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I will be labouring on Labor day.

It is not a British public holiday, so I don't mind working. More problematic is how I should I spell it? Should I be speaking English, or American?

The oft-used quote - "a people divided by a common language" - makes a good point. But the common language does something much more, which poses a real dilemma to me as a foreign correspondent based in Washington.

Note that "foreign correspondent". The language is one of the reasons that many Brits fool themselves into thinking that America isn't foreign, not really foreign, like other countries.

It is understandable. I guess roughly just under half of the books I have ever read, and half of the music I listen to is American in origin. For movies, the count would be much higher.

Movies, eh? Not films? Which brings me to the heart of my dilemma. It is this: when, if ever, should I use American English words or instead of British English words?

Of course, every British family living in the states reflects on this issue. On a short but glorious road trip south we soon fell to talking about stopping at a "gas" station, while still worrying that we were running low on "petrol".

Talking to Americans, it seems rude to use a different word or even pronunciation. It seems appropriate, when trying to sort out my horrendous IT problems, to talk not about my "root-er" but my "rout-er", accepting the defeat linguistically implied.

Even in a foreign country with a foreign language, some words are absorbed. It is a microcosm of the way a strong and confident language develops.

In Belgium, it was natural to refer to the rather un-English idea of a training course for children during the holidays as a "stage".

Some are adopted mainly as a joke: getting the wallet out after a family meal, "de rekening" always seemed more appropriate than a mere bill.

But I think it is different for a reporter. I am keenly aware that my primary responsibility is to give an insight into this country for a British audience.

Watching coverage of the inauguration, I winced when I heard an excellent reporter talking about the "mass transit system." I guessed, but did not truly know, that he meant "public transport".

Now, I may be more of an idiot than most viewers, but to me it is off-putting.

In Belgium, I would not dream of referring to my "GSM", or - if reporting from Germany - would not even use the wonderful "handy" . Here in the US, my "mobile" will doubtless become a "cell" when talking to Americans, but it won't when I'm broadcasting.

It is a thin line between empathy, insight and going native and the language you use is part of that.

But what do you think?

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