世．界．之‧窗－Language Etiquette：别一听人讲话有腔调 就问他是哪国人

世界公民

地球村的时代，英文是共通语言，若遇到有人在你面前说听不懂的语言，千万要小心反应，别不经意冒犯了别人。图／美联社

阅读暖身在国际大都会、跨国企业工作，常听到多种语言交错，会议讨论或闲聊时，尽管英文是共通语言，同事仍可能随时切换到母语。有人说你不懂的语言或带有浓重腔调时，应如何反应、不冒犯人，也成了一门学问。进入本文前，请先想想如何表达以下单字：A.敏感议题 B.无可挑剔 C.忍住

As if table manners were not enough, now come language manners. In the United States, where the right to speak a language other than English is a (A)touchy subject, the new field of language etiquette has caught the (B)impeccable eye of people.

国际间有餐桌礼仪，还有语言礼仪。在美国，不说英语的权利是敏感议题，如今新兴的语言礼仪领域，已引起一丝不苟的人士留意。

“Americans have not paid attention to the need to learn other languages as much as other people have,” said New York City etiquette consultant Janet Nixon. “And now we are paying the price. We are surrounded by people whom we do not understand and who do not understand us and, somehow, we all need to get along.”

「美国人不重视学习其他语言，我们正为此付出代价。现今我们必须与各式各样的人相处，但我们不了解周遭的人，他们也不了解我们。」纽约的礼仪顾问Janet Nixon说。

Interest in language etiquette is on the rise in the U.S., especially among foreign business people. However, the etiquette issue brings up some of Americans' most deeply rooted anxieties about language. The chief one: that someone is saying something about them in a language they do not understand and that that it is not very nice.

在美国，越来越多人对语言礼仪感兴趣，尤其是外籍商人。不过礼仪议题也带出一些美国人对语言根深柢固的忧虑。其中最大的是：有人正用他们听不懂的语言说三道四，这令他们忐忑不安。

So, how can we (1)mind our p’s and q’s in terms of language etiquette? Experts’ advice: Try to speak the language of the country you are in. Be tolerant of those who cannot speak your language. Do not ask people where they are from the moment you hear an accent. And most importantly, (C)refrain from asking people with unusual names,“What kind of a name is that?”

要如何维持语言礼仪？专家的建议是：入境随俗，尽可能说当地的语言。对于不懂你语言的人，也要有包容心。不要一听到人说话有腔调，就问他是哪一国人。最重要的是，当别人的名字很特殊要忍住说「这种名字真奇怪！」

Common sense and good manners can help bridge the linguistic gap. Say two co-workers and you are in the office kitchen and they start chatting away in Japanese. They are laughing their heads off. And you (2)smell a rat, believing they must be mocking your new haircut. You can always turn a deaf ear to them. If you can't, walk up to them, and say to them in a very nice way, “You know, you seem to be having such a good time with that joke. Would you please share it with me, so I can laugh, too?” That ought to put an end to it.

常识和风度可消除语言隔阂。举例来说，你和两名同事在办公室茶水间，他们开始用日语聊起天来，而且笑到乐不可支。你觉得事有蹊跷，猜想一定是在嘲笑你的新发型。你当然可以置若罔闻。不过如果你办不到，可走到他们身边，平心静气表示：「你知道吗？你们的笑话让你们开心极了。分享一下吧，好让我也能笑一笑？」事情就到此为止了。

参考来源：The New York Times

台湾可能出现10年来最大的转职潮！

转职不是从一个坑跳到另一个坑，能把你从那个坑里拉出来的是「英文」和世界观！世界公民文化中心「转职潮英语」，www.core-corner.com。