Some don't seem to connect at all, like this station sign and label in the library.
But that isn't really what I am talking about when I say language barrier. Sometimes they call things by different names. Here are a few examples. Find the food examples in this post.
Appointment book = Diary
Bathroom (like at a restaurant, not necessarily at home) = Toilet
Ladybug = Ladybird
Lawyer = Solicitor or Barrister, depending on specialty
Home Inspector = Surveyor
Tank Top = Vest
Vest = Waistcoat
Sweater = Jumper
Depart (usually get off the train) = Alight
Most adults have been exposed to enough American culture, especially through TV shows, that they understand what I am talking about and don't mention it. Kids, however..... Not only do they often not know what you are talking about, but they also get confused by the pronunciation differences. I got called out by a little girl I was minding (babysitting) when I talked about something with stripes looking like a zebra. She looked at me confused for about 10 seconds, then finally said, "Oh, you mean zebra?" Except when she says it, it sounded like Deborah with a Z. She continued to mock me for a few minutes until I distracted her with something else.
At first I was confused by the context of some words. The two most notable cases being Scheme and Bold. Scheme to me has a very negative connotation, and is something you would be expecting a con-man or villain to be planning. However, here it is used like we would use the words Plan or Program. For example, I am using the DOMINO Scheme at the maternity hospital, which is a program where, among other things, midwives are used in place of Obstetricians when at all possible. Hardly nefarious. Or the First Time Home-buyer Scheme, where fist time buyers get more breaks than second time Home-buyers.
Bold is something American children are taught is a good thing. Be bold, follow your dreams, be courageous! However, here it is a bad thing, something to be chastised for. You'l often see children out in public acting up, interrupting adults, etc. Usually something minor, but you will hear the parents sterling telling them, "Don't be bold!" I understand what they mean, but still a bit hard for me to wrap my head around.
Time telling is also often confusing for me. I had a whole Abbot and Costello-esque conversation trying to make an appointment one day over text message. I was asked if midday would suit (would work fine), I said yes. Then I waited for the confirmation of the time. I eventually texted back asking what time. The response was, "Midday." I thought maybe she hadn't gotten my other text saying midday was fine, so responded, "Yes, midday, but what time exactly?" She figured out that I understood midday to mean sometime in the middle of the day and explained to me that midday means 12:00. Noon, in other words, a term I never hear anyone here use.
Military time is also used in written correspondence and is the default setting on all your appliances, so get used to that. I've also never heard anyone describe 10:30 as "ten thirty." It's always "half ten," as in half passed ten. I remember a similar structure when I studied German, but there I think half ten actually meant 9:30, but that was a long time ago so maybe I am wrong about that one.
I still haven't figured out "Thursday next." A TV commercial here led me to believe that it would mean a week from Thursday, but when I tired to confirm that with an Irishman, they told me that it meant the coming Thursday. I talked about this with hubby last night and he though it was a week from Thursday as well, so now I am really confused. If today is Sunday the 1st, would Thursday next be Thursday the 5th or the 12th? If someone tries to make an appointment this way, I will definitely confirm with the date.
"Immersion" is a whole cultural experience in itself. This is the word they use for the most popular type of hot water heater, which is not immediately obvious when you move in. A heating coil is immersed in the tank of water, hence the name. But it's not just called a different thing, it works differently also. I grew up with hot water heaters that were set at a certain temperature, and it would cycle on and off as needed to maintain this temperature. An immersion, however, stays on, continually heating, until someone turns it off. We are lucky and have a digitally controlled one, so we set it once (like your digital thermostat) and forget about it unless we used lot of hot water and need a boost, then we hit the "+1" button that turns it on for just an hour. I am told that people without digital systems just turn it on a bit before they need it, for a shower, dishwasher, washing machine, or whatever else you may need it for, then turn it off when you are done. Also some systems have a "sink" or "bath" setting, where you control how deep the tank is heated, so you aren't wasting as much electricity if you only need it hot enough for the occasional hand washing. And "God love you" if you leave the immersion on. Apparently this is the worst fear of Irish Mammies all over the country, is often joked about, and is much worse than leaving the house with the oven on. I don't know if this is an actual safety issue, like if the tank will explode, but I think it's more of a money-wasting thing. A friend of mine accidentally left hers running for an entire day, and she said she didn't know water could get that hot!
It's also difficult to being the one with the accent. No, you aren't surrounded by people with Irish Accents, you are just surrounded by people, and you stand out like a sore thumb with your American accent!
