英语阅读——SpeakingChineseinAmerica

这篇⽂章是《新视野⼤学英语》第四册的第五单元的⽂章，第⼀遍英语阅读完后对⽐中⽂，发现⾃⼰对作者的观点理解有些出⼊。作者反对的是认为中国说话客套⽽美国⼈直接的观点，利⽤⾃⼰的经历表达了中⽂也有直接的⽅⾯，美国⼈也有客套托词，不能⽤个⼈的例⼦或者⼀些简单描述，就对所有中国⼈产⽣成见。

1 Once at a dinner on the Monterey Peninsula California my mother whispered to me confidentially: "Sau-sau (brother's wife) pretends too hard to be a polite recipient! Why bother with such nominal courtesy? In the end she always takes everything."

有⼀次，在加州蒙特雷半岛上⽤餐时，我母亲私下悄悄地对我说：“嫂嫂想做个彬彬有礼的客⼈，但是装得太厉害了！何必费劲讲究形式上的客套呢？到最后她还是什么都要。”

2 My mother acted like a waixiao an emigrant no longer patient with old taboos（禁忌） and courtesies. To prove her point she reached across the table to offer my elderly aunt from Beijing the last scallop from the garlic seafood dish along with the flank steak and the cucumber（黄⽠） salad.

我母亲⾏事像个“外侨”，即⼀个移外的侨民，因为她已经不耐烦⽼⼀套的禁忌和礼数了。为了证明她刚才的观点，她⼿伸过桌⼦，把蒜⾹海鲜拼盘⾥的最后⼀个扇贝，连同⽜腩及黄⽠沙拉⼀起，递给我从北京来的年长舅妈。

3 Sau-sau frowned. "B'yao zhen b'yao!" she cried patting her substantial stomach. I don't want it really I don't.

嫂嫂皱起了眉头，“不要，真不要！”她⼀边⼤声说⼀边拍着⾃⼰已经吃得很饱的肚⼦。我不要了，真的不要了。

4 "Take it! Take it!" my mother scolded in Chinese as predictably as the lunar cycles.

“拿去吧！拿去吧！”我母亲⽤中⽂责备道。预料到她就会这样，就像⽉亮盈亏周期似的。

5 "Full I'm already full" Sau-sau muttered(低语) weakly eying the scallop.

饱了，我已经饱了，”嫂嫂低声嘀咕着，眼睛却瞟着扇贝。

6 "Ai!" exclaimed my mother. "Nobody wants it. It will only rot（腐烂）!"

“哎！”我母亲感叹着说，“没⼈愿意吃，只能让它坏掉了！”

7 Sau-sau sighed acting as if she were doing my mother a favor by taking the scrap off the tray and sparing us the trouble of wrapping the leftovers in foil.

嫂嫂叹了⼝⽓，从碟⼦上拿去了那个扇贝，就好像是帮了我母亲⼀个⼤忙，并省去了我们⽤箔纸将剩菜打包的⿇烦似的。

8 My mother turned to her brother an experienced Chinese magistrate visiting us for the first time. "In America a Chinese person could starve to death. If you don't breach（打破，违背） the old rules of etiquette（礼节） and say you want it they won't ask you again."

我母亲转头看着她兄长——⼀位经验丰富的中国地⽅法官，这是他初次来看我们。她说：“在美国，⼀个中国⼈可能会饿死。要是你不打破⽼⼀套的礼数说你要吃，他们就不会再了。”

9 My uncle nodded and said he understood fully: Americans take things quickly because they have no time to be polite.

我舅舅点点头，说他完全理解：美国⼈待⼈接物快速迅捷，因为他们没有时间客⽓来客⽓去。

10 I read an article in The New York Times Magazine on changes in New York's little cultural colony of Chinatown where the author mentioned that the interwoven configuration（设置配置） of Chinese language and culture renders its speech indirect and polite. Chinese people are so "discreet and modest" the article started that there aren't even words for "yes" and "no".

我在《纽约时报杂志》上读到过⼀篇⽂章，描述的是纽约市内的中国城这⼀⼩块⽂化聚居地的变迁。作者在⽂章中提到，中国语⾔与⽂化错综交织，使中⽂⼗分委婉和客套。中国⼈如此“谨慎和谦虚”，⽂章开头写道，以⾄于他们都没有词语来表达“是”和“不是”。

11 Why do people keep fabricating these rumors? I thought. They describe us as though we were a tribe of those little dolls sold in Chinatown tourist shops heads moving up and down in contented agreement!

我思索着，为什么⼈们会不断地编造这样的谣⾔呢？他们把我们描述得就像是唐⼈街旅游品商店⾥出售的⼀批⼩布娃娃。那些布娃娃的头不停地上下晃动，似乎对⼀切都⼼满意⾜，全赞同。

12 As any child of immigrant parents knows there is a special kind of double bind attached to knowing two languages. My parents for example spoke to me in both Chinese and English; I spoke back to them in English.

⽣于移民家庭的孩⼦都清楚，有⼀种特殊的两难境地与说两种语⾔的⽣活联系在⼀起。⽐如我⽗母，他们和我说话时中⽂和英⽂都⽤，但我和他们说话时只⽤英⽂。

13 "Amy-ah!" they'd scold me.

“艾⽶啊！”他们会这样责备我。

14 "What?" I'd answer back.

“怎么啦？”我会回问道。

15 "Do not question us when we call" they'd scold in Chinese. "It's not respectful."

“我们叫你时，不要对我们反问，”他们会⽤中⽂训斥道“这是不礼貌的！”

16 "What do you mean?"

“你们什么意思？”

17 "Ai! Didn't we just tell you not to question?"

“哎！我们不是刚刚说过，叫你不要反问吗？”

18 If I consider my upbringing carefully I find there was nothing discreet about the Chinese language I grew up with no censorship for the sake of politeness. My parents made everything abundantly clear in their consecutive demands: "Of course you will become a famous aerospace engineer" they prodded. "And yes a concert pianist on the side."

仔细想想⾃⼰的成长过程，我发现，我从⼩到⼤所接触到的中⽂并不是什么特别谨慎的语⾔，也不存在出于客⽓⽽对所说的话进⾏仔细检查的现象。我⽗母向我提⼀连串的要求时，是把⼀切都表述得清清楚楚：“你当然会成为著名的航空⼯程师，”他们会⿎励我说，“对了，你业余时间还要做⾳乐会的钢琴师。”

19 It seems that the more forceful proceedings always spilled over into Chinese: "Not that way! You must wash rice so not a single grain is lost."

似乎更加强硬的事情总是通过中⽂倾泻出来：“不能那样！你淘⽶的时候，必须⼀粒都不漏。”

20 Having listened to both Chinese and English I'm suspicious of comparisons between the two languages as I notice the reciprocal challenges they each present. English speakers say Chinese is extremely difficult because different words can be denoted by very subtle variations in tone. English is often bracketed with the label of inconsistency a language of too many broken rules.

由于⼀直同时听着中英⽂两种语⾔，故⽽我对它们之间的任何对⽐总是⼼存怀疑，因为我注意到它们各⾃都有对⽅所没有的难点。说英⽂的⼈会认为中⽂极其难，因为中⽂⽤⾮常微的声调变化就可以表⽰不同的词语。⽽英⽂则常常被认为缺乏⼀致性，因为英⽂具有太多不合规则的⽤法。

21 Even more dangerous in my view is the temptation to view the gulf between different languages and behavior in translation. To listen to my mother speak English an outside spectator might make the deduction that she has no concept of the temporal differences of past and future or that she is gender blind because she refers to my husband as "she". If one were not careful one might also generalize that all Chinese people take an indirect route to get to the point. It is rather my mother's individual tendency to ornament her language and wander around a bit.

在我看来，更危险的做法是，⼈们往往倾向于通过翻译来理解不同语⾔和⾏为之间的差异。如果⼀个旁观的外⼈听我母亲说英语，可能会得出结论，说她对过去和将来这样的时间区没有概念，或者认为她对⼈的性别不加区分，因为她提到我丈夫时总是说“她”。如果⼀个⼈对此类现象不假思虑，他也许还会概括说，所有中国⼈都是通过委婉迂回的⽅式才能说到题重点的。⽽实际上喜欢修饰和绕弯⼦只是我母亲个⼈的说话风格。

22 I worry that the dominant society may see Chinese people from a limited perspective hedging us in with the stereotype. I worry that the seemingly innocent stereotype may lead to actual intolerance and be part of the reason why there are few Chinese in top management positions or in the main judiciary or political sectors. I worry about the power of language: If one says anything enough times it might become true with or without malicious intent.

我担⼼主流社会可能会从⼀个狭隘的⾓度、以⼀种成见看待中国⼈。我担⼼这种看似⽆害的成见实际会导致⼈们对中国⼈难以容忍，并成为中国⼈在⾼层管理职位或主要的司法及政部门寥寥⽆⼏的部分原因。我担⼼语⾔的⼒量，即如果⼀个⼈将⼀件事说了很多遍，⽆论其是否有恶意，这件事都会变成事实。

3 Could this be why the Chinese friends of my parents' generation are willing to accept the generalization?

这会不会就是我⽗母辈的中国朋友愿意接受那些对中国⼈的简单概括的原因呢？

24 "Why are you complaining?" one of them said to me. "If people think we are modest and polite let them think that. Wouldn't Americans appreciate such an honorary description?"

“你为什么要抱怨呢？”他们中有⼈问我。“如果⼈们认为我们谦虚礼让，就让他们那样想好了。难道美国⼈不喜欢这种赞誉性的话吗？”

25 And I do believe that anyone would take the description as a compliment at first. But after a while it annoys as if the only things that people heard one say were what had been filtered through the sieve of social niceties: I'm so pleased to meet you. I've heard many wonderful things about you.

我当然相信每个⼈在⼀开始都会把这种描述的话当成称赞。但过了⼀段时间，这种话就会让⼈恼怒，就好像所听到的只是些经过细微的社交区别过滤后的⾔辞，诸如“很⾼兴认识你我听到许多⼈都夸奖你”之类的话。

26 These remarks are not representative of new ideas honest emotions or considered thought. Like a piece of bread they are only the crust of the interaction or what is said from the polite distance of social contexts: greetings farewells convenient excuses and the like. This generalization therefore is not a true composite of Chinese culture but only a stereotype of our exterior behavior.

这些话不能表达什么新观点，也不能传达什么真实的情感或深思熟虑的想法。它们就像⼀⽚⾯包，只是⼈们交往中最表层的东西，或社交场合下出于礼貌⽽说的⼀些话：问候、道别顺⼝的托词，诸如此类。由此看来，那些对中国⼈的概括性评价并⾮是对中国⽂化成分的真实描述，⽽仅仅是对我们外在⾏为的⼀种成见⽽已。

27 "So how does one say 'yes' and 'no' in Chinese?" my friends may ask carefully.

那么中⽂究竟怎么表达‘是’和‘不是’呢？”我的朋友也许会⼩⼼翼翼地问。

28 At this junction I do agree in part with The New York Times Magazine article. There is no one word for "yes" or "no" but not out of necessity to be discreet. If anything I would

say the Chinese equivalent of answering "yes" or "no" is specific to what is asked.

在这⼀点上，我的确在某种程度上同意《纽约时报杂志》的那篇⽂章。在中⽂⾥，没有哪⼀个字专门⽤于表达“是”或“不是”，但这并⾮是因为需要保持谨慎。若的确有什么不同的话那我会说中⽂⾥对应的“是”或“不是”的表达通常是针对所问的具体内容⽽定的。

29 Ask a Chinese person if he or she has eaten and he or she might say chrle (eaten already) or meiyou (have not).

如果你问⼀个中国⼈是否吃饭了，他（或她）会说“吃了”（已经吃过）或“没有”（没有吃过）。

30 Ask "Have you stopped beating your wife?" and the answer refers directly to the proposition being asserted or denied: stopped already still have not never beat have no wife

你若问：“你停⽌打⽼婆了吗？”他会直接就所断定或所否认的假设进⾏回答：已经停⽌了，还没有，从来不打，没有⽼婆。

31 What could be clearer?

还有什么能⽐这更明了的呢？