礼节美语121讲

Jim和Emily是一家跨国公司从中国聘用的新雇员，公司人事部的Paula对他们进行文化差异的培训。Emily说，

E: I know that we will be expected to chat and make small talk with our customers, but I`m worried I`m going to put my foot in my mouth.

P: There are a couple of topics that are considered "no-nos" in Western culture. It`s best to avoid discussions on politics, religion and money.

J: Why is religion a sensitive topic?

聊天儿，to chat, 也可以说to make small talk. Emily担心跟客户聊天的时候会to put my foot in my mouth, 意思是说话不得体，讲错话。Paul说，在西方文化中，确实有一些话题是"no-nos"最好不要涉及的领域，包括政治、宗教和金钱。宗教为什么是敏感话题？

P: Well, there are a lot of religions and each one thinks very differently. Overall, it`s an area that could cause trouble; so it`s best to stay away from it.

J: When I visited Italy last year, I noticed a sign at a church asking people to remove their hats. Why is this necessary?

P: In some religious centers it`s considered impolite to wear hats. Many Western people also think you should remove your hat when dining or in a more formal setting.

Paul解释说，不同宗教信仰的人，如果话不投机，就很容易出问题。So it`s best to stay away from it，所以最好远离这个话题。 Jim问，为什么意大利有的教堂要大家摘掉帽子。Paula解释说，某些宗教认为戴帽子很不礼貌，It`s considered impolite to wear hats, 而且在西方，正式场合和饭局一般都要把帽子摘下来。

J: You said money is off-limits as well. Can you explain?

P: In some parts of Asia, discussing salary amounts or how much you paid for something is an acceptable conversation topic, but in the West, people get very uncomfortable when discussing money.

E: That makes sense. Money can be a tricky subject.

金钱也是off-limits，禁区。在亚洲某些地方，工资收入可以是聊天的话题，但是在西方，问别人赚多少钱，往往会让人觉得不舒服。所以说，money can be a tricky subject.

P: Ok...a couple more important points: In some Asian societies, when you meet someone and you notice they have put on weight, you might say "Hey! You`ve gained weight!" But in the West, it`s almost never appropriate to comment on someone`s appearance.

J: But why? It`s not a criticism; it`s just an observation.

P: In the West it is viewed as a criticism. So don`t comment on age or weight.

E: I think it`s best to simply say, "You look well."

P: Yes....that would be perfect. Thank you all for your attention and we will meet again next week.

还有一点至关重要，见面千万别说，“你发福了！” That`s a no-no. 西方人几乎从来不讨论别人的外表，还有年龄！Don`t comment on age or weight.

流行美语第345课

Larry陪李华去买电脑。今天我们要学两个常用语：do the trick和a grain of salt.

LH: Larry, 你觉得我应该买PC还是苹果？

LL: Well, I`m not a computer expert, but I think Macs are a lot more user friendly.

LH: 我也老听人说苹果机怎么怎么好，可是我从没用过苹果，而且PC价格也比较便宜。

LL: Well, they are both really good computers. I think either one would do the trick.

LH: Do the trick? Larry, 我买电脑是查资料，学论文用的，可不是为了玩游戏。

LL: Actually Lihua, when you say that something does the trick, that means that it will be successful, or good enough.

LH: 哦，do the trick就是足以达到预期效果的意思。你是说不论PC还是苹果，都够我用的了。

LL: Right! Here`s another example. Joe doesn`t need to live in a big house. Since he lives by himself, a small apartment will do the trick.

LH: 我明白。这句话意思是，Joe反正是一个人过，有个小公寓就够了，用不着住大房子。那 Larry, 你说我们去哪家店买电脑呢？

LL: Well we could go to a big computer store, but the Internet will do the trick too. You can order your computer online.

LH: 上网定购？不好，不好，要不，咱们上苹果专卖店去转转，我去玩玩苹果机，你也可以看看是不是买个iPhone.

LL: That`s OK. I don`t need a lot of fancy features on my phone. My simple old cell phone still does the trick.

LH: 老实说，你那手机再不换，就要变成古董了。你上星期不是说不好用了吗？

LL: Actually, just the battery broke. But I went to the store and got a new battery, which did the trick.

LH: 所以你就换了块电池准备接着用？我真服了你，省钱固然没错，可也不能太落伍呀！现在的新手机上什么功能都有，你就不想要？

LL: Who needs all this technology? When I want to be entertained, reading a book always does the trick.

LH: 对了，苹果公司新推出的iPad, 就有读电子书的功能，要不你买个iPad吧！

LL: As far as I`m concerned, Lihua, old-fashioned paper books still do the trick.

******

Larry和李华来到百思买看电脑。

LH: 嗨Larry! 你觉得这台电脑怎么样？我需要的功能上面都有，价钱也还可以，只要2000块。

LL: Two thousand dollars? That sounds pretty expensive to me. Are you sure it`s worth it to buy such an expensive computer?

LH: 当然值了，你没听刚才那个店员说么，这是他最喜欢的一款电脑，强力推荐。

LL: Well, the salesperson always wants you to buy the most expensive item, so I would take what he says with a grain of salt.

LH: A grain of salt? 加撮盐？你什么意思啊？

LL: When you slightly doubt something you are told, you can say that you take it with a grain of salt.

LH: 哦，with a grain of salt意思就是有所保留，半信半疑。你是说店员总想把贵的商品推销给顾客，所以他的话不能全信？

LL: Right. Here is another example. Emily always exaggerates about her talents, so when she told me she is fluent in Japanese, I took it with a grain of salt.

LH: 没错，Emily总喜欢夸大其词，所以她的话不能全信。

LL: So Lihua, what are the features that make this computer so good?

LH: 产品介绍上说，这款电脑的电池可以连续用15个小时，是市场上其他电脑的两倍。

LL: You know, companies often make exaggerated claims about their products, so I would take that with a grain of salt.

LH: 可是我朋友Tammy买的就是这个牌子的电脑，说特别好。

LL: But Lihua, Tammy only uses computer to check emails. I would take her opinion on computers with a grain of salt.

LH: 可你也不是高科技专家啊，就看你那只老古董的手机就知道了。

LL: That`s true. I don`t know much about technology, so I would take all my advice with a grain of salt.

LH: 别担心，你对手机、电脑这类高科技产品的建议，我总是反着听的，只要是你说不买的东西，买了一定没错。

LL: Haha... very funny....

今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是 do the trick, 意思是足以达到预期效果。另一个是 a grain of salt, 意思是有所保留。