留學生在中國 第22期 Impolite Questions 禁忌問題

Chapter 22 Impolite Questions for foreigners.

第22章 老外的 “ 禁區 ”。

You ：In China, it's common to ask people their age and salary but when we talk to foreigners, we try not to ask those questions.

中國人之間可以打聽別人的年齡和收入，但我們和外國人交談的時候，就要儘量不問這些問題。

David ：Why?

爲什麼？

You ：When I was young I was told it was impolite to ask westerners about their age and salary. So now I keep that in mind when I first meet foreigners.

小時候就有人告訴我向西方人打聽他們的年齡和工資是不禮貌的。因此當我和外國人初次見面的時候，我都會牢記這個原則。

David ：It's true. Don't talk about age or salary. But in Chinese culture, it's OK to ask. It wouldn't be impolite to ask. People might just think this kind of question is a sign of one's interest in someone else.

對，我們不談年齡和收入。但在中國文化中，是可以問這些問題的。如果你向別人打聽這些，不算不禮貌。人們會認爲你對別人的事比較感興趣。

You ：You can even ask girls in China about their age. Besides I also heard that in western countries it is impolite to ask someone about his or her marital status. Am I right?

正是這樣。連女孩子的年齡也能問。在西方，打聽有關別人的婚姻狀況也是非常不禮貌的。是嗎？

David ：You're right. In addition, questions about religious beliefs are also considered taboo for westerners. The taboo is related to our need for privacy, something that westerners take very seriously.

確實是這樣的。也有些西方人很忌諱別人打聽他們的宗教信仰，這些忌諱都與西方的隱私問題有關，所以他們非常重視。

You ：That is one of the biggest differences between Chinese and Western cultures.

這可能是東西方文化差異之一吧。