和英国人聊天应避免的4个禁忌话题

和英国人聊天应避免的 4 个禁忌话题 1：SEX 性 It is illustrative of British embarrassment that I feel awkward just typing the three letter word S-E-X. In Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hugh Grant (as ever playing the stereotypical Englishman) asks another guest at a wedding whether his girlfriend is well. The guest replies: ‘she’s actually no longer my girlfriend’. Awkward enough, but then Mr Grant’s character, in an attempt to console the man, makes it much worse. He causally mentions that the lady in question had not always been perfectly loyal to his conversant. The erstwhile boyfriend chokes on his champagne. ‘She’s now my wife’ he reveals. Given the choice, most Brits would prefer a picnic on an active volcano to being in this situation. 单单把这个字的三个字母(S-E-X)打出来，我就已经想钻地洞了，现在你 知道英国人有多容易尴尬了吧。电影《四个婚礼和一个葬礼》中，休·格兰特 (一如既往地饰演了传统的英国男人角色)在一场婚礼上问一个客人他女朋友 怎么样。客人回答道：“她已经不是我女朋友了。”够尴尬了吧，但之后格兰 特的角色还想去安慰那个客人，情况愈演愈劣。他随意提到话中的女士对这 个客人劈过腿。“前男友”听了被香槟呛到一口，说：“她现在是我妻子。”大多 英国人宁可选择在活火山上野餐也不想陷入如此尴尬的境地。 The British reticence about matters of a carnal nature is inherited from the 19th century. The Victorians were notorious prudes. They would even go so far as to cover-up a table leg, fearing that it would look immodest if left exposed. After the ‘sexual revolution’ of the 1960s we’re more open (no-one thinks twice before leaving a table leg naked) but sex remains a taboo subject in polite conversation. 英国这种不愿谈论露骨话题的习惯要从 19 世纪说起。维多利亚时代人 民的假正经是众所周知的。他们甚至觉得桌腿看起来太下流，要把它遮起来 。 60 年代“性解放”后，我们变得更开放(没有人会在遮不遮桌腿这种问题上浪费 时间)，但在礼貌的交谈中，性还是属于一大禁忌。 和英国人聊天应避免的 4 个禁忌话题 2：RELIGION 宗教 During the Tudor period of English history, expressing a religious opinion might lead to execution. Modern Britain is very multicultural, and though one is unlikely to lose one’s head as the consequence of a careless remark, religious debate remains a precarious topic. Faith is seen as a private matter, and it would be considered rude to simply ask someone what religion they belong to. It’s best to keep off the topic until you are better acquainted. 在英国历史上的都铎王朝阶段，表明自己的宗教立场也许会被处以死刑 。 现代英国具有多元文化，随便说话不会让你被斩首，但宗教还是一个危险的 话题。信仰属于私人范畴，随便问别人信什么教会被认为很没礼貌。这话题 还是留到你们更熟了以后再说吧。 和英国人聊天应避免的 4 个禁忌话题 3：POLITICS 政治 There is a defunct Oxford tradition, dating from the dark days when the university only accepted men, prohibiting any mention of sex, religion and politics during a formal dinner. Anyone who broke the rule would be forced to drink a huge jug of beer, and if he was unable to finish it in one go would have to pay the bill. I’ve mentioned sex and religion already, and the third traditional taboo – politics – is just as dangerous as the others. As with religion, it is considered extremely impolite to ask someone what political party they support, or which way they vote. Many political topics cause sharp divides amongst the British public – UK membership of the EU and Scottish independence are the highest profile at the time of writing. Save in-depth political discussion until you are better acquainted. 有个已过气的传统曾经流传在牛津只收男生的那段黑暗时期(对男生来说 无比黑暗…)：任何人在正式晚宴上绝不能提到性、宗教或政治。破坏规矩的 人要强行喝下一大壶啤酒，一口气喝不完的话，这个人要付钱。之前提了性 和宗教，第三个禁忌——政治——和其他两个一样危险。就像宗教一样，问 一个人他支持什么党派或者他投了谁的票也是特别无礼的行为。很多政治话 题造成了英国民众的巨大分歧，例如本人撰写此文时最火的：英国于欧盟是 留是走、苏格兰独立等。还是等你们更熟了再来深度讨论政治话题吧。