【kaka礼节美语】169 面子问题，事关重大 1

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Jerry要去中国出差，找同事Amy请教。
Jerry: Hey Amy...your family is from China, right?
A:Yep. I was born and raised in Shanghai. Why do you ask?
J: Well, I hope you don't mind...but I'm planning a business trip to China soon and ---1---.
A: You mean like where to go for food or shopping?
J: That would be good, too. ---2---.
A: Ah...sure! I think I can help. Do you have a specific question?
Jerry准备去中国出差，希望Amy能给自己点建议give me some pointers. pointer is spelled p-o-i-n-t-e-r, pointer是指点，建议的意思。Amy从小在上海长大，看来Jerry算是找对人了。Jerry并不是想了解吃饭、购物的事，而是想知道在中国做生意的一些规矩。
J: Well, for starters, what do they mean by "saving face?"
A: "Saving face" is a catch-all term for the concept of honor. In China there is a protocol to everything and it should be followed, otherwise you and the other party might be embarrassed.
J: So in short...---3---?
A: Exactly. Say you're late to a meeting. This would cause you to lose face.
For starters, 首先，Jerry想知道什么是有面子，saving face. Amy解释说，saving face is a catch-all term for the concept of honor. 有面子包括了所有跟荣誉和颜面有关的问题。
这里所说的catch-all is spelled c-a-t-c-h, catch, a-l-l, all, catch-all，意思是全部包含、统统适用的。Amy说，中国人干什么都讲究规矩，protocol, p-r-o-t-o-c-o-l, protocol, 按规矩做事，大家都有面子，破坏了规矩，就会让人lose face，丢脸，比如说开会迟到。
J: How can you go about regaining your "face", or your honor?
A: ---4---. If you were late, you can repeatedly apologize and the other person will probably forgive you.
J: But I would need to apologize more times than I would if I was late here in America?
A: Yes. Make many apologies. The person will probably say it's not a big deal, ---5---, so make sure to say sorry if you make a mistake.
如何才能regain face挽回面子呢？Amy说，这要看你错误的严重程度。It depends on how serious the offense was. 如果开会迟到，你最好使劲道歉，请求对方原谅。对方可能嘴上会说，it's not a big deal，没什么大不了的，但事实上，他们心里可能非常在意，所以一定要再三道歉。I was wondering if you could give me some pointers
But I'm actually hoping you might give me some insights into doing business in China
saving face is about avoiding embarrassment
It depends on how serious the offense was
but in fact it could be a pretty big deal to them1. 你是否能给我点建议？
2. 事实上，我希望你能告诉我一些在中国做生意的规矩。
3. 有面子就是避免尴尬，是吗？
4. 这要看你错误的严重程度。
5. 但事实上，他们心里可能非常在意。
       
——译文来自: ausko