My Being from Non-English Background Cannot Prevent Me From The Fun Here

@thesids (22180)
Bhubaneswar, India
December 30, 2010 8:39am CST
Hi Mylotters, I am making a confession here - I am not from an English Speaking Background. Many a times, I am not that good at understanding the slangs, the jokes and many other stuff (of late I realize this). But I do not care about this.... Yes I do not care anymore. At times, I do not understand the jokes, the underlying humor and maybe something else but still I am enjoying this place. I try out using a software or the internet to find out the context (which I really find painful to search via google or online thesaurus) but in a way it helps me improve my vocabulary. MyLot Community has a wide set of people from different countries, different backgrounds, different cultures and I am happy that I find so much value participating in these discussions. Tip For Newbies with this problem - Be Open and you would feel that MyLot is full of people who are supportive and would help you for good - improve your English and also remain positive. I have my personal experience to support this reason. Please share your views on your difficulties or experiences when it comes to understanding the humor or difficulty in understanding the non-familiar yet so-familiar language barrier. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 theSids. PS. Please Do NOT read in between my lines - this is for my friends from English Background
6 people like this
15 responses
saphrina
@saphrina (31551)
• South Africa
30 Dec 10
Hi sweetie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your english. I have noticed that a lot who is not englsih speakers are actually much better with their english now as mylot is a great place to learn. But you get those who are thick headed and full of crap. That's people for you. I always say if you don't get a thing, ask. If we don't ask we will never know. TATA.
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
30 Dec 10
that is one reason I call you angel
saphrina
@saphrina (31551)
• South Africa
30 Dec 10
Thanx sweetie.
LetranKnight25
@LetranKnight25 (33121)
• Philippines
30 Dec 10
Hello saphrina, My impression is he's one of the most promising and intelligent members of this site. So, there's nothing wrong with his language. I believe it's not entirely strictly english PERFECT written here since most of us dominant members here have english as secondary language. TATA
hora_fugit
@hora_fugit (5863)
• India
30 Dec 10
I don't know about my English.... Though I love how mylot helped me in my language skill, it's quite troublesome that I find it difficult again to present my ideas in English, when I'm away from here for really long time. Something stops me from implementing all this in my day-to-day life... Also i don't know how to help without sounding offensive! So I just ignore mistakes. Only one I couldn't get over was constant use of gay(s) instead of guy(s). Didn't complain...
hora_fugit
@hora_fugit (5863)
• India
30 Dec 10
No!! Hmm.. That's a great news! I hope I didn't PM him something bad in the time being...
vanny
@vandana7 (100223)
• India
30 Dec 10
Come one kiddo - your English is excellent... were you fishing for compliments? We get to know their style in just about six months or so... they've lot of fun, and now I too enjoy it a lot... And wit is not around... he has gone to deliver a baby...
1 person likes this
vanny
@vandana7 (100223)
• India
30 Dec 10
When guys blush, I get confused... No it was not your PM that did it, it was his wife who was carrying...
1 person likes this
sarahruthbeth22
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
31 Dec 10
No Worries , you now have a English speaking sister! If you ever need help with English , especially Americanized English, Write me . I will help.I agree , One doesn't Have to be a English first person here. In fact this is a good place to practice your English.
sarahruthbeth22
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
1 Jan 11
(smiling)That was fun. I'm glad you know I'm here if you need me. Happy New Year Bhai.
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
31 Dec 10
I know I can depend on you in that larning part and also know you would be more than happy to tell me... And I would learn it better from you as I know how good my sister is when it comes to narration (I still remember the Movie Discussions) HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 theSids.
1 person likes this
gsaintiny
@gsaintiny (69)
• United States
30 Dec 10
Hey Sid, YAY YOU! :D Er...That's a good thing. ;O) One of my fondest dreams is to someday understand Japanese enough to be able to read jokes in the original language! So, I really admire your situation. I look forward to being that advanced in Japanese, some day. It's early in my experience (I've taken a very slow boat to Japan). Arghhhh! There I go again, using what must seem to you an esoteric idiom. What I mean is that I'm taking my time learning the language. (The typical idiom is "slow boat to China.") Anyway, keep up the good work. My native tongue is French, by the way. But now, I read, speak, and think in English, using French half the time I speak with my mother and occasionally hearing a song or reading a short article in French. Must get back up to speed on the French, sometime. Sunshine & Blessings, Giovani
gsaintiny
@gsaintiny (69)
• United States
30 Dec 10
You remember fine, Sid! Ohayo! :D
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
30 Dec 10
Hi Giovani, You too leaning Japanese... I tried my hands at that like you in around 2003... but they stopeed me mid-way just because I did not fit their rules for jobs - they needed me to complete my Masters in Computers before they could offer me joining letters... so they suggested me to stop. But yes, I have a fondness with learning some of the languages and I am really awed when I see/find people who are having more than one languages with them. If I remember this correct - Ohayo gozaimasu (good morning)
sunnycool
@sunnycool (12714)
• India
31 Dec 10
I would only be lying if say i was at ease in here right from the first day.Had a tough time understanding comments as they're filled in with lots of humour. Do take some time to visit my older discussions ... they make you laugh if you had a cr@ppy day so far Ohh i see that i skipped few lines(err...should i say paragraphs) of your post Happy New Year :)
sunnycool
@sunnycool (12714)
• India
31 Dec 10
Be Open --- thats what i have always been! Wish you the same :)
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
31 Dec 10
Hi Sunny, I can understand the point. At times it gets over my head and I just miss the punch on these... Then after the research I re-visit and laugh it out. The point I try to convey - be open and do not feel bad, so what if I missed the joke now, I will not miss it the next time... Happy New Year 2011 theSids.
hardworkinggurl
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
30 Dec 10
I am one who completely enjoys reading discussions from members with difficulty as I feel proud that they attempt. See I am Puerto Rican, born and raised in the US. I can't begin to tell you how the ones raised in my country feel to proud to speak the English Language. I would always feel proud for anyone attempting, and happy to help anyone with questions. I especially enjoy here when I see the English Language improving. As for your thesids yours is excellent. Sometimes I type a bit too technical and the member asks for clarification. I do not get upset at all, I return with happiness that the member wants to learn. When I first started on here, I was being marked negatively because the member could not understand my discussion. After my explanation they would admit the negative rating and apologize. Geez.. But I am still here loving that I can help someone.
vanny
@vandana7 (100223)
• India
30 Dec 10
Ok blondie, seriously how many brunettes did you help in your life, and how many brunettes helped you... just a serious comparison...
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
30 Dec 10
@GF I was being marked negatively because the member could not understand my discussion.Really? That was unexpected (at least I did not think this) You are a real role model and I must say that. @Vandana: I dont have brown hair (but I had them colored once way back in 1994) - and if that counts... I would say GF has helped me
hardworkinggurl
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
30 Dec 10
These blonde locks one day, hopefully no time soon, will be gray.. and looking forward then hiding them brunette some day. @thesids I am actually a happy camper on a daily basis regardless of who appreciates, but to hear you say I am a role model makes me that more appreciative.
zambian
@zambian (31)
• India
30 Dec 10
Well done then. I am glad to see that even though you are not from an english speaking background you can easliy expresss yourself and are not afraid. Your english will definitely improve with more practice, though it is quite fair now and anyone can easily understand you... practice makes perfect they say.. so keep up the posts and before long no one will know english is not your first (second, third??) language. And happy new year to you.
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
30 Dec 10
Hi Zambian, Thanks for appreciating me. I have faced many rejections on my bids for content writing and maybe these rejections are somewhere in the subconscious mindset that have helped me in not being afraid anymore... They say life is a school where there is something new to learn everyday. And I am lucky to be at this place where I can improve.
zandi458
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
31 Dec 10
I believe many of us especially from the Asian regions did not grow up speaking English and only learn English in schools as a subject. So we can't expect to have the fluency in this language like the native speakers. But I noticed that people whose mother's tongue is not English are more careful when applying English in their spoken or written forms. Many non native speakers are good if not better than the native speakers who are overly confident of their own language and freely use slang or pidgin English, leaving many us scratching our heads trying to figure what they mean and wondering what has gone wrong with the beautiful English words we learned in school. I find that mylot has given us the best exposure to gain more mileage in the English speaking world thus building our confidence interacting with people who don't speak our languages but with English as the bridge we are able to narrow down the gap and be on par with them.
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
31 Dec 10
Hi Zandi, That is a very true and honest response. Yes, I agree with you leaving many us scratching our heads trying to figure what they mean and wondering what has gone wrong with the beautiful English words we learned in school Even many a times I have been thinking that way. But as times change we do realize that many things that we grew up learning doesnt get implemented in the real world and the rules are quite different out here. Thanks to sites like MyLot where we can interact and let our knowledge and skills grow.
Patsie Hatley
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
30 Dec 10
hi thesids Yes I can really understand how hard it is for those of your from other countries to understand some of our weird slang and terms we use. I was talking about how much I loved hot dogs'to a mylotter here. He responded:"I am shocked a nice old lady like'you to eat dogs. How can you do that?"I hastily replied, "oh I am so sorry, you do not know our expressions, no these are weiners you know small sausages made from beef. NO I would never eat dog meat. People in the US do not eat dogs, we have them as pets.I am not sure where that term came from. He then asked me about someone telling him that the man's dogs were hurting.the man had no dogs with him. what he mean? I explained that was just a silly expression for one's toes and feet.Oh he said. thesids when you find one of us making a silly expression in here just ask us what the heck did we mean. I know I would be happy to explain if I had used slang that the other mylotter did not understand.
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
31 Dec 10
Warm Hugs Ms Hatley, I have been blesssed to be in the company of good people here at mylot who I know would be there to help me in such situations. If they fail, I would give you the charge and get trained. A Happy New Year 2011 theSids.
LetranKnight25
@LetranKnight25 (33121)
• Philippines
30 Dec 10
Hello Thesid, Since when on Earth did I ever become a person that has English Speaking BackGround. I was only familiar with english through English related action, cartoon and horror movies. Besides, even in my country, we also do have our own slangs in our Language. The only reason why we were actually familiarized with the idioms, proper pronunciation, intonation and other things about English was because of my former job as a Call Center Agent. You can't expect me talking like this in real life. Now I have trouble speaking in my right pronunciation or intonation in english because I stopped it and ehem..tooth issue. So, there's perfectly nothing wrong with you're english.
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
30 Dec 10
That is my life wrt English - I too have the same ones when it comes to English - I remember I watched Star Trek on Sundays during my school days and wanted to understand what they are all talking and I looked up the Dictionary then. My so-so English too is a result of the Call Center job that I took up in 2000. It was for a short span but I got interested in the language and that helped me improve.
kingparker
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
30 Dec 10
Nobody is perfect, and you can't blame yourself if you are not understanding. You don't understand, just don't understand. You admit that is your defective, which you need to improve it. That is a great forward step. I agree with you, we are learning every single day, so, keep on learning and one day you will understand those jokes and slangs, whatever you looking forward to improve yourself.
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
31 Dec 10
Hi Kingparker, Thanks for appreciating my first step towards learning. It kind of gave me a much needed boost
momof3kids
@momof3kids (1894)
• Singapore
31 Dec 10
I like to think that I am from an English background, my country has English as a first language. But I am so embarrassed that I wrote on several occasions here using the past tense of grind as grinded when it is actually ground. I have some misspellings also but, like you say, a lot of mylotters look at the content and they are very kind to my misspellings. Happy New Year to you too
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
31 Dec 10
Hi momof3kids, I can understand the embarrassment here with the incidence you mention. Kind of an unexpected thing to happen but we are all humans - prone to making mistakes. As for the misspellings, I think when we use a keyboard, and our fingers are stressed out, it becomes more error-prone. But as you mention the brighter side is that a lot of mylotters are understanding and realize the differences and issues more than us
louievill
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
30 Dec 10
Go,go,go. nothing here says that you cannot have fun if you do not speak English very well in fact the site warns or castigates members who make fun of those who do not speak the language very well , just do as you usually do but just take to tke into account the guidelines and all will be well, good luck
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
30 Dec 10
Hi louievill, I have not yet faced an issue with my being non-english here. But I see many posts (a few days back) on this subject. I felt the want to learn and the problems faced in communication. So thought to share my ideas and the positive side of this.
Sere
@Vaultar (95)
• Romania
30 Dec 10
Yea , I seem to get really stuck at some jokes and find myself searching dictionaries for certain words but I'm improving bit by bit and some day maybe I won't need any help understanding everything :D
theSids
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
30 Dec 10
Hi Vaultar, Precisely that is my point. We would all improve sharing and participating on discussions... This is the way they train when you learn a language. We should remain positive and not give up the hope or desire. That is the point of my post here.
Sreekala
@Sreekala (34312)
• India
22 Jan 11
Hello Sid, You know what I felt, after reading your many topics and comments – there is a good writer in you. I am really impressed with the way of presentation of yours. Here I have been going through both people (English and non English) and I felt that the ability of presentation is really an ‘art’ and you have the same. I find this ‘art’ in many non-English people here than the native English people.