第22章 老外的 “ 禁區(qū) ”。
You :In China, it's common to ask people their age and salary but when we talk to foreigners,we try not to ask those questions.
中國(guó)人之間可以打聽別人的年齡和收入,但我們和外國(guó)人交談的時(shí)候,就要盡量不問這些問題。
David :Why?
為什么?
You :When I was young I was told it was impolite to ask westerners about their age andsalary. So now I keep that in mind when I first meet foreigners.
小時(shí)候就有人告訴我向西方人打聽他們的年齡和工資是不禮貌的。因此當(dāng)我和外國(guó)人初次見面的時(shí)候,我都會(huì)牢記這個(gè)原則。
David :It's true. Don't talk about age or salary. But in Chinese culture, it's OK to ask. Itwouldn't be impolite to ask. People might just think this kind of question is a sign of one'sinterest in someone else.
對(duì),我們不談年齡和收入。但在中國(guó)文化中,是可以問這些問題的。如果你向別人打聽這些,不算不禮貌。人們會(huì)認(rèn)為你對(duì)別人的事比較感興趣。
You :You can even ask girls in China about their age. Besides I also heard that in westerncountries it is impolite to ask someone about his or her marital status. Am I right?
正是這樣。連女孩子的年齡也能問。在西方,打聽有關(guān)別人的婚姻狀況也是非常不禮貌的。是嗎?
David :You're right. In addition, questions about religious beliefs are also considered taboofor westerners. The taboo is related to our need for privacy, something that westerners takevery seriously.
確實(shí)是這樣的。也有些西方人很忌諱別人打聽他們的宗教信仰,這些忌諱都與西方的隱私問題有關(guān),所以他們非常重視。
You :That is one of the biggest differences between Chinese and Western cultures.
這可能是東西方文化差異之一吧。