“你疯了”：英式礼貌背后的真相 (双语)

屈联西

电影《四个婚礼和一个葬礼》中的休·格兰特是英式礼貌的典型。 Rex Features 摄

　　Ever been told by a new neighbour ‘You must come for dinner’ then spent weeks waiting for a follow-up invitation that never arrives?
　　曾经遇到过新邻居对你说“你得过来吃个晚饭”，可几个礼拜后邀请迟迟不来？
　　Or been thrilled when the boss said he’d bear your ‘very interesting’ idea in mind and been surprised when it was never mentioned again。
　　或者是激动地听到上司说他会记住你“非常有趣”的想法，却惊讶他再也没提过这件事？
　　Then you’ve been victim of the uniquely British trait of being too prim and polite to say what we really mean. And if it can be baffling for us, imagine what it must be like for foreigners who take our every word at face value。
　　那你就是拥有独特特征的英式英语的受害者了，英式英语对于表达真实所想来说太过拘谨、礼貌了。其实对于英国人来说，想想外国人可能会把他们的每句话信以为真，也挺令人困扰的。
　　Now there’s help in the form of a translation table which has become a huge hit on the internet。
　　现在这里有一张在网上引起热议的翻译表，能对你有所帮助。

WHAT THE BRITISH SAY 　　英国人说的	WHAT THE BRITISH MEAN 　　英国人实际表达的	WHAT OTHERS UNDERSTAND 　　别人所理解的
I hear what you say 　　我听到你说什么了	I disagree and do not want to discuss it further 　　我不同意也不想继续讨论下去了	He accepts my point of view 　　他接受了我的观点
With the greatest respect 　　怀着最高的敬意	You are an idiot 　　你是一个白痴	He is listening to me 　　他在听我说
That's not bad 　　那不算坏	That's good 　　不错	That's poor 　　那很差劲
That is a very brave proposal 　　这是一个非常勇敢的提议	You are insane 　　你疯了	He thinks I have courage 　　他认为我很有勇气
Quite good 　　真不错	A bit disappointing 　　有一点令人失望	Quite good 　　真不错
I would suggest 　　我认为	Do it or be prepared to justify yourself 　　按我认为的去做或者证明你的想法	Think about the idea, but do what you like 　　考虑他的说法，但按自己想的做
Oh, incidentally/by the way 　　哦，顺便提一下	The primary purpose of our discussion is 　　这次讨论的主要目的是	That is not very important 　　那并不是很重要
I was a bit disappointed that 　　我对此有点失望	I am annoyed that 　　我被惹恼了	It doesn't really matter 　　没关系
Very interesting 　　非常有趣	That is clearly nonsense 　　那简直是胡说八道	They are impressed 　　那令人印象深刻
I'll bear it in mind 　　我会记住的	I've forgotten it already 　　我已经忘了	They will probably do it 　　他们大概会这么做
I'm sure it's my fault 　　我确信这是我的错	It's your fault 　　这是你的错	Why do they think it was their fault? 　　为什么他们觉得是他们的错？
You must come for dinner 　　你得过来吃晚饭	It's not an invitation, I'm just being polite 　　这并不是一个邀请，我只是表示礼貌	I will get an invitation soon 　　我很快就会受到邀请
I almost agree 　　我差不多同意了	I don't agree at all 　　我根本不同意	He's not far from agreement 　　他差不多同意了
I only have a few minor comments 　　我只有一些次要意见	Please rewrite completely 　　请全部重写	He has found a few typos 　　他只找到了一些印刷错误
Could we consider some other options 　　我们能考虑下别的选择吗	I don't like your idea 　　我不喜欢你的主意	They have not yet decided 　　他们还没决定

　　It reveals that when a British person begins a sentence ‘With the greatest respect...’, they’re really saying ‘I think you are an idiot.’
　　表格揭露了当一个英国人用“怀着最高的敬意”为一句句子开头，他们实际想说的是“我认为你是一个白痴”。
　　‘I hear what you say’ means ‘I disagree and do not want to discuss it further’ while ‘That is a very brave proposal’ translates as ‘You are insane’。
　　“我听到你说什么了” 代表“我不同意也不想继续讨论下去了”，“这是一个勇敢的提议”代表“你疯了”。
　　The table, which has been posted on numerous internet blogs, has received thousands of comments acknowledging that it’s spot on–from foreigners and Britons alike。
　　这张表格被放到许多博客中后，收到许多外国人和英国人本身的赞同，承认这极其正确。
　　(来源：沪江英语)