While the Philippines is already recognized worldwide as one of the top English-speaking communities in Asia, there are still some Pinoys who are prone to using words or sentences that mean something else to native English speakers.
Despite recent reports that show Filipinos getting ahead in speaking English, there are still thousands who are struggling communicators. The basics considered by a native English speaker surprisingly remain as challenges to an average Pinoy, hence the birth of “carabao English”.
More often than not, in a business setting, Filipinos use English in formal interactions done personally and over the phone. If there are common errors occurring during person-to-person dialogues, there are about the same number of boo-boos when it comes to phone conversations.
Here are the top ten examples of the usual mistakes Filipinos commit whenever they make a call or they’re on the receiving end, and the corresponding proper ways of expressing their statements to the other person:
The term “Filipinisms” is something what we can’t call “proudly Pinoy” or consider as a plus factor in experiencing “more fun in the Philippines”. Filipinisms refer to words that are loosely translated from common Tagalog expressions and cause confusion when applied in conversations with native English speakers.