楊春吉
眾所周知,手勢語與人們的日常生活息息相關(guān),但是,你知道嗎?有時(shí),同樣的手勢在不同的國家或地區(qū)含義迥然不同。因此,“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.(入鄉(xiāng)隨俗。)”仍然是我們應(yīng)該恪守的重要規(guī)則,否則你會(huì)感到很尷尬的。
一、Gesture1 OK OK手勢
In most cultures, the OK sign means “good” or “satisfactory2”, but in Spain, parts of South America and Eastern Europe, it is commonly considered to be “rude”. If you go shopping in Japan,
showing this gesture means youd like your change in coins but not bills. In France and Belgium, making the OK sign means you think something is useless.
在大多數(shù)國家,OK手勢的意思是“不錯(cuò)、令人滿意”,但是在西班牙、南美洲的部分地區(qū)以及歐洲東部,通常OK手勢的意思是“粗魯”。如果你在日本購物付款時(shí)用了該手勢,說明你愿意接受硬幣找零而不是紙幣找零。在法國和比利時(shí),這個(gè)手勢說明你認(rèn)為某物一文不值。
二、Thumbs up豎大拇指
The basic meaning of this gesture is“praising somebody for doing something well”. In the United States, sometimes hitchhikers3 can also use it. However, in Greece, Russia, the Sardinia in Italy and some countries and regions of West Africa, this gesture contains“Get out!”. So be careful with this gesture!
該手勢的基本含義是“夸贊某人某事干得漂亮”。在美國,游客搭便車時(shí)也可以用這個(gè)手勢。但是,在希臘、俄羅斯、意大利的撒丁島以及非洲西部的一些國家和地區(qū),該手勢卻含有“滾開”的意思,那可得小心使用??!
三、Come over 過來
If you go to Philippines, no matter what you do, do not use the repeated hooking4 finger movements “to call someone here!”, unless you want to be arrested5. Believed it or not, in Philippines,the gesture is often used to call a dog. If it is used on person, perhaps you will be put in prison.
如果你去菲律賓,不管你做什么,都不要用反復(fù)勾食指的動(dòng)作叫某人“到這兒來!”,除非你想被逮捕。信不信由你,在菲律賓,該手勢是常用來招呼狗的,若用在人身上,你就可能有牢獄之災(zāi)。
四、Gesture“V” “V”手勢
The gesture commonly means “victory6 and peace”. Sometimes it means “two”. But in Aus-
tralia, New Zealand and Ireland, this means equally7 saying dirty words to others.
該手勢的常用含義是“勝利與和平”,有時(shí)也可表示數(shù)目“二”的意思。但是在澳大利亞、新西蘭或愛爾蘭,這手勢無異于說臟話罵人。
五、Vertical8 palm halt9 豎手掌叫停
In Greece, the gesture doesnt mean calling a car or letting someone stop. However, it means “You drop dead!” This is too weird10?!
在希臘,這個(gè)手勢可不是叫車或人停下,而是意味著“你去死吧!”這也太離奇了吧?!
六、Be quiet 大家安靜
In most cultures, people usually use “extending11 your hands, palms down, separating five
fingers” gesture to let other people or other person wait for a moment. But in Greece, its meaning is “Eat shit”. Isnt it unbelievable12?!
在大多數(shù)國家,人們通常用“雙手伸開、掌心向下、五指分開”的手勢讓其他人或別人稍等片刻,但是在希臘,它的意思卻是“吃屎”。這也太難以置信了吧?!
七、Nod 點(diǎn)頭
“Nodding” sign often means “agree with” or “understand”. But among the Malaysian Indians this is clearly a “NO” sign. They often show they agree with something by shaking their heads from
side to side.
“點(diǎn)頭”姿勢通常表示“贊同”或“明白”,但是在馬來西亞的印第安人中,這個(gè)姿勢卻表示“不”的意思。他們通常用頭左右擺動(dòng)的姿勢表示贊同。endprint