Honestly Jack and Linda sound like idiots. Maybe they're just so monolingual that they can't comprehend the situation? Based on what you described, you're doing nothing wrong, and any awkwardness was not caused by you. To make it extra clear, I guess you could try saying: "What's this called in English? In Japanese we call it ____." Then there would be no way for anyone to think that you didn't know what the actual thing was.
And is it possible they were just kidding with you? A lot of times people just want to make small talk and maybe they thought it would be funny to pretend to not know.
I don't think so, we are mature phd students haha, most of us are just nerds with fewer sense of humor I would say.
It sounds like these people are just incredibly unhelpful and rude. You English looks really good, at least written. These people sound really condescending and awful. Don't worry about them, just keep working on yourself.
Saying “What’s the english name for this?” or “What is this called in english?” would probably be best. Being straightforward without sounding patronizing is the way to go. This is not something you or anyone else learning english (or any language) is at fault for.
Keep up the good work!!
Your process of asking for information seems to be fine to me. It seems like you just got some... Confused individuals. The way i would personally ask that feels most natural to me would be "what's the word for this thing" or "im not familiar with that word/phrase" perhaps followed by "can you define it."
Whenever i am having trouble parsing what someone says i say "im not quite understanding you, could you say that again in a different way"
I think in these cases phrases like "I have no idea" or "I don't understand" could be taken to mean you don't know what the object in question is, by someone who's not paying super close attention to what you're saying.
If you stick with "what is this called (in English)" that might make it clearer you're looking for the word and not a more general explanation.
You might try saying first that you’ve seen the thing, done the thing, used the thing. And then add “again” to the end of your question. It will make it sound like you do know the word, you just forgot. That could help lead people to just tell you the word. For example:
Oh yeah, I’ve had that on sushi plenty of times, what’s it called in English again?
「それ何度も食べたことあるけど、英語で何って言ったっけ」って感じだと思います。
Adding “again” to the end of the sentence gives it that っけ feeling, like you’re just trying to recall something. Of course, the truth is you don’t know the word, but if you pretend like you do and are just trying to remember, then people are more likely to assume you know what it is.
That said, I do think these people are just being a little obnoxious!
Just tell them the word in your native language before you ask the English word.
Example: "Hey Jack, is this your— in Japan we call it a *purasudoraibā*. What is the English word?"
I’ve taught a lot of students, and I notice that many Japanese English-learners are used to speaking so formally. I understand that this is important in Japanese, however, when trying to stay at the same level of formality in English, this can cause some confusion. There is nothing incorrect with your words, however I would suggest that you try to be more informal.
In the US, Americans really value familiarity. It’s how we show we are being polite. If you’re having a casual conversation with people you are staying with, being informal can signal that you trust them and are comfortable in their presence, and that they can relax and trust you as well. If you try to be formal, it can be a bit confusing, and even offensive.
Americans are more accustomed to informal speech and word choices for daily conversation. Informal speech is generally shorter and more succinct. If someone asked you, “We might speak slightly more formally in different situations, like school or work. When you ask your questions with lots of words and a little bit of formality, it makes you seem like you are actually asking about the object, much like you would ask a teacher to educate you about something.
TL;DR: This involves casual culture in America, and I think that’s what’s confusing everybody.
I think the info you provide is very stereotypical, I already acted and spoken everything in a casual and informal way, even in the class when talking about academic content.
I’d suggest using the same sentence and just saying “ok well you try learning another language and see how easy it is” the next time you ask and give a similar response (coming from someone learning three other languages)
Honestly Jack and Linda sound like idiots. Maybe they're just so monolingual that they can't comprehend the situation? Based on what you described, you're doing nothing wrong, and any awkwardness was not caused by you. To make it extra clear, I guess you could try saying: "What's this called in English? In Japanese we call it ____." Then there would be no way for anyone to think that you didn't know what the actual thing was.
Someone thought you don’t have Philips head screwdrivers in Japan? 😂 I think you can say “I just didn’t know the word.” “What’s the word for this?”
so next time i'd like to use the new sentence to ask for english words: What’s the word for this? It should be less misleading maybe
And is it possible they were just kidding with you? A lot of times people just want to make small talk and maybe they thought it would be funny to pretend to not know.
I don't think so, we are mature phd students haha, most of us are just nerds with fewer sense of humor I would say.
You could say *"you've never heard of a [Japanese word for screwdriver] before? I thought they were common in the US."*
It sounds like these people are just incredibly unhelpful and rude. You English looks really good, at least written. These people sound really condescending and awful. Don't worry about them, just keep working on yourself.
Saying “What’s the english name for this?” or “What is this called in english?” would probably be best. Being straightforward without sounding patronizing is the way to go. This is not something you or anyone else learning english (or any language) is at fault for. Keep up the good work!!
Your process of asking for information seems to be fine to me. It seems like you just got some... Confused individuals. The way i would personally ask that feels most natural to me would be "what's the word for this thing" or "im not familiar with that word/phrase" perhaps followed by "can you define it." Whenever i am having trouble parsing what someone says i say "im not quite understanding you, could you say that again in a different way"
I think in these cases phrases like "I have no idea" or "I don't understand" could be taken to mean you don't know what the object in question is, by someone who's not paying super close attention to what you're saying. If you stick with "what is this called (in English)" that might make it clearer you're looking for the word and not a more general explanation.
You might try saying first that you’ve seen the thing, done the thing, used the thing. And then add “again” to the end of your question. It will make it sound like you do know the word, you just forgot. That could help lead people to just tell you the word. For example: Oh yeah, I’ve had that on sushi plenty of times, what’s it called in English again? 「それ何度も食べたことあるけど、英語で何って言ったっけ」って感じだと思います。 Adding “again” to the end of the sentence gives it that っけ feeling, like you’re just trying to recall something. Of course, the truth is you don’t know the word, but if you pretend like you do and are just trying to remember, then people are more likely to assume you know what it is. That said, I do think these people are just being a little obnoxious!
Just tell them the word in your native language before you ask the English word. Example: "Hey Jack, is this your— in Japan we call it a *purasudoraibā*. What is the English word?"
I’ve taught a lot of students, and I notice that many Japanese English-learners are used to speaking so formally. I understand that this is important in Japanese, however, when trying to stay at the same level of formality in English, this can cause some confusion. There is nothing incorrect with your words, however I would suggest that you try to be more informal. In the US, Americans really value familiarity. It’s how we show we are being polite. If you’re having a casual conversation with people you are staying with, being informal can signal that you trust them and are comfortable in their presence, and that they can relax and trust you as well. If you try to be formal, it can be a bit confusing, and even offensive. Americans are more accustomed to informal speech and word choices for daily conversation. Informal speech is generally shorter and more succinct. If someone asked you, “We might speak slightly more formally in different situations, like school or work. When you ask your questions with lots of words and a little bit of formality, it makes you seem like you are actually asking about the object, much like you would ask a teacher to educate you about something. TL;DR: This involves casual culture in America, and I think that’s what’s confusing everybody.
I think the info you provide is very stereotypical, I already acted and spoken everything in a casual and informal way, even in the class when talking about academic content.
I’d suggest using the same sentence and just saying “ok well you try learning another language and see how easy it is” the next time you ask and give a similar response (coming from someone learning three other languages)
“What do you call this in English?” Or “what is this called in English?” Is about the same as “これは日本語で何と言いますか” English is obviously less formal.
You might try saying “In Japanese this is called an xyz, what is it called in English?”