Reading between the Lines

Visiting Australia had always been at the top of my list of things to do in my lifetime, and I decided what better way to truly enjoy everything this country has to offer than through study abroad. Another major reason I decided Australia was the best place for me to study was that the primary language spoken is English, which I needed seeing as I don’t speak any other languages. Here, I had already succumbed to assuming I would be able to easily understand Australians! However, I did what most travelers do—tried to prepare for the new country by reading information on the culture, language, habits, and attitudes of the new place they are visiting (Barna 1994). This helped a little bit in learning/understanding the general phrases used and how to handle myself when amongst Australians.

Although there is often a degree of preparation for entering a foreign country, many people naively assume there are many similarities between their home country and where they are visiting, which will make communication relatively easy (Barna 1994). I found out relatively quickly that yes Australians speak English, but they speak a lot differently from Americans, especially when all their slang terms are used. I remember going to class the first week and struggling to understand everything my professors were saying—I would even block some of it out and just hear a rumbling noise because I was overwhelmed with deciphering what was being said. Even now, a few months in, I sometimes don’t understand what my Australian friends mean when they use their slang terms. It is definitely frustrating for both parties because I know I’ve said certain words or phrases that my friends will have no idea the meaning of. Basically, there is a lot of explaining involved by both parties, but we are all getting a lot better at communication as the semester progresses. I am even beginning to incorporate various Australian terminologies into my own vocabulary, which has helped me embrace this experience even more! 

Picture of my Medical Physiology lecture. This was my hardest class to follow along with the accent in the beginning because not only was there an accent, but some of the terminology is different here than what I am used to.

Thus, I was one of the ‘typical tourists’ early on in my time here in Australia—assuming that because our languages were the same I would not have a difficult time understanding and communicating with these foreign people. However, as I have openly accepted and tried to assimilate into the Aussie culture, the communication barriers have begun to fade and I am more comfortable understanding this 'other version of English.'

Barna, L.M. (1994). "Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication." In L.A, Samovar and R.E. Porter, Intercultural Communication: A Reader, 7h Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. (pp.337-346).