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Body language is an important form of communication that is used everywhere, although we don't often think about it. Some messages are understood by people around the world simply because they are not communicated by words. For example, in many countries, people nod their heads to show agreement and they put their fingers up to their mouths to ask for silence.
盡管我們不經常研究肢體語言，但它已成為一種重要的交流形式，無處不在。世界各地的人們正是通過這些非語言交流形式來獲得某些信息。舉例來說，許多國家人們點頭表示贊許，手指立著放嘴巴上表示安靜。
However, body language is used differently in different cultures. For example, in some western cultures, people shrug their shoulders to show they don't understand or they don't care about something. This isn't common in other places. In Asian countries, such as Japan, people bow to show respect when they greet each other or say goodbye. This isn't done in the West.
然而，肢體語言在不同文化中使用不同。例如，在一些西方國家，人們聳肩表示對某事的不理解或是不在意。這一習俗在其他地方卻并不常用。亞洲的一些國家，比如日本，人們在問候或分別時以鞠躬之禮以示尊重。在西方國家人們卻不這樣做。
Sometimes, people think they know about the body language customs of certain cultures, but in fact, they don't know enough. Take bowing as an example. Many travellers aren't sure how to bow or when to bow while in Japan. Kissing is another example that we need to learn about. In many European cultures, women and children are kissed on each cheek by family members or friends when they meet in the street. New friends are often greeted with a kiss on the cheek by Europeans at parties. Two men usually shake hands and put their free hand on each other's shoulders. In the Middle East, you must be careful about your feet. It is very rude to show the bottom of your shoe when you rest one leg on top of the other. It is also not polite to touch people with your shoes.
有時，人們自以為了解特定文化的肢體語言習俗，然而事實上，他們了解的還遠遠不夠。以鞠躬為例，在日本很多游客對于何時鞠躬及如何鞠躬不甚了解。親吻禮我們也需要多加了解。歐洲文化中，在街頭相遇時家人或朋友會互相親吻女士和小孩的臉頰。新朋友則會在宴會上親吻臉頰。男士見面行握手禮，另一只手則輕放對方肩頭。在中東地區，務必要留心你的腳。當一條腿放另一條腿上休息時，漏出鞋底是不禮貌的，用你的鞋子接觸別人也是失禮的。
So, as we can see, body language is just as important as the spoken language when we communicate with people from other cultures.
由此可見，當我們與不同文化的人交流時，肢體語言和口頭語言同等重要。
