禮節(jié)美語 BE-253 Tipping I
Lily在公司休息室看到同事Kyle和Jerry在聊天,上前打招呼。
Lily: Good afternoon, guys. Am I interrupting something?
Kyle: Jerry and I were just debating the American custom of tipping.
Jerry: Yeah, he's in favor and I'm opposed.
L: It's not just the custom in America....I'm from Canada and tipping is also common there. I'm not too fond of tipping, either. So Jenny, tell me why you're opposed.
J: I just don't like the inconvenience. I like to look at the menu and if the price of a meal is $10.45, I know that that's what I have to pay... $10.45. Back in China, I never have to think about whether someone deserves a tip or not.
Kyle和Jerry正在討論美國給小費(fèi)的習(xí)慣。tipping is spelled t-i-p-p-i-n-g, tipping 是給小費(fèi)的意思。美國和加拿大都講究給小費(fèi),Kyle is in favor of it. Kyle 贊成這種做法,但是Jerry is opposed to it. Jerry覺得這種習(xí)俗不好。他說,中國不用給小費(fèi),看菜單消費(fèi)價(jià)格一目了然,根本不用考慮服務(wù)員的服務(wù)如何,是否 deserve a tip 應(yīng)該給小費(fèi)。
K: I can understand how tipping might not be convenient, especially for visitors to America. The one thing that I dislike about tipping in the U.S. is how sometimes the restaurant staff forget that tips are supposed to be a reward for quality service.
L: Yeah, that's a problem in Canada as well. Tipping has become such a part of the culture that everyone just expects one... even if they don't offer good service.
J: But quality service is supposed to be a part of the job! A restaurant hires staff to be a waiter or waitress and that means service is part of the job! The restaurant is paying you... your salary is your tip!
Kyle和Lily都覺得,給小費(fèi)本應(yīng)該是 a reward for quality service, 是對(duì)優(yōu)質(zhì)服務(wù)的獎(jiǎng)勵(lì),可如今,餐館服務(wù)員好象覺得拿小費(fèi)是理所當(dāng)然的,不管服務(wù)質(zhì)量的好與壞。Jerry反駁說,餐館雇服務(wù)員就是為了服務(wù)顧客,工資就是他們的報(bào)酬,為什么還要給小費(fèi)呢?Kyle解釋說:
K: But in the United States, restaurant staff depend on tips because American law allows many restaurant owners to pay workers less than minimum wage.
J: Why is that?
K: Because they're expected to get tips. Tips might make up as much as 30% or 40% of an employee's income.
L: That's true... many servers in restaurants depend on tips for a big part of their income.
J: I would rather they paid the workers more. I'd even be OK with adding a 10% service charge to the price of the meal. I just refer things to be upfront.
Kyle說,正是因?yàn)橛行≠M(fèi),所以美國法律允許餐館老板給服務(wù)員的報(bào)酬低于最低工資水平 the minimum wage. 服務(wù)員收取的小費(fèi)占了他們收入了很大一部分,有30%到40%之多。Jerry說,他寧可餐館多付點(diǎn)錢給服務(wù)員,哪怕在飯菜價(jià)錢上增加10%的服務(wù)費(fèi) service charge 也在所不惜,他就是希望價(jià)錢能一目了然,upfront is spelled u-p-f-r-o-n-t, upfront, upfront在這里是直截了當(dāng)?shù)囊馑肌?/p>
A: Jerry 認(rèn)為算小費(fèi)太麻煩,他希望價(jià)錢一目了然,to be up front; 而Kyle認(rèn)為小費(fèi)是a reward for quality service, 對(duì)優(yōu)質(zhì)服務(wù)的獎(jiǎng)勵(lì),所以支持給小費(fèi)。What's your thought on this, Mike?
B: Well, I'm in favor of tipping. Since most restaurants don't have to pay the minimum wage to their staff, I think they deserve to be tipped. It's just part of the culture that I grew up with.
A: 我剛來的時(shí)候其實(shí)特別不習(xí)慣! 每次都要算來算去,考數(shù)學(xué)呀!
B: 哈哈哈,yeah, it's our way to maintain your math level...
A: So how much would you usually tip?
B: I think 15% is the golden rule, but I usually tip 20%, since I'm...awesome!
A: Yeah right. (兩人笑) 好了好了,言歸正傳,我們還是接著去聽聽Kyle和Jerry的辯論吧!