发布时间 : 星期四 文章Unit 7 Culture新编大学英语第二版第二册课文翻译更新完毕开始阅读
Unit 7 Culture
Bridging Cultural Gaps Gracefully
[1] Why is it that when you study a foreign language, you never learn the little phrases that let you slip into a culture without all your foreignness exposed? Every Chinese-language textbook starts out with the standard phrase for greeting people; but as an American, I constantly found myself tongue-tied when it came to seeing guests off at the door. An abrupt goodbye would not do, yet that was all I had ever learned from these books. So I would smile and nod, bowing like a Japanese and trying to find words that would smooth over the visitors' leaving and make them feel they would be welcome to come again. In my fluster, I often hid behind my Chinese husband's graciousness.
[2] Then finally, listening to others, I began to pick up the phrases that eased relations and sent people off with a feeling of mission not only accomplished but surpassed.
[3] Partings for the Chinese involve a certain amount of ritual and a great deal of one-upmanship. Although I'm not expected to observe or even know all the rules, as a foreigner, I've had to learn the expressions of politeness and protest that accompany a leave-taking.
[4] The Chinese feel they must see a guest off to the farthest feasible point—down a flight of stairs to the street below or perhaps all the way to the nearest bus stop. I've sometimes waited half an hour or more for my husband to return from seeing a guest off, since he's gone to the bus stop and waited for the next bus to arrive.
[5] For a less important or perhaps a younger guest, he may simply say, “I won't see you off, all right?” And of course the guest assures him that he would never think of putting him to the trouble of seeing him off. “Don't see me off! Don't see me off!”
[6] That's all very well, but when I'm the guest being seen off, my protests are always useless, and my hostess or host, or both, insists on seeing me down the stairs and well on my way, with our going through the “Don't bother to see me off” ritual at every landing. If I try to go fast to discourage them from following, they are simply put to the discomfort of having to flee after me. Better to accept the inevitable.
[7] Besides, that's going against Chinese custom, because haste is to be avoided. What do you say when you part from someone? “Go slowly.” Not farewell or Godspeed, but “Go slowly.” To the Chinese it means “Take care” or “Watch your step” or some other such caution, but translated literally it means “Go slow.”
[8] That same “slow” is used in another polite expression used by the host at the end of a particularly large and delicious meal to assure his guests what a poor and inadequate
host he has been.
[9] American and Chinese cultures are at polar opposites. An American hostess, complimented for her cooking skills, is likely to say, “Oh, I'm so glad that you liked it. I cooked it especially for you.” Not so a Chinese host or hostess (often the husband does the fancy cooking), who will instead apologize for giving you “nothing” even slightly edible and for not showing you enough honor by providing proper dishes.
[10] The same rules hold true with regard to children. American parents speak proudly of their children's accomplishments, telling how Johnny made the school team or Jane made the honor roll. Not so Chinese parents, whose children, even if at the top of their class in school, are always so “naughty”, never studying, never listening to their elders, and so forth.
[11] The Chinese take pride in “modesty”; the Americans in “straightforwardness”. That modesty has left many a Chinese hungry at an American table, for Chinese politeness calls for three refusals before one accepts an offer, and the American hosts take a “no” to mean “no”, whether it's the first, second, or third time.
[12] Recently, a member of a delegation sent to China by a large American corporation complained to me about how the Chinese had asked them three times if they would be willing to modify some proposal, and each time the Americans had said “no” clearly and definitely. My friend was angry because the Chinese had not taken their word the first time. I recognized the problem immediately and wondered why the Americans had not studied up on cultural differences before coming to China. It would have saved them a lot of confusion and frustration in their negotiations.
[13] Once you've learned the signals and how to respond, life becomes much easier. When guests come, I know I should immediately ask if they'd like a cup of tea. They will respond, “Please don't bother,” which is my signal to fetch tea.
从容得体德跨越文化沟壑
1 在外语学习中，学会一些简单的词组就能让你不知不觉地进入另一种文化，而丝毫不暴露你作为一个外国人的身份，但你为什么总是学不会呢？每本汉语课本都，一律从问候语开始的。但是作为美国人，每当我要送客出门时，我总是张口结舌说不出话。唐突的说声再见是不行的，然而，这就是我从这些课本里所学到的一切了。因此我只能微笑，点头，像个日本人似的鞠躬，并拼命的想找些话来说，以缓和离别的气氛，使他们觉得我确实欢迎他们再来。因此，我常常靠我中国丈夫的彬彬有礼来掩饰自己的慌乱。
2 后来，通过听别人说话，我开始学会一些使客人听了舒服的言辞，感到送客这项重要的任务，我不仅顺利完成了，而且完成得很出色。
3 对中国人来讲，送客需要有一定的礼仪和很多胜人一筹的本领。尽管没有人期望我去遵守甚至了解所有这些规矩，但作为一个外国人，我还得学会那些在送客时必不可少的表示客气及推让的话。
4 中国人觉得送客必须送到尽可能远的地方——送下楼梯到马路上，或者也许一直送到最近的汽车站。有时候，我等了半个小时甚至还要长的时间，才等到丈夫送客人回来，因为他一直把客人送到汽车站并等到下一班汽车到站。
5 对一般的或比他年轻的客人，我丈夫也许只是说：“我不送你了，行吗？”当然，客人会让她相信，从没想过要麻烦主人送他：“不要送！不要送！”
6 这样好倒是好，但当我成为别送的客人时，我的推让总是无效；而且，女主人或男主人甚至两个人都要送我下楼，并陪我走好一段路，而每下一段楼梯我都照理说一遍“不要麻烦送我了”。如果我是想走得快一点以免让他们跟上来，那只会使他们更不舒服：他们得在我后面紧追。最好还是接受着不可避免的礼节。
7 而且，那也是违背中国习俗的，因为“匆忙”最要不得。你跟别人分手时说什么呢？“慢走”。不说“再见”或“一路顺风”，而是“慢走”。对中国人来讲，她的意思是“小心”或“脚下留神”或是诸如此类关照的话，但其直译是“慢走”。
8 同一个“慢”字还被用于另一句客套话中，那就是在一顿极其丰盛美味的饭后，主人向客人（说“怠慢了”）表示他是一个不称职，招待不周的主人。
9 美国和中国的文化截然不同。美国的女主人，当别人赞扬他的烹调技术时，很可能会说：“哦，你喜欢，我就高兴。我是特地为你做的。”而中国的男女主人就不一样（通常是男主人做一些高难度的菜），他们会认为“没什么好吃的”，以及没有合适的菜不成敬意而道歉。 10 同样的规则也适用于对待小孩。美国的父母谈起自己的孩子的成就时十分自豪，会说约翰尼是如何成为校队的一员，简是如何被评为优秀生上了光荣榜的。中国父母则不同，即使他们的孩子在班上名列前茅，也总是说他们非常顽皮，不肯读书以及4从来不听大人的话等等。
11 中国人谦虚为荣；而美国人则崇尚“直率”这种谦虚使许多中国人去了美国人家里吃饭时不能吃饱，因为按照中国的礼节，任何东西需要再三推让才能接受，而美国主人则认为“不要”就是“不要”，不管是第一次，第二次还是第三次。
12 最近，美国某大公司访华的一位成员向我抱怨说，关于他们愿不愿意修改某提议，中国人竟问了他们三次，而且每次美国人都清清楚楚，斩钉截铁的说“不”。我的朋友很生气，因为中国人没把他们第一次说的话当回事。我马上就意识到问题所在，而且奇怪这些美国人为什么没在去中国之前彻底研究一下文化差异。那样他们在谈判中就可以免去很多困惑和挫折。
13 一旦你知道了应答的信号和方法，生活就变轻松多了。当客人刚到的时候，我知道我应该马上问他们要不要喝茶。他们会说：请不要麻烦了。”这正是我该去泡茶的信号。
Dining Customs in America
[1] Every country has its own peculiar dining customs. Americans feel that the first rule of being a polite guest is to be on time. If a person is invited to dinner at six-thirty, the hostess expects him to be there at six-thirty or not more than a few minutes after. Because she usually does the cooking, she times the meal so that the hot rolls and the coffee and meat will be at their best at the time the guests come. If they are late, the food will not be so good, and the hostess will be disappointed. When the guest cannot come on time, he calls his host or hostess on the telephone, gives the reason, and tells at what time he can come. Depending on the situation, guests sometimes bring a box of candy or some flowers to give to the hostess as a sign of appreciation.
[2] As guests continue to arrive, it is usually considered polite for the men in the group to stand when a woman enters the room and continue to stand until she is seated. However, most young people and some groups of older people that stress equality of the sexes no longer observe the custom. A visitor should be sensitive to each situation and follow the lead of the Americans present.
[3] When the guests sit down at a dinner table, it is customary for the men to help the ladies by pushing their chairs under them. Some Americans no longer do this, so the visitor must notice what others do and do likewise. Until the meal is under way, if the dinner is in a private home, a guest may avoid embarrassment by leaving the talking to someone else. Some families have a habit of offering a prayer of thanks before they eat. Other families do not. If a prayer is offered, everyone sits quietly with bowed head until the prayer is over. If the family does not follow the custom, there is no pause in the conversation.
[4] There is a difference between American and European customs in using the knife and fork. Europeans keep the knife in the right hand, the fork in the left. They use both hands in eating. Americans, on the contrary, use just one hand whenever possible and keep the other one on their lap. They constantly change their fork to the left hand when they have to cut meat. Between bites they put the fork on their plate while drinking coffee or buttering bread. Europeans are more apt to drink coffee after the meal and to keep their knife and fork in hand until they finish eating.
[5] Since Americans often lay their silverware down during the meal, certain customs have developed. It is not considered good manners to leave a spoon in a soup bowl or coffee cup or any other dish. It is put where it will lie flat (a coffee spoon on the saucer, a soup spoon on the service plate beside the soup bowl, etc.) but not on the tablecloth. By doing this, one is less likely to knock the silverware onto the floor or spill the food.