老外想聊的100個(gè)英語口語話題 56 文化沖擊
dialogue 1
Paige: how's your time spent in the United States?
你在美國待得怎么樣?
Kyle: well, pretty good.
嗯,挺好的.
P: I'm glad to hear that. What impressed you most?
很高興你這么說.印象最深的是什么?
K: well, the cultural differences impressed me most.
文化差異.
P: you mean we Chinese think differently from the Americans?
你是說我們中國人和美國人的思維方式不一樣?
K: that's right, quite different. One day one of my American friend looked pale, so I asked him whether he was sick or not. But he was reluctant to answer my question.
對(duì),很不一樣.有一天,我的一位朋友臉色蒼白,我問他是不是病了,可他根本不愿意回答我的問題.
P: what's weird.
這很奇怪啊.
K: and what's more, when he told me he had caught a cold for several days, I suggested him to go to the hospital as soon as possible.
還有更怪的呢,他告訴我他感冒已經(jīng)好幾天了,然后我建議他盡快去醫(yī)院.
P: you really cared about your friend.
你還挺關(guān)心你朋友的.
K: sure I am. But he responded by saying'what do you mean?'.
當(dāng)然了.可是他卻對(duì)我說:”你這話什么意思?”
P: I'm confused. Why did he say that?
我暈.你怎么那樣說話啊?
K: I felt the same at first. Later he told me that I'd better not give him any suggestions when he was sick. Offering unsolicited help or advice is like showing sympathy to the weak or the poor. Back in China, helping others is always regarded being kind.
開始我和你的反應(yīng)一樣.后來他告訴我,他生病的時(shí)候,我最好不要給他提供任何建議.未經(jīng)請(qǐng)求而提供幫助或建議就好像是憐憫弱者或窮人一樣.可是在中國,幫助他人往往被認(rèn)為是善舉.
P: absolutely. Now I understand why he responded that way.
沒錯(cuò).現(xiàn)在我明白他為什么那樣說話了.
dialogue 2
P: have you adapted to the lifestyle in China?
你適應(yīng)了中國的生活方式了嗎?
K: yeah,almost. But there is one thing.
嗯,差不多,只是...
P: what?
只是什么呢?
K: I still wonder what privacy meant for Chinese people. I don't mean to say that there's no privacy in China, but...
我還是不明白隱私對(duì)中國人到底意味著什么.當(dāng)然我并不是說中國沒有隱私,只是...
P: what is it?
怎么了?
K: some of my Chinese colleagues just share their personal stories in front of others.
有些中國同事在別人面前還談?wù)撍饺说氖虑?
P: that makes you feel uncomfortable?
讓你感覺很不舒服?
K: yeah. we never do that in a public office.
是啊.我們從來不再公共辦公室里談?wù)撍绞?
P: perhaps that's because we hold different ideas about privacy.
也許是因?yàn)槲覀兊碾[私的認(rèn)識(shí)不一樣吧.
K: i have felt that. One day when i was in a queue, reading a newspaper story, the man behind me peered through my shoulder and stared at the newspaper I was holding.
我已經(jīng)感覺到了.有一天我排隊(duì)的時(shí)候在讀報(bào)紙,站在我身后的人就隔著我的肩膀,看起我手中的報(bào)紙.
P: well, that's not rare. I've seen people reading at others' newspaper while takng a metro or a bus.
哦,這可不新奇.我就看到過有人坐地鐵或公交車的時(shí)候讀別人的報(bào)紙.
K: just stare at the newspaper holding in the hands of the one next to him?
就盯著旁邊那人手里的報(bào)紙那樣看?
P: yeah.
對(duì).
K: Oh, I'm shocked.
哦,我覺得挺吃驚的.
