Lost in translation

It is a real privilege to be able to look after women from all over the world. With a very international mix of patients at Raffles, our clinics are set up for women who do not speak English as their first language and may need a translator to assist.

But what if English is your first language and you still don't understand?!

George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright, is quoted as having said that "the United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language". In other words, although the two countries share English as the most widely spoken language, the variation in usage of English and common figures of speech mean that there can easily be misunderstandings and confusion.

In my native country, the UK, there are plenty of idioms - phrases that are not to be taken literally - in use to refer to health and wellbeing:

Feeling "under the weather" or "as fit as a fiddle" may not make much sense if you are hearing it for the first time. The first phrase refers to feeling unwell and the second to being very well indeed.

Similarly, some idioms might appear to be related to health but in fact are nothing of the sort, such as to "cough up" [pay a debt], "have butterflies in your stomach" [feel nervous], or perhaps to "have a taste of one's own medicine" [get your comeuppance].

I once bought my German housemate at medical school a book of English idioms to help her navigate the minefield of common slang and local phrases that baffled her as we started our careers as doctors. The book was lengthy and highlighted just how often we use phrases that make no sense except in a very specific context.

As an immigrant to Singapore, I have had to learn to 'on' the light [rather than 'turn on'], to 'keep' my things [rather than 'put away'] and 'eat' medication [rather than 'take'].

There is much for me to learn about the use of language and how we communicate with one another!