REAL Exclusive Magazine

By Patricia Tan

Gledelig Jul         Buon Natale        Boze Narodzenie         Joyeux Noel      
 Rozdjestvom Hristovim         Feliz Natal         Frohliche Weihnachten        
Happy Christmas         Prettige Kerstdagen         Vesele Vanoce         God Jul

Many of us know how to give holiday greetings in at least one other language, whether from our own family heritage, because we have friend or family member from another country or through commercial and musical influences. But how many of us can recognize every language at the top of this page?

Communication is key to a successful business transaction, and good communication can be more challenging when working in an international environment. While on a recent marketing trip to England, I was struck once again by the many differences between the English and American languages. George Bernard Shaw described the United States and Britain as “two nations separated by a common language” and this is perhaps no more evident than in the real estate business.

In preparing for my recent trip to U.K., I had to remember to invite clients to visit our stand, rather than booth at the international property show, and of course our invitations had to use the British date format of dd/mm/yyyy – get that wrong when you write a check, and it could have interesting consequences!

Once I landed in Birmingham (UK not AL) International Airport I had to quickly attune my ears to the local “Brummie” accent, which is one of England’s most difficult to decipher to the uninitiated. Language problems don’t just stem from differences in vocabulary! Upon arrival at the exhibition hall is was delightful for me to be greeted as “love” and “petal” by some of the tradesmen there, but a little disconcerting for my American colleagues to hear such terms of endearment from people they had never met before.

The property show lasted three days, and we also gave a series of seminars on U.S. immigration and real estate investment. Our discussions with visitors spanned everything from title to taxes, and drywall (the Chinese variety) to death (the tax implications) and we did encounter some language problems along the way, and our translation skills were tested on many occasions. Here are a few highlights from this trip:

AMERI-SPEAK    BRIT-SPEAK

Listing      Property for sale
Seller      Vendor
Single family home    Villa
Villa      Semi-detached, terraced house
Condominium     Apartment, flat
Home inspection    Survey
Survey      Survey (yes, surveyor inspects the home too)
Drywall     Plasterboard
Homeowners insurance    Building and contents policy
Insurance deductible    Excess
Foreclosure     Repossession

Some words of course are recognized instantly, no matter what your mother tongue may be.  They are usually the unpopular words that no-one likes to hear – “Tax” for instance! Thank goodness for the universal language of numbers and money, as there is no margin for error in negotiating a price, quoting a mortgage rate or discussing rates for income, capital gains and estate taxes!

…. Oh! Those holiday greetings at the top of the page? For those of you who have so patiently read this far, the countries are listed here. Space allows for only one country per phrase, and some of these greetings are used in more than one country. My apologies if your country is not listed here, but let me take this opportunity to extend Season’s Greetings to you. Happy Holidays!

Countries in order from the top of the page: Norway, Italy, Poland, France, Russia, Brazil, Germany, England, Netherlands, Czech Republic and Sweden.

Patricia Tan was born in England, and moved to Sarasota in 1997. Her career afforded her the opportunity to live and work in many countries around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. She spent five years as a Director of an American real estate franchise in England in 1990s. Patricia has served as Chairperson of Sarasota Association of REALTORS®’ International Council, and serves on Florida Association of REALTORS®’ International Operations Committee. She currently works as International Sales Director for Prudential Palms Realty. Patricia may be reached at 941-487-5107 or patriciatan@prudentialpalmsrealty.com.