Vacation days vs. sick days
By Li Xiaofen
Picture by Zhu Lijun

在您申请病假后, 正当的假期却因此被取消, 您有怎样的感受呢?文化的差异让东西方人持有截然不同的态度. 在日本, 越来越多的上班族为了表示对工作的忠实和热忱, 奉献了所有的时间和精力, 甚至用自己的假期换取病假. 然而, 在西方人的眼里, 两者却有着本质上的区别, 绝对不容混淆. 假期是权利和公平的象征, 包含更多个性化的东西, 岂能疏忽?

Three years ago, I worked as a research visitor at the National Museum of Ethnology ( the Graduate University for Advanced Studies) , Japan. Since my research subject was a comparative study of western and eastern cultures, I would take advantage of every opportunity to get in touch with every westerner who was available and ask about his or her feelings about their work or life in Japan. One day, one of my American friends, who was teaching English at a Japanese high school, told me that he would like to tell me something funny.

His story goes like this: One day, when he was inquiring about his vacation days, he was told by the school office that he had three less days than he thought he should have. He pressed a little further and found out that the previous winter, when he had the flu he asked for a sick leave and that the school used these "sick days" as "vacation days". The school would not reinstate the three days to him even though he tried hard to explain the difference between a "sick " day and a "vacation" day. He even got out his contract and showed them that in fact he had separate days for being sick and for being on vacation. After a lot of haggling(争论不休) on his part, he managed to get his three days back. He complained that he had learned that some of the Japanese people were workaholics but they should have known better than to confuse "vacation days" with "sick days".

Actually, every Japanese adult is well aware of the difference between a "sick" day and a "vacation" day. The key to the problem lies in cultural difference.

An individual in Japan is tightly and intricately(错综复杂) embedded into a complex social network of human relationships. Many Japanese employees are willing to relinquish(放弃) informally their vacation days in order to demonstrate their loyalty to their organization. If they actually become so ill that they cannot go to work, they would take a "vacation" day instead of a "sick" day in order to show how dedicated they were; otherwise, they would appear to be selfish in the eyes of their superiors and co-workers.

However, Americans are well known for their individualism, and the pursuit of self-interest is a key dimension of individualism. American people make a very clear and unmistakable distinction between a "vacation" day and a "sick" day. Being able to take every vacation day is something employees duly and fairly should have.

 

 

Crossword Puzzle
本栏目内容由 www.1cm.com.cn 提供



Across
5. Untamed rabbit.
6. Animal with big ears.
8. A country where George Bush lives.

Down
1. To obtain, to get (something).
2. To make clear.
3. Laziness.
4. Opportunity.
7. A sense of one's own proper dignity or value.
9. Flawless.

The following people have won free movie tickets: 林哲,许菁菁,申小梅,吴晓晖,马桂芳,何玉玲,叶志远,陈瑜君,陈从华,陈忠永. Please go to the Jinying Cinema (世贸金鹰影院) within two weeks. 欲知上期答案, 请登录www.common-talk.com.

 

 

鸡同鸭讲
By Cathy

人们都说中华语言博大精深, 其中的奥妙常常搞得老外焦头烂额. 但是中国人要搞明白英文中的小细节, 也是颇费周章. 当一个个蝌蚪字母遭遇方块文字中的乾坤, 两种截然不同的语言和文化就在撞击中, 闪现许多让人忍俊不禁的"美丽错误". 如果你也碰到这种"cross cultural humor", 无论是搞笑还是新奇, 快快发邮件给我们, 让大家一起分享吧!

郊游时, 一位同学建议外教休息一会, "Sir, please stop to have some snacks." 外教闻言大惊失色. 这位仁兄怎么也想不明白自己哪里做错了. 再见到外教, 才知道自己混淆发音, 把snack(零食, 小点心)说成了snake(蛇). 要是你, 你能不跑吗?

一次听力测验, 某同学的听力试卷出现了一点问题. 他着急地对外教说:"Please give me another sheet.(请再给我一张考卷. )"外教很诧异地看着他, 却迟迟没有给他. 这个同学更急了, 又大声重复了一遍. 外教的脸色愈加难看, 生气地说:"Where can I get the shit?"(sheet 和shit听起来差不多, 意思却相差十万八千里啊. )

口语课上, 老师教学生如何用地道的口语表达自己的想法. 当你想说对方很了解你的时候, 可以说"You are my man". 于是, 一位老兄为了学以致用, 在一次交谈中, 对一个金发MM说:"You are my woman."那位MM大惊失色, 逃之夭夭. 这位老兄怎么也想不通, 对方是个女的, 当然要把man换成woman了. (发挥创造力也要搞清楚状况嘛. )

 

 

Hot Word
Collected by Jianjiang

● do-or-die
China's Dutch-born head coach Arie Hann is ready to take whatever consequence at the eve of the team's do-or-die World Cup qualifying battle against Hong Kong of China.
2001年出线的欢呼还犹在耳畔, 今年国足已梦断天河球场. 在对香港的生死一战前, 哈恩就已表示愿接受一切可能结果.
do-or-die, 孤注一掷的、生死关头的. 背水一战的残酷体现得淋漓尽致. The force faces a do-or-die clash against the enemy.

● innermost
Ms. Rice is a trusted member of President Bush's innermost circle-some describe her as almost family.
刚过不惑之年的赖斯迎来了她个人事业的顶峰, 被提名为美国国务卿. 这位布什的核心幕僚, 被人们称为"忠诚的武士公主".
innermost, 最里面的、内心的. innermost feelings, 内心深处的情感.



● commoner
Under the Imperial Household Law, Sayako will become a commoner once she is married.
纪宫公主寻觅多年, 终于找到生命真爱, 即将与一位普通公务员结为连理. 按照日本皇室规定, 嫁入寻常百姓家的公主也将变为一个平民.
commoner, 平民. 另一个常用来表示"老百姓"词是ordinary folk.

● go bust
In the US, a number of airlines have gone bust while others are struggling to survive in an ever more competitive market place.
近年来美国人体重不断增加, 航空公司为此额外支出大量燃料费用. 目前不少航空公司已宣告破产, 其余的也在激烈的市场竞争中苦苦挣扎.
go bust, 破产. 此外, 在口语里它还有"失败"的意思.

● dump
Olympic medal winners and lovers, Tian Liang and Guo Jingjing, have been dumped from China's special diving training team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
"亮晶晶"最近可真是火. 传闻由于商业活动太多, 他们的身影没有出现在面向2008年的国家队中, 而是被"贬"回各自的地方队.
dump, 抛弃. 甩了别人或被人甩了也可以用这个词.

 

 

Cartoon English
By Bo & Bob

Daily English
Collected by the Chefw

衣食住行,学英语要从身边的小事开始.本栏目将带给您最实用的日常口语.

Keep someone waiting 请稍等

●Hold on for a second. 等一下.
●Just one moment, I'll be right back. 就一会儿, 我马上回来.
●Please wait for a while. 请等一会儿.
●I am busy right now. Please hold on. 我正忙着, 请等一会儿.
●Please hold it for a minute. I'll see you in a bit. 请等一会儿, 我马上就来见你.
●Could you wait here for a while? 您能在这儿等一会儿吗?

 

 

Tongue Twister
Colleted by Cathy

An oyster met an oyster,
And there were oysters two.
Two oysters met two oysters,
And they were oysters too.
Four oysters met a pint of milk,
And they were oyster stew.

大意:一只牡蛎遇见另一只牡蛎是两只牡蛎. 两只牡蛎又遇见两只牡蛎, 他们还是牡蛎. 四只牡蛎遇见一品脱牛奶, 就是(美国英语)牛奶炖牡蛎.

 

 

与动物"对话"
Collected by Suky

有人说世界语之所以无疾而终, 就是因为没有文化的厚实基础, 言之无文, 行而不远. 也正是丰富的谚语使我们的语言如此美丽. 英语中同样有许多与动物有关的谚语, 让我们一起来看看.

1. Fish
(1) The best fish swims near the bottom. 好鱼常在水底游. 有点"好料沉底"的意思.
(2) Never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要教鱼怎么游泳. 就像你想教想教一个英语高手abc一样, 别人就会说不要班门弄斧啦.
(3) If water is noisy, there are no fish in it.咆哮的水中无鱼(夸夸其谈者无真才实学). 中文有:水至清则无鱼. 而这句"咆哮的水中无鱼"也是一个很好的补充.
(4) Go to the sea, if you would fish well. 不入虎穴, 焉得虎子.
(5) It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait. 智者不上两次当.

2. Hare
(1) You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. 不能既和野兔一起跑又和猎狗一起追. (人不应两面讨好. )
(2) The tortoise wins the race while the hare is sleeping. 兔子睡懒觉, 乌龟跑赢了.
龟兔赛跑的故事居然进入了英语的谚语之中, 可见《伊索寓言》对英语文化的深远影响.

3. Mouse
(1) It is a poor mouse that has only one hole. 狡兔三窟.
(2) The mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken. 只有一个洞的老鼠, 很快就被抓住.
第二句似乎是第一句的解释, 适合比较啰嗦的人进一步补充.
(3) A speck of mouse dung will spoil a whole pot of porridge. 一粒老鼠屎, 坏了一锅粥. 这句是大家比较熟悉的.
中西文化好像对老鼠都没有好感.

 

 

Guessing Game
Collected by Zhang Han

1. What month do soldiers hate?
2. How many feet are there in a yard?
3. What kind of dog doesn't bite or bark?
4. What is the smallest room in the world?
5. What kind of water should people drink in order to be healthy?

答案及分析请关注下期报纸. 参与者将有机会获得联合国儿童基金会精美明信片一张.

上期答案
1. There are vacant seats on the bus.
2. All of them!
3. Any animal. A house cannot jump.
4. A liar!
5. Finding half a maggot in an apple.