Passage 2:

People from different cultures sometimes do things that make each other uncomfortable, without meaning to or sometimes without even realizing it. //

不同文化背景的人在一起有時會做出一些令對方感到不舒服的事，他們并非故意要這樣做，有時甚至連自己也未察覺。

Most Americans are usually spontaneous, friendly and open, and enjoy meeting new people, having guests and ringing people together formally or informally. //

大多數美國人通常天真、率直，友好坦率，喜歡結識人，歡迎客人來訪，愿意召集正式的或非正式的聚會。

They tend to be informal and speak freely. So if your American hosts do something that makes you uncomfortable, try to let them know how you feel. They will appreciate your honesty and try not to make you uncomfortable again. //

美國人往往不拘禮節，說話毫無拘束。所以要是你的美國主人做出了使你感到不舒服的事，你應該設法讓他們知道你的感受。他們會喜歡你的誠實態度，盡量不再做你不喜歡的事。

Sometimes Americans are said to be superficially friendly. Perhaps it seems so. Just like anywhere else, it takes time to become real friends with people in the United States.

有時美國人的友善會被視為一種表面現象。或許看上去確實是這么一回事。同其他地方一樣，與美國人結成真正的朋友是需要一段時間的。

補充：文化差異方面的口譯練習

Much business in the United States is conducted on the telephone. The average businessman spends much of his time on the telephone making business contacts.

在美國許多生意都是通過電話談的。一般的生意人都花很多時間打電話，接洽生意。

However, it usually will not be convenient to make initial contracts between Chinese and U.S. businesses by telephone.

但是，中國公司和美國公司通過電話商討初步協議通常很不方便。

There is no particular style to American negotiations. The way the negotiations are conducted will vary from one business to another and will depend upon the individuals involved.

與美國人談判并無特別的樣式。談判的方式視業務不同而不同，取決于參與談判的人員。

Although Americans have a reputation for making quick decisions, this is not always true when a corporation is involved in a major venture or a large project. Therefore, you should also be prepared for lengthy negotiations.

雖然美國人享有決策果斷的聲譽，但是，在公司著手進行主要或重大項目時，決策并非總是果斷的。因此，你也要做好準備進行冗長的談判。