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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36287
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

We should have more details about the story you are writing, its setting and themes.

But generally speaking, I think about two scenarios:

1) the character talks about things that are unusual to their world, but known to the reader (i.e. a streetlight). In this case it is enough to describe it, and the reader can quickly grasp it.

> Ex.: Walking down the street, Julius noticed how the vehicles moved according to the changing green and red light suspended above the crossing. It was like watching a religious rite, where a silent but authoritative priest would command his coloured orders to the obedient crowd of machines below. [Julius never saw a streetlight, we perfectly know what it's about]

2) the character talks about things that are common in their world, but unknown to the reader (i.e. a specific habit or lingo). In this case, the reader must accept the world as it is described by the characters. This is how the worldbuilding takes form.

> Ex.: Julius jumped on the driftapan, which promptly moved on at the safe speed of 10 burgius per minute, as all the other transportation systems that were abiding by the nebularian laws. [i.e. we have no idea what a driftapan is and what is a burgius unit, but it's clear that we're talking about a vehicle and a measurement]

Original score: 3