Speaking the same language

The more I travel to the US, the more I realise that it is very difficult to communicate in plain English

Now I've always thought I don't have any type of accent, and in fact I have a clear and fairly understandable voice.

Despite certain people I work with (who will remain nameless) saying I sound like a Brummie.

But when I'm in America - and it is somewhere I'll be going more often now, thanks to our venture with Channelnomics.com - communication becomes quite a challenge.

I found myself having to repeat questions twice at the hotel reception, and when answering a question I received some very blank looks.

It just goes to show that just because we appear to speak the same language, American English really is a whole new language and one that I'm learning slowly but surely.

My worst experience last week was the simple experience of ordering a pizza! I first asked for a margherita pizza and was greeted with blank stares.

I then realised I needed to ask for a cheese pizza, but to me that meant a pizza with no tomato sauce.

I then asked if they could put tomato sauce on it and swiftly realised from the looks they gave me that they thought I meant tomato ketchup.

I nearly gave up there and then. But the pizza came and was perfect. And luckily there was no ketchup poured all over it.

So I've learned that regardless of which English-speaking country you are going to, do some research and learn the lingo, and you might get lucky like me and avoid the ketchup!