This is an all ears English podcast, Episode 15 14 How to Never Miss the Meaning of a Gesture.

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 150 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts. Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York Radio Girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City U. S a and to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to all ears. English dot com forward slash subscribe.

It's not just words that carry meaning in English.

It's also gestures, both verbal and non-verbal. Today, find out how to ask what someone means by a gesture in English.

Hey, Michelle, how's it going today? Hello, Lindsey, I'm good, I'm good. How are you feeling? Pretty good. Feeling glad to be on the microphone. Yes, and it is February officially, like, gosh, I can't believe it.

Getting into twenty twenty one here.

Yes, yes, yes. Getting into it. So, Lindsey, today I'm excited about this episode because this is so different from anything we've done before. Yeah.

I like you and our listeners really challenge us. You know, they ask a question that we think, oh, this is not so straightforward, like a vocabulary episode. It's more like something more in depth that we you know, we're going into culture today.

Yes. Yes, exactly. This is about culture. This is about gestures is what we're going to be talking about.

We have a really, really and an interesting, interesting thing. We're getting tongue tied today. Yeah, exactly. And unique question about this.

So, Lendee, I think you're going to read the question in just a second, but we want to remind you to follow us on Instagram, guys. Yeah. Because I think there's going to be hopefully there'll be a follow up episode or a follow up video in Instagram for this episode. Guys, we're going to elicit some comments and questions from you guys to participate and let us know something about your culture.

So you have to listen to the rest of this episode and go and join us on Instagram, OK? Okay.

So, all right. Let's get into it. Lindsay, this is from Kenya. Could you read us the question? Yeah.

So Kenya says he's been listening for a while. He loves the positive vibe, thinks Kenya. We appreciate that. I'm going to get straight to the good stuff here.

So I'm writing to you today to ask about translating or explaining gestures that only are used by people from certain countries or cultures. For example, Japanese people click their tongues to show their frustration or unhappiness. But I realized that I can't really translate that into English as such. Gestures are not very common outside of Japan or East Asia. If I were talking to someone, I could probably explain. But what if I were translating the story or part of a novel that characters make such gestures?

I'm interested in learning from you guys. Again, thank you so much for the great shows. I hope you guys keep up the good work. Sincerely, Kimia. Thanks, Kanya. Good question. Wow.

Yes, that is a really, really good one. I mean, this is super unique. I was excited to really dive into this question because there's so much to it.

Mm. Yeah. This is going to be fantastic. This is going to be awesome. Definitely.

All right. So let's, let's get into it. So what are some common gestures you can think of in the U.S.? So we're talking about gestures and also things that you can do with your voice. Right, right.

A vocal gesture to call it vocal gesture. Good term, Michelle. I don't know. Maybe that's maybe that's the official term. I don't know. But I just thought of it.

Well, OK, some things we do in the US, we do a thumbs up sign, OK? We do a time out and then a stop, I guess. Or tell me a little bit more about that, Michelle.

Well, like, OK, so when you. Well actually this is funny. So stop you can just hold your hand up. Oh OK. Another one. We should have done a video for this one. But don't worry guys. Right, you hold your hand up just like with your palm out and that can kind of be like stop or slow down. Yeah, but it's interesting. I also do that same and I always think about this when OK, let's say you're about to cross the street and there was a car there and they stop and they let you go.

Do you like show them any gesture of thanks.

Yeah, I will wave some. Yeah. I also do that to make to make eye contact with the driver to make sure they see me right in the street.

Yeah.

Because I kind of make the same stop sign, but I'm really trying to do it as more of a thank you like, like a wave.

But now sometimes I wonder am I like which one does it come off as I don't think that they think about it too much.

But interesting. I see what you mean. Yeah.

You kind of hold your hand more still rather than writing it, because it would be kind of weird if you're waving because then you're saying hi like you know.

Like do I know. You do.

I know exactly right. Right, right. Oh gosh. Have you ever had that happen when somebody is waving at you and then you look behind you and you realize they're waving at the person behind you? Of course.

Yeah. The worst polluters like. Oh, not me. All right. So what else do we do here?

OK, so well, like I said, Kenya is speaking. It sounds like more like what we're calling today a vocal gesture.

And I guess I was trying to think of things that we do in the U.S. and I was thinking about maybe like saying like, oh, right.

Oh, yeah. Size are very powerful for sure. Well, what is I mean, what is the size signify. I mean, a lot actually. Right. A lot of things. But I think often it means frustration.

Yeah.

But it can also be like, oh, I'm getting comfortable, I'm getting into bed. I'm about to allow.

Yeah, yeah. I for sure we should do a whole episode on the side. Yeah.

We always make fun of our puppy because when he was really young he used to sigh like a very high pitched sigh like oh and now it's.

Grumble, that's funny. Oh, he's he's getting more used to warriors to life for sure. He's settling into life. You settling in?

Yeah, he's settling into Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony. All right. So, I mean, I actually think because Ken, you mentioned clicking the tongue. I think Americans sometimes do this as well.

Yeah. Do you think so? Like, how can you, Duminy, like like if they're frustrated, like, I don't know if you can hear that.

Yeah, maybe. Maybe. Do you ever hear something like that. I feel like I've heard that, yeah. Or maybe when they open up they're about to speak and they say something like, well let me see that kind of thing. Yeah that's yeah. That's one for sure. So anyway, so can you wants to know what should be said if you're translating something when there is some sort of gesture that's different from the culture it's being used.

And so like you're kind of trying to translate for someone else. But how do you explain it? How do you explain what the person did and why they did it? Right. Because it's important. You can't just kind of glaze over it. Yeah.

I mean, another way to learn this would be to put on the subtitles for even for your own language or for other languages watching, because they do try to do that in subtitles, like they'll write something like clucking sound or that's true. You know, that's true.

But then you don't really necessarily got the meaning. So if so, if you're really talking to someone, you will also want to explain it, not just say what it is.

That's right. Yeah.

I mean, so when could this really help our listeners? Like what situation?

Definitely when you're translating, you know, maybe you're reading something in class as a student or as a teacher or when you're explaining something to a friend in another culture, something that you see on TV or in a movie, and you want to know what it means. You want to tell them you have to describe the whole scenario.

Right. Right, right. So let's say you are watching a movie with a friend who doesn't who is from a different country, who speaks a different language. Maybe you both are speaking English, right. And maybe you are watching it in your first language and you kind of want to explain it to your friend, like, oh, like this person did this because of this.

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Or maybe when you're out dining somewhere.

Right. So maybe like the waiter does something and you want to explain it to your friend. Why or what it is.

Yeah. So it's kind of to build the full picture of the scenario.

Exactly.

So. All right. So let's talk about how we do this. So we're going to give you a structure, guys. So this would be a good one to write down. Yeah. All right. So here we go.

The person blank or did something. Right?

So which is a sign of blank and then this is an optional add on in blank culture. All right. So let me.

All right, you guys. Tons of examples here, too. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. All right. So here we go. The woman clicked her tongue. Right. Which is a sign of frustration in the Japanese culture. Perfect. Yeah, that's awesome. I love that. And then I also know that from my time in Japan, I think I hurt. And I think I've heard people in Japan say this when there's this breathing in sound, it's a sign.

I think, guys, you can come back to Instagram and correct me a sign of reservations or concern or not wanting to say something.

But I want you guys to come back and let me know if that's true. Very interesting. Yeah. Yeah, that is interesting. Yeah.

So that's a good that's a good structure that you can use. So but before you get to that part, you know, you can take a moment to explain.

Right. So you can say something like. And so in Japanese culture it's common to express frustration or unhappiness by clicking the tongue and then when you like, so you're giving the background OK.

Right. So you could do that first. And then when you get to that part, you can say, oh, so she clicked her tongue and then kind of make a face or maybe do the gesture to show that you did explain this.

Tricky. Very tricky.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So you can decide, like, do you want to give it in the moment or do you want to give the background first. Yeah.

And I think also just a side point.

I think reading a lot would be reading a lot of novels would be a way to build the skill too, because in novels you always you always hear these things like she side or she I don't know.

You see authors trying to describe exactly physically what the person's doing.

Right.

So that would be a really good way to learn this. Right. Right, right. I love it. That's good. Guys, we are on Instagram.

Go over and check out our channel at all is English. Look for the yellow and you'll find us videos, lessons, photos, stories, Eigg, TV and so much more. Go over and find the all ears. English Instagram channel. See you over there. OK, so so let's say now that you're out of a restaurant and the waiter gives you the thumbs up.

OK, so what's on the you could say, OK, so you could say the waiter gave me the thumbs up, which means everything is good. They have the dish we want. All right. Right.

So you're explaining what they did. Yes. Saying what it means, what it means. And you're elaborating a little bit. Yeah.

And of course, there has to be a warning here that different gestures mean different things across cultures. Yes. Well, that's why this episode is important. Yeah, exactly.

That can mean very different things. Some can be very offensive in some cases and totally fine in other cultures. So.

Yeah, right, guys. So the idea here is to express what the gesture is, what it signifies, and then how it applies to your situation. So let's let's do a few more examples and see what's the first one. All right.

She let out a huge sigh, which let him know she was frustrated.

Mm hmm. OK. Or the girl rolled her eyes, which is a sign of frustration. Or you could say something like she rolled her eyes to show her frustration.

Yeah. So it's the action and the meaning because. Right. We have to you know, I have to know the meaning of it. Right. To know how to respond. Exactly.

Or what's another one.

Lindsay, the teacher put up his hand to show that he wanted the class to stop talking, OK? Right. Put him right to stop talking. Yes, exactly.

Exactly. So, yeah, these are some ways that you can express to someone. Right. OK, this is what the gesture is and this is what it means. Right. So we gave you a few different you know, we gave you one basic structure and then we gave you a few different ways to kind of play with it a little bit.

But, you know, it all comes down to this framework of explaining what what is the gesture. Right. What does it mean? And maybe as an option, either what you know, talking about how it relates to the culture or just explaining how it you know, how it, like, matches your situation. Exactly. And then the next step, though, right. We want to go for this next step here.

Michel, do you think we should what do you think? We have time, I mean, to ask for clarification, because we always tell our listeners, guys, you know, if you don't understand something, just ask, you know. Right, right.

Right. So, you know, you have to think about is it OK to ask them in that moment? So, like, let's say someone did a frustrating sign and they're frustrated, like maybe not a good time to ask them.

Right.

Not time to go in and say, hey, hey, why did you know, give me this nasty just exactly right. Yeah.

But if you want to, you know, you can either ask someone else or later ask the person. So what's something you could say.

OK, so I noticed you knocked on wood. So what exactly does that mean or what does that mean. Right, exactly.

So I notice. Do you something. What does that mean. Right. That's very common in our culture. Right. Knock on wood. What does it mean, by the way, Michel?

Oh, it's like to make sure that you don't drink something. It's like if I say, oh, twenty twenty one is going to be a great year. Knock on wood. Exactly. OK, well I can't believe I just said that.

OK, the next one is I was having a conversation with someone and he or she said something or did something and then you could say what does that gesture or sound or reaction mean? So here are a couple of examples.

I was having a conversation with my boss and he said he said to test.

What does he mean by that? Yeah. So this is about going to someone else and summarizing the situation and finding out what exactly happened there. This might be wiser in some ways, I think.

Yeah, it's usually that's usually a good idea. Arlindo, what's another example of that?

OK, here we go, guys. I was having a conversation with the librarian and he kept his ear when speaking to me. What does that gesture mean? Mm hmm.

Yeah. So, yeah, guys, that gesture would mean that they probably can't hear you and or to come closer to speak. Yeah. To speak louder. Telling you to speak louder or more clearly I think.

Yeah exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Especially when you're the librarian, you're trying to be quiet but it's hard to understand. Oh my gosh. Definitely.

Oh these are super useful. I want you guys to write these down and use these because how there's a lot that we could miss in terms of non-verbal stuff, right, Michai?

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So gestures are super important, you know, whether they're hand gestures, verbal gestures, whatever they are. Right. We need to be able to express what they mean and we need to feel comfortable asking people, because if you just let someone keep making gesture and you don't know what it means, you might be missing something, could be missing something huge.

They may be trying to tell you something, but you're not picking it up. Right. You need to write things up, guys. This is the next level of fluency, so.

Exactly. So now you have the tools to talk about it or to ask someone what it means. Yes, exactly, so guys go over and join our Instagram channel, go and look for all ears English, look for that yellow color. You'll find us on Instagram and hopefully we'll have a video about this episode today so you guys can contribute some ideas.

Definitely. Awesome. I love it. So, Lindsey, what's the takeaway for today? The takeaway, guys, be honest and direct. When you are explaining or asking about gestures, don't just brush it under the table or ignore it. Right. You need to know what's going on. Don't be ashamed to ask questions. Right.

Right, right. Exactly. Yeah. Don't be ashamed. Like we always need to feel comfortable, you know, bringing things up that we're confused about because gestures can be confusing, especially because they are so different across cultures.

Absolutely. 100 percent. This has been a great episode. Michel, thank you for preparing it for today.

Thank you. And thank you to our listener for this really great question. Thank you to Kenya. We really appreciate it.

Thank you, Kenya. All right. I'll see you next time, Michelle. Take care. All right, Lindsey, have a good one. Bye bye.

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