An American woman living in Wisconsin volunteered to tutor1 English to a Japanese woman who had moved into the same community. “Before each lesson, and on each and every visit,” the American reported, “the Japanese lady brought me a gift — a book, some paper sculpture, flowers, or candy. It was embarrassing.”
一位居住在威斯康星州的美国女士自告奋勇辅导刚搬进同一社区的一位日本女士学习英语。她指出：“那位日本妇女每次上课、每次拜访都带礼物给我，一本书、纸刻品、花或是糖果，真令我尴尬。”
Unknowingly, this American was experiencing a vestige of protocol rooted centuries deep in the Japanese culture.
这位美国女士不知不觉领教了日本几百年来根深蒂固的文化传统。
In America, lavish2, extravagant3 gifts are definitely out. An appropriate alternate to a gift is to take the deserving person to dinner, or to an entertainment or sporting event. On the contrary, gift giving is an institution and a revered custom in Japan. According to Business Tokyo magazine, among the Japanese “gift giving is a necessity, not merely a nicety as in the West.” In Japan the proper gift is thought to express the giver’s true friendship, gratitude, and respect far better than words can. So if you plan to visit Japan or to have Japanese visit you here, be prepared.
在美国，赠送贵重的礼物是行不通的，比较合适的礼物是带上你要感谢的朋友去赴宴或参加娱乐体育活动。与之相反的是，在日本送礼是一种制度，一个优良惯例。据《东京商业杂志》所言，“日本人送礼至关重要，而不像西方仅把它当作一件不起眼的事。”在日本，恰当的礼物意为表达送礼之人诚挚的难以言表的友好、感激及尊重之情，所以如果你准备前往日本或有日本朋友前来拜访，一定要做好准备。
So you know gift giving plays a very important role in nowadays society. Now let’s see what’s happened in other countries.
你看，当今社会，送礼发挥着重要作用。现在我们来看看其他国家的情况。
|
相关链接
发表评论