跨文化交际英文案例

Case 20 The Privacy of Price

After living in the States for some time, Ping Li observed that Americans

like to comment on each other’s looks and clothes. So when she saw a fellow graduate student wearing a nice dress at a party, she complimented her by saying. “This is a very beautiful dress.” “Oh thank you , I bought it last year before Christmas ,” the student very pleased. “How much was it?” Ping Li asked.

“Well I don’t quite remember,” the student seemed unprepared for the question, and answered a little hesitatingly.

Case 21 The Privacy of the Person

Zou Qing and Nancy became friends after they met in a course they both took．Nancy had had gray hair much earlier than people of the same age，and had been dyeing her hair for several years.

While they were having a break one day in between two classes, and Zou Qing noticed that Nancy had some invisible gray hair on her. She told her so, but Nancy changed the topic right away.

When everyone else left，Nancy said to Zou Qing，“Please don’t mention my gray hair while there were men around.” Case 22 Unacceptable Curiosity

Mr and Mrs Peterson came to China with a tour group. One evening, they decided to take a walk outside their hotel. They soon noticed that quite a few people stared at them. One man even quickly walked past them and then turned back to look at them several times. Both Mr and Mrs Peterson felt

uncomfortable about the staring and went back to the hotel sooner than they had planned.

Case 23 Confusion in Communicating Love

Le, a Chinese woman, and Bill, an American man, were very much in love. Their relationship started with their shared interest in photography. As time went on, however, Le became dependent on Bill whenever she wanted to take a picture, because she felt that Bill was a much better photographer than she was. Whenever she noticed a scene that would make a good image, she would ask Bill to take the picture for her.

Bill was not very pleased but did not say anything for a while. However, Le soon got to a point where she began to ask Bill to load and unload the film. Bill decided that it was too much for him to bear. He exploded, “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you know how to load and unload a film? Can’t you take a picture any more?”

Le was so shocked that she burst into tears. “I ask you to do things only because you do it better than me. What’s wrong with that?” Case24 Unwanted Attention

Teresa is a Chinese American teaching English temporarily at a Chinese university. She is very easy going, and soon the students got to know her well enough to invite her out regularly.

Crossing the very busy and wide streets in the city was a scary experience for Teresa, and she complained of it repeatedly. As a result, the female students began to try to help her by taking her hand or grasping her arm while the male students seemed to be shy about protecting her.

Teresa was uncomfortable with her female students touching her, and told the women they did not need to do it. Her female students thought she was being

polite and continued to take care of her the same way. Teresa became so uncomfortable that she tried to move away from her female students whenever they had to cross the road.

Case 25 Holding Hands

Chris was a visiting professor in China. On one day, one of his students, Sun Hui, showed him around the city. Sun Hui soon noticed that Chris was interested in taking pictures of men that were walking arm-in-arm or touching each other when they talked.

“ I don’t see anything special about those men,” Sun Hui said curiously. “ Well, we don’t see much of that in men in the States,” Chris said, “ They’re

gay, aren’t they?”

Case 26 Friendship Misunderstood

Yan Hong was a Chinese painter who immigrated to the United States. She met Jenny, an American physician in a club one day. They soon became friends, and sometimes went out for coffee and lunch together.

One day, Jenny gave Yan Hong a very beautiful vase. Yan Hong loved the vase very much, and felt she should give Jenny something in return. So she gave Jenny a painting she brought from China. Jenny was very pleased. A few days later, Jenny invited Yan Hong to her home for the first time. They made dinner together and enjoyed the meal a lot. Then they sat down to watch TV. When Jenny tentatively held Yan Hong’s hand, Yan Hong was not aware of anything unusual. However, when Jenny sat closer to her and kissed her, Yan Hong was terrified. She pushed Jenny away and cried, “ I’m not a lesbian!”

Jenny was in shock, and asked accusingly, “ Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Case 27 Learning about Flirting

Chen Qing was a visiting scholar in an American university. He had made some friends with professors and students there. One day he went to a party where the atmosphere became less and less inhibited. Chen Qing noticed that men and women touched each other a lot more than he was used to. At the end of the party, most people hugged each other good-bye. One woman came to hug Chen Qing, but he stiffened as she attempted to give him a hug. He had never hugged any women except his wife in his life. Other women noticed this, and no one else tried to hug him.

However, Chen Qing felt left out when people hugged each other but not him. He found himself in a very awkward situation: he didn’t want to be hugged, neither did he want to be left out. He did not know what he wanted or how to resolve his conflicting emotions.

Case28 Lost in Love

Li Ying fell in love with an American man in her second year in the United States. They spent a lot of time together. After they had been to all the places of interest in the city, they had to decide where to go or what to do for the next date. John typically would ask Li Ying, “ What do you want to do today?” , or “ Where shall we go?” Li Ying would sometimes tell what she wanted, but more often than not, she would say “It’s up to you”, or “ Whatever you want to do”, or “ Wherever you want to go.”

John frowned at such responses several times until one day when Li Ying said “ up to you” again. “For God’s sake, tell me what you want to do!” He cried out loud.

Li Ying was shocked at his reaction. “ Isn’t it clear to you? I’ll do what you want to do.”

“ No, it isn’t clear at all. I want to know what you want to do!” John was almost angry. “ Don’t you realize that sometimes I want to do what you want to do, too?”

Case 29 Lovers Become Strangers

Xiao Xin and Peter are newly-weds. Though they spent a lot of time with each other before getting married, they never really lived together. Not surprisingly, their marriage was followed by a series of minor problems while they tried to adjust to each other’s ways of life. One difficult issue came up about two months after their new life, when Peter came home from work looking unhappy.

“ What happened?” Xiao Xin asked.

“Nothing much, I’m just very tired,” Peter said. “I can tell that it’s more than that.”

Peter gave Xiao Xin a quiet look, went into the bedroom, and threw himself to bed.

Xiao Xin followed him in. “Don’t you want to talk about it?” “No, I don’t.”

“Perhaps I can help?” Xiao Xin suggested.

“ Xiao Xin, sometimes you just have to give me some space. All I need now is some privacy!” Peter yelled.