異域風情:那些關於印度的謬傳
You've probably heard a lot of myths and stereotypes about India. Some stereotypes might be true, but many are not. Mariaebinesan3, a blogger from India, tries to dispel some stereotypes most people assume about India.
或許，你聽過很多對於印度的偏見和謬傳。有一些可能是對的，有些則是錯的。來自印度的博主Mariaebinesan3試圖通過此文，消除大多數人對於印度的錯誤理解。
1. All educated Indians are IT professionals.
1、所有受過教育的印度人都是IT專業人員。
Fact: 1 out of every 200 workers is a software engineer in the ahas about 2.75 million software developers while theUShas 4.5 million. So do the math.
事實上：在美國，每200個人中，有1個人是軟件工程師。在印度有將近275萬軟件開發人員，而在美國，這一數字爲450萬。你們自己算一算吧。
2. Dowry is prevalent in every part of India.
2、嫁妝在整個印度都盛行。
There's no dowry system in most of the North Eastern states ofIndia. In fact, in Meghalaya, marriages are matriarchal with a matrilineal system where property, names and wealth passes from mother to daughter rather than father to son. You'll find women take center-stage in every aspect of life.
在印度，東北部邦大部分地區都沒有送嫁妝的習俗。事實上，在梅加拉亞邦，婚姻爲母系婚姻，採用母系傳承製，在這一制度之下，姓名、資產和財富都通過母親傳給女兒而不是通過父親傳給兒子。因而在生活各個層面，女性都居於核心地位。
3. All Indians live in extended joint families.
3、所有印度人都是數代同堂，一起生活。
Blame it on the numerous nonsensical Saas-Bahu Serials, the general conception of a huge Indian joint family living under a single roof is a bit exaggerated and misplaced.
這種謬傳要歸咎於衆多荒謬的“婆婆與媳婦”（印度電視劇名，譯者注）系列電視劇，普遍認爲的印度人數代同堂生活在同一個屋檐之下其實是有些誇大和誤傳。
4. Arranged marriages happen overnight with the couple not knowing each other.
4、印度包辦婚姻現象嚴重，夫妻間甚至還未認識就結婚。
Almost every arranged marriage inIndiais preceded by an extended period of informal 'dates' (meetings) between the couple to evaluate each other and their prospective relationship.
在印度，幾乎所有的包辦婚姻之前，男女雙方都會有數次非正式“約會”（見面），對彼此以及彼此未來的關係進行評估。
5. Indians eat rich, spicy, masala curry everyday.
5、印度人每天必吃又稠又辣的馬莎拉咖喱。
That's untrue. The staple diet of most Indians consist of dal/sambar, rice, chapatis/rotis with cooked vegetables (mildly spiced/stir fried) or fish/meat. Rich, thick gravies are either found in restaurants or prepared (rarely) during special occasions.
假的。印度人的主食包括南印度酸豆湯、米飯、印度烙餅、（適當調味或煸炒的）蔬菜以及魚和肉。在餐館或在一些特殊場合纔會有濃稠的肉汁。
6. Indian cinema is equal to Bollywood.
6、印度電影業等同於寶萊塢。
Be it Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi or even Bhojpuri, the contribution of regional films to Indian cinema is immense. While Bollywood mints money, regional cinema brings accolades.
各地區電影對於印度電影業的影響舉足輕重，語言多種多樣，包括泰米爾語、泰盧固語、馬拉地語、馬拉雅拉姆語、孟加拉語、旁遮普語，甚至還包括比哈爾方言。寶萊塢商業味道濃厚，而區域性電影業更受人們的青睞和讚揚。
7. Indians are uncomfortable while interacting with the opposite sex.
7、與異性交往時，印度人會不自在。
This one's a classic: Popular western TV series like The Big Bang Theory stereotypes Indians as people who can't handle a conversation with the opposite gender. That's Raj for you.
這一說法來源：《生活大爆炸》這類著名的西方電視劇將印度人的形象描述爲無法與異性正常交談的形象。你纔是Raj（生活大爆炸中的人物，來自印度，譯者注）呢。
The irony is that Raj, in real life, is married to a beautiful former Miss India.
諷刺的是，現實生活中的Raj（扮演者）最後娶了漂亮的前印度小姐。
8. Everyone from Southern India is dark skinned & has curly hair.
8、來自南部的印度人都是膚色黝黑，自然捲發。
The majority of South Indians have a wheatish tone. Not everyone has a mustache and they don't wear lungi all the time. So stop the 'Madrassi' ignorance.
大部分的南印度人膚色爲小麥色，並非每個人都留鬍子，而且他們也不會時刻戴着頭巾。所以，別再愚昧地用Madrassi（西方人對南印度人的歧視用語，譯者注）這樣的稱呼了。
