文档介绍：- Language and culture
Outline
Language and munication breakdown
A Fly in a Beer
If in the dinning hall, a fly was seen in a glass of beer,
An Englishman, “May I have another, please?”
A Frenchman, pour the beer out.
A Spanish man, put the money on the table and leave without a word.
A Fly in a Beer
A Japanese, summon the manager and criticize, “Do you do all your business like this?”
An Arab, give the beer to the waiter and say, “I’ll buy you a drink.”
An American, “Please serve the fly and beer separately. If the customer likes the fly, he could put it into his beer himself.”
Comment
The case above shows that social interactions may vary greatly owing to different cultural backgrounds. In this case, people’s different reactions reveal not only their individual personality but also the orientation of their nation’s mainstream culture, . the English’s seriousness, the French’s arrogance, the Spanish’s generosity, the Japanese’s critical approach, the Arab’s sarcasm and the American’s humor.
Li Hongzhang’s Embarrassment
Li Hongzhang, one of the top officials in the Qing Dynasty, was invited to visit the United States. He was warmly ed. One day, Li was hosting a banquet for the American officials in a popular restaurant. As the banquet started, according to the Chinese custom, Li stood up and said, “I am very happy to have all of you here today. Though these dishes are coarse and not delicious and good enough to show my respect for you, I hope you will enjoy them…”(今天承蒙各位光临,不胜荣幸。我们略备粗馔,聊表寸心,没有什么可口的东西,不成敬意,请大家多多包涵……)
The next day, the English version of his words was shown in the local newspaper. To his shock, the restaurant owner flew into rage. He thought it was an insult to his restaurant and insisted that Li should show him the evidence of which dish was not well-made and which dish was not delicious. Otherwise, Li intentionally damaged the reputation of the restaurant, and he should apologize. All the fuss made Li rather embarrassed.
Comment
What