Juan Daniel Castro: Slang and Cultural Expressions

Approx. time Expression Explanation
0:39 leap-frogging jumping over, skipping over (like the children’s game of jumping over each other’s backs)
1:10 induction introduction, bringing inside a group or culture
1:26 influx large flow coming in
1:53 homogeneous all the same, without variation
2:12 Mestizos persons of combined European / Native American heritage
2:38 enamored with in love with
3:04 formative years childhood years when person is most easily influenced
4:26 uneventful with nothing special happening
4:32 economic downturn when business is bad
4:39 peso the Mexican unit of money
4:50 gigging having gigs, playing music for money
5:00 take a shot at try, take a chance at (something)
5:22 plugging away keep trying, not giving up, working steadily
5:28 unbearable intolerable, not possible to withstand
6:12 body shop repair shop for car bodies
6:58 Central Supply technician person who delivers clean supplies and removes dirty supplies around the hospital
7:12 customary usual
7:24 soiled equipment dirty equipment
7:39 Programa Puente http://www.spectrumhealth.org/puente
8:12 Latins of a different stripe people of a different type who also have Roman/Latin heritage
8:45 psychosocial interventions treatments that emphasize psychological or social factors rather than biological factors
9:10 re-engineered designed in a new way
10:00 health outcomes disparity when the health results differ greatly because of group membership (due to race, gender, ethnicity, etc.)
10:19 underlying assumption the basic belief underneath the action
10:30 cardiovascular disease illness of the heart or blood vessels
10:56 Los de Afuera...The Outsiders https://www.facebook.com/losdeafueramusic
11:00 salsa band band playing Puerto Rican, Cuban, Colombian dance music from the 1970s New York City
12:09 Puerto Rican descent having parents or grandparents from Puerto Rico
12:20 Mexican co-national person who is also from Mexico
12:31 against our will without our permission, we didn’t want it, we tried to avoid it
13:45 visual impairment does not have full capability to see well
14:02 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) 1990 U.S. law that prohibits discrimination based on disability
14:25 accent is thick type of speech that is difficult to understand because it strongly sounds like another language

Alan Headbloom

Alan advises Americans how to be global citizens and expats how to fit in to Michigan culture without annoying their native coworkers and clients. He also tweets and blogs at the intersection of language and culture. Over decades, he's traveled, studied, or lived on six continents, putting strange foods into his mouth and emitting strange sounds from it. His use of English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swedish, Hausa, and Japanese all improve with alcohol use. He gives invited public presentations on culture and unsolicited private advice on English grammar and usage; the latter isn't always appreciated. Visit his website for information on consulting, coaching, or speaking engagements.