陳豪在北京的ABC美國公司工作。他在走廊上遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地看到美國同事Amy,連忙趕了過去。
(Office ambience)
C:Amy, 我有點兒急事想請教你。
A:OK, What is it?
C:跟我一個辦公室的Todd, 他媽媽在美國去世了。
A:I don't know Todd, but I am sorry to hear that.
C:他要回美國奔喪。我想為他做點兒什么,但又不知道怎樣做才符合西方的禮節(jié),所以今天早上我一直在躲著他。
A:That's a perfectly natural response. May I suggest a few things?
C:太好了,你快告訴我。
A:First of all, don't avoid him. Make a point of going to him immediately and offering your condolences.
C:什么是condolences?
A:Condolences就是表示同情、慰問。
C:我唯一能想到的就是 "I'm sorry to hear about your loss." 就這么一句好像不太夠吧?
A:Sometimes that's all you can say. If you try to say more, it may be the wrong thing.
C:是呀,我也是怕說多了反而壞事。
A:If you can, follow your statement of condolence with an offer to help.
C:幫忙, 可我能幫什么忙呢?
A:Think of what he may need that you can do. You might offer to take him to the airport.
C:開車送他去機(jī)場確實是個好主意,可惜我沒車。
A:What about work issues? Are there things you can help him with while he is away?
C:對呀,我們是一個組的,他請假,我可以承擔(dān)一部分他的工作。我這就去跟他說。謝謝你,Amy.
******
MC:午飯時陳豪又看見了Amy.
A:Chen Hao, How did things go with Todd?
C:你說得沒錯。我說可以承擔(dān)他的工作,Todd顯得如釋重負(fù)。另外,我還想到了其它可以出力的地方。
A:What was that?
C:Todd是我的鄰居,他養(yǎng)了一只貓,叫Fluffy. 我告訴他說,他離開這段時間,我可以照顧Fluffy, 他聽了以后特別高興。
A:It is important to be specific at times like these. So often people simply say, "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
C:Amy, 你覺得我還需要送花和卡片嗎?
A:You can, but that's not necessary since you are expressing your sympathy in a concrete way.
C:Todd還讓我?guī)退⌒拧N矣兴⒌蔫€匙。他回來之前,我還可以幫他買點兒新鮮蔬菜和水果。
A:You see how easy it is to think of acts of service for people who are grieving?
C:是啊,我們總是不好意思求別人辦事,要是能主動提出來,那是再好不過的了。
A:That's right. Too often when people don't know what to do at a time of loss, they end up not doing anything.
C:幸虧有你,Amy.