A:Matthew, do you know much about body language in countries around the world?馬修,你了解世界各國(guó)的肢體語言嗎?
B:Sure, I've picked up a few things from travelling around for work. Why?當(dāng)然。我工作中有很多出差的機(jī)會(huì),了解到一些這方面的知識(shí)。怎么了?
A:Well, I had a meeting today with a woman from Japan and she wouldn't stop bowing! I didn't know what to do!好哎,我今天參加了一個(gè)會(huì)議,會(huì)上有個(gè)日本女子總是不停地鞠躬?我不知道該怎么辦!
B:Did you bow back?你也鞠躬回禮了嗎?
A:No, I tried to shake her hand, but her hand was so limp I was a bit offended.沒有,我試著和她握手,但是她的手軟弱無力,弄的我都有點(diǎn)不高興了。
B:Well, Japanese businessmen and women typically bow to greet each other in Japan. She might have been offended by your strong handshake.哦,在日本,談生意的人無論男女一般都會(huì)互相鞠躬致意。你握手那么用力她很可能因此而有點(diǎn)不愉快。
A:But she was in America! Shouldn't she have known that strong handshakes in America signify confidence and respect?但她這是在美國(guó)!難道她不知道,在美國(guó)用力握手意味著信任和尊重嗎?
B:Things are different in Japan. You know, in some countries, making eye contact with others is considered rude.這跟日本的習(xí)俗完全不同。你知道嗎,在有些國(guó)家,直視對(duì)方的眼睛被認(rèn)為是無理的舉動(dòng)
A:Is that why she wouldn’t look at me in the meeting?這就是她為什么在開會(huì)時(shí)一直不看我的原因吧?
B:I think it's highly possible, yes.我覺得很可能是這個(gè)緣故。
A:The meeting really didn’t go down well at all. I think I need to read up about intercultural communication before I have another meeting with someone from another country.這次的會(huì)晤進(jìn)行得非常不順利。我想下次再出席類似這樣有外國(guó)人參加的會(huì)議之前,一定要熟知一些有關(guān)跨文化交流方面的知識(shí)。
B:That's a good idea. When you don’t know much about other cultures, the simplest thing can offend someone.這是個(gè)好主意。當(dāng)你對(duì)另一種文化缺乏了解的時(shí)候,即使是最簡(jiǎn)單的舉止也會(huì)冒犯到別人。
A:That's so true. It's great that we see eye to eye on this.一點(diǎn)沒錯(cuò)。真高興咱倆對(duì)這件事情看法一致。