人行道上的礼仪：你是“让路党”吗？

Two people are walking towards each other along a narrow pavement – who gives way?
两个人沿着一条狭窄的人行道相向而行，谁给谁让路？

If it is you, you fall into the 25 percent of people who prefer to step aside.
如果是你让路，你就归入了25%喜欢站到一边让路的人群。

Another 25 percent like to pass first, making the other person stand to one side.
还有25%的人喜欢先通过，让对方站在一边让路。

The remaining 50 percent make up the third type of pedestrian and vary their strategy.
其余50%归入第三种类型的行人，他们会改变策略。

The findings come from study in which researchers from the Technical University of Munich paired up 20 strangers and asked them to walk towards each other without colliding and without speaking.
这项研究结果来自慕尼黑工业大学，研究人员将20个陌生人进行配对，要求他们在不发生碰撞也不说话的情况下向对方走去。

The volunteers also filled in personality questionnaires and were measured and weighed.
研究志愿者还填写了性格问卷，并测量了身高和体重。

Interestingly, physical factors such as age, height and gender seemed to have no bearing on pavement etiquette.
有趣的是，年龄、身高和性别等自然因素似乎与人行道上的礼仪没什么关系。

Nor did traits such as extraversion or shyness, the Journal of Experimental Psychology reports.
《实验心理学》杂志报道称，这与外向或害羞等性格特点也没有关系。

In other words, some of us seem to be simply born to barge past.
换言之，我们中的一些人似乎只是天生喜欢横冲直撞地先过去。

A second experiment revealed that the person who passes first isn’t as rude as they may initially appear.
另一项实验显示，先通过的人并不像他们最初表现的那样粗鲁。

It seems they do tend to adjust their path – just not enough to avoid a collision.
他们似乎倾向于调整自己的路线——只是不足以避免碰撞。

As a result, it is only when the second person moves out of the way that the problem is solved.
因此，只有当另一个人让路时问题才能解决。

Etiquette expert William Hanson said that the custom of men walking on the outside of the pavement to protect women from traffic, splashes and other dangers has fallen by the wayside.
礼仪专家威廉•汉森说，男人走在人行道外侧保护女性远离车辆、溅湿等危险的传统做法已经被抛到一边。

Mr Hanson said: ‘Traditionally, men let the woman they were accompanying walk closest to the building, away from the pavement edge.
汉森先生说：“传统上，男性让同行的女性走靠近建筑的一边，远离人行道的边缘。

How to avoid that awkward 'pavement dance'
如何避免“让路却让向同一侧”的尴尬？

The German study doesn’t address what to do in the common but embarrassing situation, in which both pedestrians repeatedly dodge out of each other’s way in the same direction, giving the impression of dancing together on the pavement.
两位行人互相让路，但反复让向同一侧，看上去就好像在人行道上一起跳舞，这种现象常见又尴尬。这项德国研究并未提及这时应该怎么做。

But Mr Hanson said: ‘I tend to pick a side of the pavement, stick to it, and politely gesture to the empty space for the stranger to use.’
但汉森先生说：“我总是选定人行道的一边，不换方向，礼貌地作出手势，让对方从另一侧通行。“

THREE TYPES OF PEDESTRIAN
三种行人类型

Bumbler - Most people fall into this category. Scientists found 50 percent can't make up their mind, and vary their strategy when walking in crowds.
跌跌撞撞者——大部分人属于这一类。科学家们发现50%的人拿不定主意，在人群中行走时会改变策略。

Barger - Around 25 percent of people like to pass first, making the other person stand to one side. The person who passes first isn’t as rude as they may initially appear.
横冲直撞者—— 25%左右的人喜欢先过去，让其他人站到一边。先走过去的人并不像他们最初看起来那么粗鲁。

It seems they do tend to adjust their path – just not enough to avoid a collision.
他们似乎倾向于调整自己的路线——只是不足以避免碰撞。

Polite- Another 25 percent prefer to step aside. Interestingly, physical factors such as age, height and gender seemed to have no bearing on pavement etiquette.
有礼貌——另外25%的人倾向于站到一边让路。有趣的是，年龄、身高和性别等自然因素似乎与人行道上的礼仪没什么关系。

Vocabulary

fall by the wayside：半途而废，中途退出