中西方文化一瞥:和英国人交流需步步惊心”

When the British say I hear what you say. They mean I disagree and do not want to discuss it further. But what others understand is He accepts my point of view.

当英国人说“我听到你所说的了”时，他们的意思是“我不同意也不想就其做进一步讨论”，而其他人却理解成了“他接受了我的观点”。

When the British say With the greatest respect... They mean I think you are an idiot. But what others understand is He is listening to me.

当英国人说“出于最大的尊重…”时，他们的意思是“我觉得你太二了”，而其他人却理解成了“他正听我说话呢”。

When the British say Thats not bad. They mean Thats good. But what others understand is Thats poor.

当英国人说“不算太糟”时，他们的意思是“太好了”，而其他人却理解成了“太差了”。

When the British say That is a very brave proposal. They mean You are insane. But what others understand is He thinks I have courage.

当英国人说“那真是一个非常有勇气的提议”时，他们的意思是“你真是疯了”，而其他人却理解成了“他觉得我很有胆识”。

When the British say Quite good. They mean A bit disappointing. But what others understand is Quite good.

当英国人说“很不错哦”时，他们的意思是“有点小失望”，而其他人却理解成了“真心不错”。

When the British say I would suggest... They mean Do it or be prepared to justify yourself. But what others understand is Think about the idea, but do what you like.

当英国人说“我想建议的是……”时，他们的意思是“去实践或者做好准备证明你自己”，而其他人却理解成了“考虑一下他的点子，但还是做我想做的”。

When the British say Oh, incidentally / by the way... They mean The primary purpose of our discussion is... But what others understand is That is not very important.

当英国人说“顺便说一句……”时，他们的意思是“我们讨论的最根本目的是……”，而其他人却理解成了“接下来的话不是非常重要”。

When the British say I was a bit disappointed that... They mean I am annoyed that... But what others understand is It doesnt really matter.

当英国人说“我对……有点小失望”时，他们的意思是“我对……很恼火”，而其他人却理解成了“无伤大雅”。

When the British say Very interesting. They mean That is clearly nonsense. But what others understand is They are impressed.

当英国人说“非常有意思啊”时，他们的意思是“那明显是瞎扯淡”，而其他人却理解成了“那真是让人印象深刻”。

When the British say ll bear it in mind. They mean ve forgotten it already. But what others understand is They will probably do it.

当英国人说“我刻在脑子里了”时，他们的意思是“我已经不记得了”，而其他人却理解成了“他们大概会去做的吧”。

When the British say m sure its my fault. They mean Its your fault. But what others understand is Why do they think it was their fault?

当英国人说“我确定是我错了”时，他们的意思是“那其实是你的错”，而其他人却理解成了“为什么他们会觉得是他们的错呢？”

When the British say You must come for dinner. They mean Its not an invitation, Im just being polite. But what others understand is I will get an invitation soon.

当英国人说“你一定要来赴宴”时，他们的意思是“那绝不是什么邀请，我只不过想礼貌一些”，而其他人却理解成了“马上我就会收到一个邀请了”。

When the British say I almost agree. They mean I dont agree at all. But what others understand is Hes not far from agreement.

当英国人说“我基本同意”时，他们的意思是“我一点儿都不同意”，而其他人却理解成了“他真的是非常非常同意啊”。

When the British say I only have a few minor comments. They mean Please re-write completely. But what others understand is He has found a few typos.

当英国人说“我只是有一点儿建议”时，他们的意思是“请从头到尾地重写一份吧”，而其他人却理解成了“他只不过发现了一些言语错误”。

When the British say Could we consider some other options? They mean I dont like your idea. But what others understand is They have not yet decided.

当英国人说“我们可以再考虑一些其他的选择吗？”时，他们的意思是“我着实不喜欢你的点子”，而其他人却理解成了“他们还没有决定下来吧”。