Translation table explaining the truth behind British politeness becomes internet hit

Good evening/afternoon and morning to all fellow ATSers.

Came across this little snippet tonight that i would like to share with you all and maybe might help our non Brit members to understand us a little better

The table sheds light on just how difficult it can be for a foreigner to understand what the British really mean when they're speaking – especially for those take every word at face value.

Phrases that prove the trickiest to decipher include 'you must come for dinner', which foreigners tend to take as a direct invitation, but is actually said out of politeness by many Britons and often does not result in an invite.

The table also reveals that when a person from Britain begins a sentence "with the greatest respect ...', they actually mean 'I think you are an idiot'.

Full story and translation table here :

www.telegraph.co.uk... .html

I'm a bit worried now as i always finish off my posts with kindest or warmest respects

Have fun translating folks...

Warmest repects

Rodinus

Your link is off. Need to edit it...

Oh, hell, here it is Right Here

reply to post by Rodinus


The Danish people does the exact same thing. We dont want to be rude to each other, ever. No one in the country does. So we all understand that, what may sound like something nice or respectful, really is not. xD

(if using the OP's link, you will need to type in ".html" at the end manually)
(Unless OP has been edited by the time you read this)

Originally posted by Skada
Your link is off. Need to edit it...

Oh, hell, here it is Right Here

Thanks Skada,

For some strange reason i have tried re-editing twice and still get a broken page, even copy pasted your link and still broken on my post!

Thanks for looking at Skadas link please folks.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Interesting , here is the table

WHAT THE BRITISH SAY .... WHAT THE BRITISH MEAN .... WHAT FOREIGNERS UNDERSTAND
I hear what you say ....... I disagree and do not want to discuss it further .... He accepts my point of view
With the greatest respect ... You are an idiot .... He is listening to me
That's not bad ..... That's good .... That's poor
That is a very brave proposal ... You are insane ... He thinks I have courage
Quite good .... A bit disappointing .... Quite good
I would suggest... Do it or be prepared to justify yourself .... Think about the idea, but do what you like
Oh, incidentally by the way ... The primary purpose of our discussion is .... That is not very important
I was a bit disappointed that .... I am annoyed that .... It doesn't really matter
Very interesting .... That is clearly nonsense .... They are impressed
I'll bear it in mind .... I've forgotten it already .... They will probably do it
I'm sure it's my fault .... It's your fault .... Why do they think it was their fault?
You must come for dinner .... It's not an invitation, I'm just being polite .... I will get an invitation soon
I almost agree .... I don't agree at all .... He's not far from agreement
I only have a few minor comments .... Please rewrite completely .... He has found a few typos
Could we consider some other options .... I don't like your idea .... They have not yet decided

I spend a lot of time on conference call's with "colleagues" in the UK.
This explains a lot for me actually.

reply to post by Rodinus

Let me add another;
"Excuse me...
Foreigners probably hear that as " I feel apologetic because I have done or am about to do something I shouldn't"
You and I know that it really means "I am about to bluntly contradict the nonsensical statement you have just made"
Similar function to "with respect", in fact.

reply to post by Rodinus

I'm not sure about all foreigners or even all Americans, but I take those phrases the same you Brits do. After all, I'm from NYC. We know when we're getting dissed LOL

reply to post by Rodinus

Warmest repects

Well then!
The same to you!
Phhht!

Hence the amer-indian idiom from ages past....

white man speak with fork tongue ...

perhaps..i dont know im just making it up

weavs

Here's one you may encounter at the public: "tosser!" or "wanker!"
Most commonly heard when spilling your pint on a bloke.
It means the Brit really thinks you're a swell guy. Cover your face in polite response

This reminds me of a saying I use to hear quite a bit when I lived in the south.....if someone says "bless their heart" while telling a story about someone....it usually means they did something really stupid.

"Little Billy, bless his heart, he shot himself in the foot while trying to rob the bait shop"

My sister still lives in the south and I can't help but giggle every time I catch her using that phrase....bless her heart.

That's the bible belt for ya!

Humans are typically so good at subterfuge that they tend to employ it without even realizing.

My wife is typical latina in a lot of ways. She speaks spanish fluently, but only in the right situation. When she is talking with anglo folks, she speaks without accent, proper grammar, wide vocabulary, "white folk" hand gestures.

When talking with a spanish speaker, she flips completely. YOu would think she barely knew English.

This is subterfuge. Not bad, and not malicious. But it is showing different faces to different people. And she does it without even realizing it. When she talks to her mom....its a mishmash of English and Spanish. Hilarious to listen to ("Y la Ninfa? She went to see him on Sabado, tambien")

Another poster mentioned the "bless your heart" as the quick fix when you are trying to insult someone. Around here, you hear "poor, besito" instead.

All cultures have their little ways that they say these things. We all are liars.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by Rodinus

 

Warmest repects

Well then!
The same to you!
Phhht!

Funny thing is, is that i am sincere when i say warmest or kindest respects.

Warmest respects

Rod

One that i really like is "Oh really?"

Basically means "oh, i see you are spewing forth Bovine faecal matter from your mouth"!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus

My remark was in jest.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by Rodinus

 

My remark was in jest.

I know it was butch

*Reaches under the desk for the baseball bat with rusty nail sticking through the end*

Have a great weekend

Warmest respects

Rodinus