Working with many mother tongue English colleagues from all over the world (America, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia) it’s remarkable how many misunderstandings occur between colleagues…in English!!

Numerous words used Down Under (Australia) can have different connotations in American English. Many of my colleagues will look at me with puzzled faces even when I ask them “G’day, how’s it going?!”. Or if I say “Close the door please”, they will simply leave without closing the door! So my poor pronunciation and lack of enunciating the ‘r’ and assorted vocabulary has gotten me into many bizarre situations!

We all speak the same language, but you simply have to meet different nationalities to realise that, while we all speak English, it is far from an international language. The English spoken in Great Britain, America, and Australia has many similarities, but a surprising number of differences as well.

At school, together with my colleagues, we have discovered our own unique vocabulary. Below is a list of common words in Australian with the American English translation.

Australian English – American English

Ad or advertisement (TV) – Commercial

Autumn – fall

Barrack (for your team) – root

Bloke (or fella) – guy

Blue – a fight

Booking – reservation

Bonnet – Hood (of the car)

Boot – trunk (of the car)

Bug – insect

Bum (backside or bottom) – butt

Bushwalk – hike

Bucket – pail

Caretaker – janitor

Chemist – drug store

Chook – chicken

Conference – congress

Cyclone – hurricane

Dinner suit or ‘black tie’ or tails (coat with ‘tails’) – tux (tuxedo)

Donk – a car or boat engine

Door frame – door jam

Dummy – pacifier

Film (film star, film producer etc) – movie (movie star, movie producer etc)

Flat or unit – apartment

Footpath – sidewalk

Footy – football, usually referred to Rugby or Rugby Union.

Freight (or postage) – shipping (in Australia, ‘shipping’ is only used when an actual ship is involved; postage is via the postal system, freight is via other carriers)

Fringe – bangs

Funky – stylish, eccentric. In American this can also mean dirty or smelly.

Grid iron – American football

Jokes – gags

Holiday – vacation

Hooley – a wild party

Lolly – Candy

Lift – elevator

Nappy – diaper

Newsagency – newsstand

Note – Bill (dollars/cash)

Pay tv – cable tv

Pegs – clothes pins

Petrol – gas

Postcode – zipcode

Prang – an accident or crash

Prawn – shrimp

Queue – line

Reception (motel/hotel) – lobby

Rubber (for pencils) – eraser

Rubbish bin (& rubbish tip) – trash can or garbage can (& garbage dump)

Rug up – to dress for warmth

Sacked – fired (job)

Sent – shipped

Shonkey – unreliable

Shop – store

Snag – sausage

Spa – jacuzzi

Smoko – break

Trolley (as in shopping trolley) – cart

Twit – a fool or idiot

Tap – faucet

Torch – flashlight

Undies – panties

Ute – a utility vehicle

Verandah (groundfloor; if it’s raised up, it’s a balcony) – porch

Wardrobe – closet

Whinge – complain

Yahoo – a noisy, unruly person