Complimenting Brits 称赞英国人
Li: 大家好，我是杨莉。欢迎收听英国问答。这档节目专门用来回答听众朋友提出的有关英国文化习俗的疑问。今天的问题来自深圳的Jessica. Jessica 把她的mp3 录音通过电邮发到了我们的邮箱chinaelt@bbc.co.uk 希望大家都来这样做，以便我们能在节目中听到你的声音。好，现在我们一起来听听Jessica 的录音吧:
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Hello, this is Jessica from Shenzhen China. I like this programme very much. Would you please give me some idea about how UK people to praise people for their looking or figure? Is it common to say some guy handsome, as like saying you are a handsome guy or pretty or beautiful for a girl? Thanks a lot. Jessica
Li: 听上去Jessica 想了解英国人有没有称赞一个人外表的习惯，如果回答是肯定的，那么，在赞许和夸奖别人时又该如何表达呢？现在我请我的同事William Kremer 为大家做一次演示，看看被称赞的人如何反应。环顾四周，谁最抓William 的眼球呢？ I wonder who will catch his eye?
William: So I’m joined now by my colleague Michelle. Hello Michelle.
Michelle: Hello Will.
William: And Michelle, I’ve got something to say to you. I just wanted to say, I don’t know if anyone has told you this recently but, you’re a very good-looking person. You’re a beautiful girl.
Michelle: Well, I do try. I did blow-dry my hair especially for you today, actually.
William: Thanks Michelle. Now the reason I’m telling you this now is that we have an email from Jessica in China, who says, “Is it common to say that some guy’s handsome, like for example saying you’re a handsome guy or pretty or beautiful for a girl?” Would we normally sort of say to people, you know, you’re a good-looking girl, you’re a good-looking guy, you’re a pretty girl?
Michelle: Erm, I probably wouldn’t actually, because I think some people, especially in Britain anyway, feel quite uncomfortable when you make comments like that, really, like I did when you made that comment!
William: So you felt uncomfortable.
Michelle: Yeah. I think people in Britain sometimes find it hard to take compliments. And also it’s kind of as if you’re trying to flirt with them and I just think there are more subtle and better ways to do it.
Li: Michelle 说，她对赞赏感到不太舒服uncomfortable. 她还说，有时英国人found it hard to take compliments 对赞誉和表扬感到难以接受。
Michelle: I think some people, especially in Britain anyway, feel quite uncomfortable when you make comments like that, really, like I did when you made that comment!
William: So you felt uncomfortable.
Michelle: Yeah. I think people in Britain sometimes find it hard to take compliments.
Li: People in Britain sometimes find it hard to take compliments. 这到底是为什么呢? 为什么听到别人的称赞会让英国人感到不舒服uncomfortable?原因之一可能是英国人不太习惯主动去称赞别人，因此接受称赞也就困难了。下面William 就此话题和中国组的同事Finn 进行了探讨。
William: Do you think that British people actually like giving and receiving compliments?
Finn: I think British people do give them but quite rarely, so when you do get a compliment from a British person, perhaps it’s quite valuable, maybe it means more than from another culture where compliments are perhaps given more freely.
Li: 在英国人们很少去称赞别人，所以获得称赞时就非常宝贵了valuable.
Finn: I think British people do give them but quite rarely, so when you do get a compliment from a British person, perhaps it’s quite valuable, maybe it means more than from another culture where compliments are perhaps given more freely.
Li: Maybe it means more than from another culture where compliments are perhaps given more freely. 物以稀为贵嘛，也许在英国赞美的话更为珍贵吧。真心实意地称赞会被珍视的，不过如果仅仅是对一个人的外表进行夸奖，恐怕就会让人很不舒服了!经过一番探讨，我们了解了英国人对赞美之辞的看法，具体说就是，最好不要称赞一名女子多么漂亮或夸奖一名男子多么英俊，这会让对方感到尴尬，不过有什么方法让对方容易接受赞美呢？
Finn: For me, personally, if I notice that one of my colleagues or friends has a new item of clothing or a new haircut I generally like to comment on it. Even if I don’t think it looks great I think it’s important to give that person a little boost and say “Oh you look great today, that’s a really nice haircut, it suits your face”, that kind of thing. Although Will, I’ve noticed yourself, your facial hair has changed and it makes you look really young and perhaps even taller.
William: Thanks Finn. I don’t need to be any taller than I am. I’m already quite tall enough! But I notice that you’re complimenting people on their haircut and on how they’re dressing, but you’re not saying “You’re a handsome guy” or “You’re a beautiful girl”.
Finn: I wouldn’t naturally walk up to a guy and say “You’re handsome”, unless I had a good reason to. I don’t know what that would be.
Li: Finn 说，他喜欢称赞一个人的新发型或新款服装以便给对方提升一下自信a little boost 提升自信心。
Finn: I think it’s important to give that person a little boost and say “Oh you look great today, that’s a really nice haircut, it suits your face”, that kind of thing.
Li: You look great today; that’s a really nice haircut. 现在我们把话说回来，如果是好朋友的话，那情况就会不同了。柯•威廉向Michelle 提出了一个问题。问他，如果看到女友穿上一件漂亮的连衣裙准备晚上出去玩的时候， Michelle会怎们对这位女友说呢？
William: What would you say to her?
Michelle: I’d probably say, “You look gorgeous” or “You look stunning” or you know, “You look like an absolute babe tonight” or something like that. So I think to compliment your friends is definitely quite normal; in fact, I do it quite often.
Li: 大家听清了吗？ Michelle 说了什么？我们再来听一遍。
Michelle: I’d probably say “You look gorgeous” or “You look stunning” or you know, “You look like an absolute babe tonight”.
Li: You look gorgeous! 好了，今天我们探讨了一个非常有意思的问题，再次感谢Jessica. 最后我想提醒听众朋友随时有问题随时给我们发电子邮件，能录音就更好了，我们的邮箱是chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. 希望早日收到你的问题。Bye bye!
词汇学习：
1. uncomfortable 不舒服
2. to flirt with someone 和某人打情骂俏
3. to take compliments 接收表扬，夸奖
4. valuable 宝贵的
5. a little boost 一点点（自信心的）提升
6. you look gorgeous 有看上去漂亮极了
7. you look stunning 你看上去振人的漂亮
8. an absolute babe 绝对可爱诱人