Cultural differences (and how they can wreck your life)

Being able to understand a foreign language is only half the battle. Being able to understand what people actually mean is a different thing altogether.

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[AllesInDunkelweiss]

In Germany it's often more polite if you say what you really  think in a nice but clear way. This nice "acting" of Americans and British people seems dishonest to us and honesty is really important to be seen as a trustworthy and authentic person. In Germany we say for example "A friend who tells you in honesty that what you wear doesn't look good is a better friend than one who lets you embarass yourself."

[lampenstander]

I'm german and this is how this sounds to me:
What you say: abc
What germans understand: abc
What you actually mean: xyz

[pstudios]

I'm a german who lived in the UK for a 7 years. When I first arrived, I noticed that people very often got offended by simple slightly negative things I said and I didn't understand why. After a while I learned to express everything negative with euphemism. Then when I went back to Germany, I had the problem you describe very well here, no one took my concerns serious and I had to learn to express them very directly again.

[roberth.]

Wow, I never really understood what English people or Americans meant when they said we are direct. But you just gave me the best impression of what you actually mean by that

[pieniaurinko]

I am german and did understand what you were saying (the video is pretty hilarious, by the way), but that might be due to the fact that I spent a year abroad learning english.

Generally, I do find it safer to take what another german person is saying at face value unless I know them well enough to risk assuming something and being wrong.

The same phenomenon occurs on the internet, in comments like these, where people from a lot of different cultures and backgrounds type opinions and often have problems understanding what another person meant. That's why I *love* emoticons... :)

The "I'm a bit peckish" hit me. Often even if I said "I'm hungry", my German friends were like "oh great, we're going to eat" and then spend like 3 hours doing stuff unrelated to food 😅 I always got the impression that Germans don't get hungry...

[ArAmsamsam-]

I have the same problem here. I will show this video to my German friend so he will understand what I have been experiencing since I was here, in Germany.
Thank you for posting this video.

[CopyPasteProductions]

Ja! Einfach nur Ja! Das ist der alte Charme mit witzigen Videos den ich vermisst habe :D Das kombiniert den multikulturellen Aspekt mit verdammt gutem Humor! :D 

[darkIkarus]

Most of the Germans won't have a problem with irony (at least the younger ones) but if you're trying to use euphemism, it's a turn off since it's usually used by politicians and official to cover something bad hence there's always a bad connotation sticking with it.

Plus, German characteristics vary from the region they're coming from: In the South they are more familial, in the west more open minded, in the east more short spoken and in the north more direct. Combinations may occur.

[Gilder-von-Schattenkreuz]

Well.
In Germany if you want something you say it. :P
Hinting it or otherwise trying to describe it without saying it directly will usually be taken as testing the waters. (People think you would like to know their opinion on it and will go with that as you yourself dont actually care enough to speak out :P )

A Good example for that is your Statement. "I am starting to feel a bit Hungry"
Most Germans will consider this an probe and basicly understand.
"You Hungry ? We could grab something to eat if you want."  :P

[Ross]

Excellent, Andrew, definitely one of your best

[Dimension]

I'm german and I think now I do understand english people a bit better.

[Seegalgalguntijak]

LOL, that's an excellent video! And yes, I think lowly of people who aren't able to express what they mean in ways that one can understand it without having to implicate several meta-layers of what it could mean and why the person doesn't say what he or she really means and so on....Such verbal behavior often comes across as false and dishonest, and I can totally understand everyone who shouts at you "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO IN THE FIRST PLACE!" after you repeated what you wanted to say several times, each time with a little smaller dosage of softener.

[dan]

You nailed it on the head, at least in my experience.  Of course the same could be said between the difference between American and British humor and methods of communicating.  I think it was in the book "King Rat" where the one British prisoner was given an egg by the American prisoner, and the Brit said (something like) "Nice" and the American was offended because he knew the other hadn't had anything that nice in a long time, but the Englishman hadn't wanted to embarrass the American by an overflow of emotion.

Oh no, I'm being boring...I guess I've been infected by the German willingness (major understatement) to Discuss things ad nausium.  Anyway, I love your videos,  

[becca]

omg the last one is so true! when we visited my grandma (she was very very talkative) we'd say we'd leave now and that now ended up being at least one hour later

[CazuhLynn]

I was laughing so hard from 0:57-1:06, I actually had to pause the video. True story, man! :D A really great video!

[Alinor]

I understood a few of these the way you intended. And the cake one is a whole different topic. My grandma for example would ask us if we wanted cake while already putting a slice on our plate.😅

[ghenulo]

I'm probably a closet German.  It irritates people that I take them so literally.  I know what they mean, but I just wish they'd say what they mean.

Also, didn't Martin Luther invent the German language, so he wouldn't have to write a separate Bible for each "dialect"?

[jopeteus]

As a Finn, germans are really relatable.
We say what we think.
If you don't want to know something, don't ask

[frk]

Pretty much it. Especially with the British. With regard to politeness [using subjunctive and long meaningless phrases, etc.] my (British) English teacher said: When you feel like totally overdoing it, then it's probably correct...