英式英語的潛規則：太禮貌的英國人

Ever been told by a new neighbour ‘You must come for dinner’ then spent weeks waiting for a follow-up invitation that never arrives? 曾經遇到過新鄰居對你說“你得過來吃個晚飯”，可幾個禮拜後邀請遲遲不來？

Or been thrilled when the boss said he’d bear your ‘very interesting’ idea in mind and been surprised when it was never mentioned again. 或者是激動地聽到上司說他會記住你“非常有趣”的想法，卻驚訝他再也沒提過這件事？

Then you’ve been victim of the uniquely British trait of being too prim and polite to say what we really mean. And if it can be baffling for us, imagine what it must be like for foreigners who take our every word at face value. 那你就是擁有獨特特徵的英式英語的受害者了，英式英語對於表達真實所想來說太過拘謹、禮貌了。其實對於英國人來說，想想外國人可能會把他們的每句話信以爲真，也挺令人困擾的。

Now there’s help in the form of a translation table which has become a huge hit on the internet.
現在這裏有一張在網上引起熱議的翻譯表，能對你有所幫助。

WHAT THE BRITISH SAY 英國人說的
WHAT THE BRITISH MEAN 英國人實際表達的

WHAT OTHERS UNDERSTAND 別人所理解的

I hear what you say 我聽到你說什麼了 I disagree and do not want to discuss it further 我不同意也不想繼續討論下去了 He accepts my point of view 他接受了我的觀點 With the greatest respect 懷着最高的敬意 You are an idiot 你是一個白癡 He is listening to me 他在聽我說 That's not bad 那不算壞 That's good 不錯 That's poor 那很差勁 That is a very brave proposal 這是一個非常勇敢的提議 You are insane 你瘋了 He thinks I have courage 他認爲我很有勇氣 Quite good 真不錯 A bit disappointing 有一點令人失望 Quite good 真不錯 I would suggest 我認爲 Do it or be prepared to justify yourself 按我認爲的去做或者證明你的想法 Think about the idea, but do what you like 考慮他的說法，但按自己想的做 Oh, incidentally/by the way 哦，順便提一下 The primary purpose of our discussion is 這次討論的主要目的是 That is not very important 那並不是很重要 I was a bit disappointed that 我對此有點失望 I am annoyed that 我被惹惱了 It doesn't really matter 沒關係 Very interesting 非常有趣 That is clearly nonsense 那簡直是胡說八道 They are impressed 那令人印象深刻 I'll bear it in mind 我會記住的 I've forgotten it already 我已經忘了 They will probably do it 他們大概會這麼做 I'm sure it's my fault 我確信這是我的錯 It's your fault 這是你的錯 Why do they think it was their fault? 爲什麼他們覺得是他們的錯？ You must come for dinner 你得過來吃晚飯 It's not an invitation, I'm just being polite 這並不是一個邀請，我只是表示禮貌 I will get an invitation soon 我很快就會受到邀請 I almost agree 我差不多同意了 I don't agree at all 我根本不同意 He's not far from agreement 他差不多同意了 I only have a few minor comments 我只有一些次要意見 Please rewrite completely 請全部重寫 He has found a few typos 他只找到了一些印刷錯誤 Could we consider some other options 我們能考慮下別的選擇嗎 I don't like your idea 我不喜歡你的主意 They have not yet decided 他們還沒決定

It reveals that when a British person begins a sentence ‘With the greatest respect...’, they’re really saying ‘I think you are an idiot.’ 表格揭露了當一個英國人用“懷着最高的敬意”爲一句句子開頭，他們實際想說的是“我認爲你是一個白癡”。

‘I hear what you say’ means ‘I disagree and do not want to discuss it further’ while ‘That is a very brave proposal’ translates as ‘You are insane’. “我聽到你說什麼了” 代表“我不同意也不想繼續討論下去了”，“這是一個勇敢的提議”代表“你瘋了”。

The table, which has been posted on numerous internet blogs, has received thousands of comments acknowledging that it’s spot on–from foreigners and Britons alike. 這張表格被放到許多博客中後，收到許多外國人和英國人本身的贊同，承認這極其正確。