Nobody else knew what „ballpark“ meant either

The hardest person to follow in an international meeting is often the one who grew up speaking English.

They say „let’s park that“ or „give me a ballpark figure„. Everyone else quietly translates it in their head or gives up on that sentence and waits for the next one.

Nobody asks. Asking feels like admitting something.

Simple English is what everyone understands. The version you already use, direct and without the decoration, is doing better work in that room than the idiom.

You’ve been comparing yourself to the person who’s hardest to understand.

Quick win: When you hear an expression you don’t know, ask what it means. You’ll be asking on behalf of half the room.