A professional basketball player from the United States has sparked a wave of amusement and understanding after detailing his initial confusion and offence at a common Australian phrase. Andrew Robinson, who moved to Australia last year, admitted he was taken aback when locals responded to his 'thank you' with 'that's alright' instead of the American 'you're welcome'.
From Maryland to Victoria: A Cultural Adjustment
Andrew Robinson, a 28-year-old originally from Maryland, arrived in Australia in 2023 to join the Bendigo Braves in Victoria's semi-professional NBL1 South competition. After a notable 2024 season, he has since transferred to play for the Ballarat Miners. Beyond the court, his journey has involved a significant crash course in Australian vernacular, which he shared candidly on social media.
'It Took Me a While to Come Around'
In a recent Instagram video, Robinson explained his linguistic hurdle. 'One of the first things I had to adjust to when I came to Australia was the fact that Australians don't say "you're welcome",' he stated. He described the scenario: in America, after someone says 'thank you', the standard reply is 'you're welcome'. In Australia, however, he kept hearing 'oh, that's alright'.
The athlete confessed that the phrase initially felt negative or dismissive to his American ears. 'It took me a while to come around to the fact that when Australians say that's alright, they're really saying you're welcome,' Robinson admitted. His honest post prompted an immediate and enthusiastic response from Australians eager to explain their linguistic quirks.
Aussies Jump In to Explain Their Lexicon
The comments section became an impromptu cultural exchange. One popular explanation highlighted a difference in social attitude: 'It’s because we aren’t doing you a favour, we’re just doing what we’ supposed to do.' Another user elaborated, 'I feel like “you’re welcome” implies we’ve done a service for you... whereas “no worries” implies that it hasn’t been a bother for us to help you at all.'
Others welcomed him to the 'bizarre, unique and much misunderstood lexicon', with many acknowledging that even Australians sometimes mix up their casual replies, using 'no worries', 'you're okay', or 'all good' interchangeably. After reading the explanations, Robinson saw the funny side, responding, 'Well I take it back then cuz ... Lmaoo it took me so long to get used to this but we good now!'
The episode serves as a light-hearted but genuine example of the subtle cultural adjustments international athletes make when playing abroad. For Andrew Robinson, mastering the local slang has become just another part of his successful Australian basketball career.
