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禮節美語 BE-255 Sensitivity Training—Money I
晚宴結束，Jason跟同事Harold一起往外走。Jason說：
Jason: That was a lovely party, wasn't it?
Harold: Yes, it was. The food was pretty good, too.
J: I was a little puzzled about something, though.
H: What was that?
J: At one point in our conversation, Mr. Jones gave me a really funny look...it was almost like I'd broken some sort of a rule.
H: Oh, yes...well you did ask him how much he paid for his apartment.
J: And? What's wrong with asking someone how much they paid for a piece of property? Back in China everybody talks about buying and selling apartments.
Jason是從中國來的，在晚會上問東道主Mr. Jones公寓是多少錢買的。Mr. Jones gave me a really funny look. Mr. Jones 看他的表情有些奇怪，好象他這樣問犯了什么大忌。a funny look意思是說不清楚的奇怪表情。Jason 說，在中國，大家見面就是談房子，因此他不懂，What's wrong with asking someone how much they paid for a piece of property? 問別人買房子花了多少錢有什么不妥呢？Harold解釋說：
H: Yeah, I know... but in many Western societies, talking about money in public is a faux pas.
J: What's a faux pas?
H: It's a French term that means a social blunder. Questions like that are considered a little bit impolite.
J: Really? I had no idea. Back in China, it's not generally a problem to ask about how much something costs.
H: I know you meant no offense. When I was assigned to Guangzhou for 6 months, people frequently ask me how much my monthly salary is.
Harold解釋說，在很多西方國家，公開談錢是 faux pas, faux pas is spelled f-a-u-x, faux and pas p-a-s, pas, faux pas 也就是 social blunder 在社交上忌諱做的事，屬于失禮的行為。Jason聽了覺得很出乎意料，說自己完全不知情，I had no idea. 因為在中國，詢問財物的價錢完全不是問題。Harold說，I know you meant no offense. 我知道你不是故意冒犯 Mr. Jones. Harold說自己派駐廣州半年時，就經常有人問他每個月的工資是多少。Jason說：
J: That's funny, because Western society seems so open. People talk about all kinds of private things that we wouldn't bring up in China. Buy money is a no-no, huh?
H: If your Western friend buys something for a really good price, he or she might mention it to you by saying something like, "Take a look at this camera that I got on sale for only $99 dollars." But unless the person is a close friend, we almost never ask how much something costs.
J: So, do you avoid talking about money so that people with less money don't feel bad?
Jason覺得很有意思的是，西方社會如此開放，對很多中國不敢涉獵的私人問題都可以拿到臺面上來說，但是 money is a no-no. 錢的問題卻是個禁區。no-no 兩個no連在一起，中間加個連接線，是一種非正式用法，名詞，意思是不可以，不被接受的事情。西方人回避談錢，是因為怕刺激沒錢的人嗎？我們下次繼續聽。
A: Jason在聚會的時候問東道主房子是多少錢買的，主人給了他a funny look， 一個奇怪的表情。原來，在西方文化中，公開談錢是faux pas，社交忌諱，除了特別熟識的好友，money is a no-no，錢的問題是個禁區。
B: Yeah, money is something we always avoid talking about.
A: 這跟中國真不一樣！我一回去，就常常有人問我掙多少錢呢！真讓人沒法回答！為什么西方人不愿意談錢呢？
B: I think it's in part because personal finances are considered to be a private matter in American culture.
A: 聽起來真不錯薩! What are the other topics that you would avoid in your conversation?
B: Let me see... Politics, income, age, family issues, religion...there are a lot!
A: 真麻煩呀……咱們還是接著去聽聽Harold分析為什么外國人不談錢吧！
