* Most Americans only speak English: While it is true that more and more Americans speak Spanish, most Americans only speak English. Don't expect them to understand your native language.
大部分美國(guó)人只說(shuō)英語(yǔ):現(xiàn)在越來(lái)越多的美國(guó)人能說(shuō)西班牙語(yǔ)是事實(shí),但是大部分的美國(guó)人只說(shuō)英語(yǔ),所以別指望他們能聽(tīng)懂你的母語(yǔ)。
* Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents: Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you!
美國(guó)人聽(tīng)外國(guó)口音有困難:很多美國(guó)人不習(xí)慣外國(guó)口音,所以你們交談雙方都需要有耐心。
Conversation Tips
交談溝通秘籍
* Speak about location: Americans love to talk about location. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they are from and then make a connection with that place. For example: "Oh, I have a friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says it's a beautiful place to live." Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.
談?wù)摰攸c(diǎn):美國(guó)人喜歡談?wù)摰攸c(diǎn)。和陌生人說(shuō)話的時(shí)候,可以問(wèn)問(wèn)他們從哪里來(lái)然后找到自己跟那個(gè)地方的聯(lián)系。比如可以說(shuō):“啊,我有個(gè)朋友在洛杉磯學(xué)習(xí),他說(shuō)那地方很漂亮。”這時(shí)大部分美國(guó)人就會(huì)很愿意談起他們居住或者到過(guò)那個(gè)特殊的地方或地區(qū)的經(jīng)歷。
* Talk about work: Americans commonly ask "What do you do?". It's not considered impolite (as in some countries) and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
談?wù)摴ぷ鳎好绹?guó)人通常會(huì)問(wèn)“What do you do?”在某些國(guó)家會(huì)被認(rèn)為這是不禮貌的,但美國(guó)不是的,這只是陌生人之間聊天的一個(gè)流行話題。
* Talk about sports: Americans love sports! However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most Americans understand "American Football", not soccer.
談?wù)撨\(yùn)動(dòng):美國(guó)人超愛(ài)運(yùn)動(dòng)!不過(guò),他們喜歡美國(guó)的運(yùn)動(dòng)。如果說(shuō)到football,大部分美國(guó)人會(huì)理解成橄欖球而不是足球。
* Be careful when expressing ideas about race, religion or other sensitive topics: The United States is a multi-cultural society. Especially in the last few years, Americans are trying very hard to be sensitive to other cultures and ideas. Talking about sensitive topics like religion or beliefs, is often avoided in order to be sure not to offend someone of a different belief system. This is often referred to as being "politically correct".
說(shuō)到種族、宗教或者其他敏感話題要小心:美國(guó)是一個(gè)多文化的社會(huì)。特別是近幾年,美國(guó)人對(duì)其他文化和觀點(diǎn)非常特別的敏感。像宗教或者信仰之類的敏感話題通常都不會(huì)在談話中提及,以免冒犯別人。這就是經(jīng)常被提到的“政治正確”。