英式英语的潜规则：太礼貌的英国人

Ever been told by a new neighbour ‘You must come for dinner’ then spent weeks waiting for a follow-up invitation that never arrives? 曾经遇到过新邻居对你说“你得过来吃个晚饭”，可几个礼拜后邀请迟迟不来？

Or been thrilled when the boss said he’d bear your ‘very interesting’ idea in mind and been surprised when it was never mentioned again. 或者是激动地听到上司说他会记住你“非常有趣”的想法，却惊讶他再也没提过这件事？

Then you’ve been victim of the uniquely British trait of being too prim and polite to say what we really mean. And if it can be baffling for us, imagine what it must be like for foreigners who take our every word at face value. 那你就是拥有独特特征的英式英语的受害者了，英式英语对于表达真实所想来说太过拘谨、礼貌了。其实对于英国人来说，想想外国人可能会把他们的每句话信以为真，也挺令人困扰的。

Now there’s help in the form of a translation table which has become a huge hit on the internet.
现在这里有一张在网上引起热议的翻译表，能对你有所帮助。

It reveals that when a British person begins a sentence ‘With the greatest respect...’, they’re really saying ‘I think you are an idiot.’ 表格揭露了当一个英国人用“怀着最高的敬意”为一句句子开头，他们实际想说的是“我认为你是一个白痴”。

‘I hear what you say’ means ‘I disagree and do not want to discuss it further’ while ‘That is a very brave proposal’ translates as ‘You are insane’. “我听到你说什么了” 代表“我不同意也不想继续讨论下去了”，“这是一个勇敢的提议”代表“你疯了”。

The table, which has been posted on numerous internet blogs, has received thousands of comments acknowledging that it’s spot on–from foreigners and Britons alike. 这张表格被放到许多博客中后，收到许多外国人和英国人本身的赞同，承认这极其正确。