När ska det vara "sick" och när är det "ill"?
Att få ont eller bli sjuk när man är utomlands kan ibland ställa till språkproblem. Och hur översätter man egentligen ordet recept? Det finns en del falska vänner i språket att se upp för; att ha ont i vristen på svenska är inte alls samma sak som att ha en öm "wrist" på engelska!
Are you sick - or are you ill?
K – Mike, I need you to help explain something for me.
M – Ok! Tell me!
K – Is there a difference in being sick and being ill? I’ve had problems explaining myself in different health situations and the word “sick” has been one word where people tend to not really understand what I mean.
M – A good rule of thumb would be to use the word “sick” if you feel like vomiting, i.e. “ I feel sick” – and “ill” if you are at home with the flu or some other disease. But I understand what you mean; it is not easy to be ill in a foreign country and in need of a doctor.
K – Or if you are English in Sweden! I heard an English speaking man at the doctors recently. He was talking to the reception nurse about a painful wrist – and then I heard her calling a doctor on the phone, saying in Swedish, that they had a patient waiting, complaining about pain in his “vrist”.
M – Yes, there are a lot of false friends to watch out for when you get ill. The Swedish word “vrist” is very similar to the English word “wrist”. But if you in Sweden have a painful “vrist” the right word in English is “ankle”. The ankle is just above the foot. The English word “wrist” connects your arm with your hand! If you explain yourself the wrong way it might even be bad for your health to go to the doctor!
K – I could go on by telling you about a friend of mine who went to Spain without bringing her cough drops. She got her cough back – and went to the local doctors and asked for a recipe for hosting…
M – Haha, well “recipe” is another false friend which tends to mess things up for people. If you are cooking dinner you follow a “recipe”- “recept” in Swedish. But if you go to the doctors for more medicine; it is a “prescription” you should ask for. And “hosting” sounds like a typical “Swenglish” creation where “hosta” is the Swedish word for coughing. Poor girl, hope she got her medicine.
K – Well funnily enough the doctor didn’t speak much English either - but they managed to understand each other somehow.
M – If you, who are listening to this and feel uncertain about what to say in different situations – I’d be glad to offer support in this area. You’ll find the contact address on the blog page.
A useful hint from Mike:
A little preparation before a visit to a doctor is no bad thing, if possible of course. Again, do not make assumptions and if in doubt, check your phrases carefully before your visit, if you can. An important note: the term "sick" should be used within organisations to denote that an operative is not present at work due to illness. For example: "John is off sick again this week," or "John is sick-listed for this week. He needs to take some sick leave." Also note the associated term, "sick pay."