美國(guó)文化脫口秀 第404期:真不能跟外國(guó)人談錢嗎?

這周，大家都在討論12萬(wàn)是否算高收入，中國(guó)的情況我們就不多說(shuō)了。說(shuō)說(shuō)美國(guó)吧!怎么樣在美國(guó)算高收入?美國(guó)人談錢、談收入真的這么難以啟齒?

關(guān)鍵詞：

工資：income，salary還是wage?

這些詞都可以，不過(guò)每個(gè)的用法有區(qū)別：

Salary: 工資

多用于annual salary (年收入、年薪)

Wage: 工資

多用于hourly wage (小時(shí)薪酬)

Income: 收入

多用于monthly or annual income (月或年收入)

Make money 賺錢

We don't really talk about salaries. Too sensitive: 美國(guó)人真的互相不太聊工資、聊收入，很敏感

But when we do: 不過(guò)如果問(wèn)，可以這樣問(wèn)：

Q:

How much do you make a month/a year?

What's the pay like?

A：

I make xxx.

The pay is (good) or (bad).

This topic makes most people uncomfortable and awkward: 這個(gè)話題讓大多數(shù)人很不自在、很尷尬

Makes you seem very nosy if you ask: 如果你問(wèn)，別人會(huì)覺得你很愛管閑事

美國(guó)，6位數(shù)是高薪

這幾天，大家都在討論的“12萬(wàn)”這個(gè)數(shù)字，英語(yǔ)怎么說(shuō)?

正式：

120,000: a hundred twenty thousand

口語(yǔ)：

120 grand: a hundred twenty grand

120 K: a hundred twenty K

雖然美國(guó)人不太會(huì)談具體的收入數(shù)字，但是會(huì)說(shuō)大概范圍：

A 5-figure salary: 5位數(shù)年薪

A 6-figure salary: 6位數(shù)年薪

If you make 6 figures, it's something to brag about: 如果有6位數(shù)年薪，那也值得夸耀

Most Americans don't make 6 figures: 大多數(shù)美國(guó)人都沒(méi)有6位數(shù)年薪

"高收入"怎么說(shuō)?

最口語(yǔ)的3種說(shuō)法：

Someone makes a high salary: 收入不錯(cuò)

Someone makes a lot: 賺很多錢、收入高

You're doing pretty well for yourself: 收入不錯(cuò)哦

正式的說(shuō)法：

High income earner: 高收入者

It's too formal. We don't use it in daily life: 太正式了，口語(yǔ)里不會(huì)這么說(shuō)

稅前、稅后、到手

Gross income (before tax): 稅前收入

Net income (after tax): 稅后收入

還有一個(gè)很形象的說(shuō)法

Take-home salary/pay: 到手收入

存錢、儲(chǔ)蓄

To save up (動(dòng)詞)

Savings (名詞)

It's hard to have savings nowadays: 現(xiàn)在要存錢真難

外國(guó)人怎么談收入?

You don't talk about salary with mere acquaintances: 一般性的熟人不會(huì)談

It's a very private and sensitive issue: 總之是個(gè)特別私人、敏感的話題

真不能跟外國(guó)人談錢嗎?

#1.好朋友能談嗎?With close friends

We usually talk about what we do, not the salary: 和朋友之間談工作，主要是聊在做什么事, 不是工資

I don't know how much most of my friends make: 我不知道我好朋友的收入水平

但有一種情況下，美國(guó)人會(huì)和朋友談工資：

If you're looking for work in the same industry: 如果你找工作，那個(gè)行業(yè)正好是你朋友從事的

You can ask them for advice to make sure you don't get the short end of the stick: 可以問(wèn)一下工資建議，確保自己不吃虧

But don't ask the exact amount: 但也不會(huì)問(wèn)具體的數(shù)字

Salary range: 大概的工資范圍

Ballpark figure: 大概的范圍，ballpark是口語(yǔ)的說(shuō)法

#2.男女朋友呢?With your boyfriend or girlfriend

Only if you're in a steady relationship: 除非是關(guān)系特別穩(wěn)定的

Maybe you're heading towards marriage: 有結(jié)婚打算的

People who just started dating don't talk about their salaries: 剛開始戀愛的，不會(huì)談收入

#3.家人之間呢?With your own family

You talk about it with your parents and siblings: 和父母、兄弟姐妹會(huì)聊

Maybe not always the exact figure: 有時(shí)也不是具體的數(shù)字

The first time I realized how much my parents made was during college application: 我第一次意識(shí)到我父母的工資是申請(qǐng)大學(xué)的時(shí)候

You have to put in your parents' income to see if you qualify for grants and scholarships: 要填父母收入情況，看你是否有資格申請(qǐng)助學(xué)金、獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金

#4.美國(guó)夫妻怎么管錢?With your husband and wife

In China, a lot of husbands give part of their salary to their wives: 在中國(guó)，很多先生會(huì)把收入的一大部分交給太太

The wife manages the household expenses: 太太會(huì)管理家用開支

Most married American couples have a joint bank account: 很多美國(guó)夫妻會(huì)有一個(gè)聯(lián)名賬戶

It's a pool of money: 把錢都集中起來(lái)

But each person still has their separate card and access: 但是夫妻各自有自己的卡，和獨(dú)立使用的權(quán)限

#5.要付父母房租?Pay rent to your parents

Most Americans think adults shouldn't live with their parents: 大多數(shù)美國(guó)人覺得, 成年后要從家里搬出去

Adults should be independent: 成年了，要獨(dú)立

But many people are moving back or never leave home because rent is so expensive: 但是現(xiàn)在，越來(lái)越多的人搬回去跟爸媽住，因?yàn)樽饨鹛F了

Most parents will ask their children to contribute a fixed amount each month: 很多父母會(huì)讓孩子每個(gè)月付一筆固定的錢

To cover utilities, groceries: 貢獻(xiàn)水電費(fèi)、吃的喝的

In China, we also give part of our salaries to our parents: 在中國(guó)，我們也會(huì)給父母工資的一部分

But they save it up for us: 但是爸爸媽媽會(huì)幫我們存起來(lái)