英式英语的潜规则:太礼貌的英国人
Ever been told by a new neighbour ‘You must come for dinner’ then spent weeks waiting for a follow-up invitation that never arrives?
曾经遇到过新邻居对你说“你得过来吃个晚饭”，可几个礼拜后邀请迟迟不来？ 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.
或者是激动地听到上司说他会记住你“非常有趣”的想法，却惊讶他再也没提过这件事？
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.
那你就是拥有独特特征的英式英语的受害者了，英式英语对于表达真实所想来说太过拘谨、礼貌了。其实对于英国人来说，想想外国人可能会把他们的每句话信以为真，也挺令人困扰的。
Now there’s help in the form of a translation table which has become a huge hit on the internet.
现在这里有一张在网上引起热议的翻译表，能对你有所帮助。
WHAT THE BRITISH SAY
英国人说的
WHAT THE BRITISH MEAN
英国人实际表达的
WHAT OTHERS UNDERSTAND
别人所理解的
I hear what you say
我听到你说什么了
I disagree and do not want to discuss it further
我不同意也不想继续讨论下去了
He accepts my point of view
他接受了我的观点
With the greatest respect
怀着最高的敬意
You are an idiot
你是一个白痴
He is listening to me
他在听我说
That's not bad
那不算坏
That's good
不错
That's poor
那很差劲
That is a very brave proposal
这是一个非常勇敢的提议
You are insane
你疯了
He thinks I have courage
他认为我很有勇气
Quite good
真不错
A bit disappointing
有一点令人失望
Quite good
真不错
I would suggest
我认为
Do it or be prepared to justify yourself
按我认为的去做或者证明你的想法
Think about the idea, but do what you like
考虑他的说法，但按自己想的做
Oh, incidentally/by the way
哦，顺便提一下
The primary purpose of our discussion is
这次讨论的主要目的是
That is not very important
那并不是很重要
I was a bit disappointed that
我对此有点失望
I am annoyed that
我被惹恼了
It doesn't really matter
没关系
Very interesting
非常有趣
That is clearly nonsense
那简直是胡说八道
They are impressed
那令人印象深刻
I'll bear it in mind
我会记住的
I've forgotten it already
我已经忘了
They will probably do it
他们大概会这么做
I'm sure it's my fault
我确信这是我的错
It's your fault
这是你的错
Why do they think it was their fault?
为什么他们觉得是他们的错？
You must come for dinner
你得过来吃晚饭
It's not an invitation, I'm just being polite
这并不是一个邀请，我只是表示礼貌
I will get an invitation soon
我很快就会受到邀请
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
我只有一些次要意见
Please rewrite completely
请全部重写
He has found a few typos
他只找到了一些印刷错误
Could we consider some other options
我们能考虑下别的选择吗
I don't like your idea
我不喜欢你的主意
They have not yet decided
他们还没决定
It reveals that when a British person begins a sentence ‘With the greatest respect...’, they’re really saying ‘I think you are an idiot.’
表格揭露了当一个英国人用“怀着最高的敬意”为一句句子开头，他们实际想说的是“我认为你是一个白痴”。
‘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’.
“我听到你说什么了” 代表“我不同意也不想继续讨论下去了”，“这是一个勇敢的提议”代表“你疯了”。
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.
这张表格被放到许多博客中后，收到许多外国人和英国人本身的赞同，承认这极其正确。