The Miscommunication Moment

“Let’s table this.“

An engineer in Germany said this in a meeting. His client in India looked confused. The U.S. project manager sighed.

Why? Because in American English, “let’s table this” means “let’s postpone the discussion” or “let’s set this topic aside for now”.

In British English, “let’s table this” means almost the opposite: “let’s put this on the table for discussion right now” or “let’s bring this topic forward for immediate consideration.”

In plain, global English without idiomatic expressions, you could say:

• “Let’s discuss this another time.”
• “Let’s delay deciding on this.”

OR

• “Let’s discuss this topic now”
• “Let’s address this issue right away”

This is a perfect example of why teaching global English without idioms and phrasal verbs is valuable. Especially for business professionals who communicate internationally!