禮節(jié)美語:256 Sensitivity Training - Money 2

晚宴結束，Jason跟同事Harold一起往外走。Jason是從中國來的，對西方人交往時回避談錢的問題感到不解，問這樣做是不是為了不去刺激那些沒什么錢的人。Harold回答說：

Harold: Yes, I think you hit the nail on the head. Also, I think many Westerners believe that if you're rich, you should be quiet about it. In fact, I believe many wealthy people in the West feel a little bit guilty.

J: Why would they feel guilty?

H: Because so many other people work very hard, but never become successful. When the wealthy turn on TV, they see so much pain and suffering.... but their own lives are so comfortable.

J: Ah....I can understand that. If I were a wealthy person I think I'd feel the same way.

Harold說Jason, you hit the nail on the head. 你說得一點沒錯。to hit the nail on the head 意思是一下子就說到了點子上，還有兩種類似的說法，一種是you are right on. 另外一種說法是you are right on the money. 都是同樣的意思。Harold說，因為西方很多人不喜歡炫富，有些人還會因為自己太有錢，而其他人生活貧苦而感到內疚。Harold 說：

H: It's interesting that some of the most successful entrepreneurs such as John D. Rockefeller and Bill Gates ended up setting up charity organizations and giving away a large portion of the money they made.

J: So you're saying that Bill Gates, for example, doesn't necessarily think he deserves all the money he made....he knows a part of it was luck, right?

H: Yeah. Bill Gates is a computer genius, but he was there at the right place and the right time.

J: That's a good attitude. It's good to remember that hard work and good luck often go hand-in-hand. Okay, so one more time....what's the etiquette when it comes to talking about money with Westerners?

Harold說，這也就是為什么比爾.蓋茨和洛克菲勒這種成功的企業(yè)家最后都會end up setting up charity organizations成立慈善機構，把錢捐出去。雖說比爾.蓋茨是電腦天才，但他的成功在很大程度上也是靠機遇，He was there at the right place and the right time. 他在正確的時間出現(xiàn)在了正確的地方，類似中文里說的天時地利人和。Jason很欣賞這種心態(tài)，因為hard work and good luck often go hand-in-hand. 勤奮和運氣二者往往必須兼?zhèn)洳拍艹晒Α?/p>

H: If the person doesn't volunteer information about how much something costs...don't bring it up. Don't ask about personal savings or salary.

J: Is it OK to comment on or praise someone's possessions? If you have a really nice car, can I say, "Wow...nice car?"

H: Yes, that's fine. It only gets complicated when you start talking about specific prices.

J: I see your point. Topics like that could lead to embarrassment.

H: Exactly. Maybe Mr. Jones' apartment was really expensive, but his company paid for it...or maybe he overpaid and got a bad deal....in either case, it's easier for everyone if we don't discuss it in public.

Harold最后總結說，在西方，除非別人主動告訴你，否則不要問人家賺多少工資，有多少存款，買東西花了多少錢這類問題，可以夸別人的東西好，但不要詢問價錢，免得彼此尷尬。