?

Speed bumps

Later that night I went to an Italian restaurant and ordered Iced tea. I didn't know that the making of iced tea was going to require 3 waiters and involve the shaker used for mixed drinks but hey they got the job done and it was a fine glass of iced tea.

Ha! Yes, for a nation of tea drinkers we still haven't quite got to grips with the 'iced tea' concept! Well, we understand the concept, I don't understand why you'd want to drink it :laugh:

Here in Nz we have judder-bars.
you know those lumps of tarseal they put on the road to slow traffic down?
what do you call them?

speed bumps (In rural GA)