跨文化交际英语思考题目(2)

I look forward to hearing from you.

Questions

1) What do you think of the two letters above? What do they have in common

though they are written in different languages?

2) When you are making a request in English, will you do it in the Chinese way or

not?

2. Guess the meanings of the following statements originally intending to convey.

A. Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such a thing is please not to read notice. (from a Tokyo hotel)

B. The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable. (In a Bucharest hotel lobby)

C. The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid. (In a Yugoslavian hotel)

D. Our wines leave you nothing to hope for. (On the menu of a Swiss restaurant) E. Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation. (In a Rhodes tailor shop)

F. It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man. (In a Bangkok temple)

G. Ladies are requested not to have children at the bar. (In a Norwegian cocktail lounge)

H. We take your bags and send them in all directions. (In a Copenhagen airline office)

I. It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose. (A sign posted in a German park) J. Specialist in Women and Other Diseases. (A sign outside a doctor’s office in Rome)

K. Take care of the steps. (A sign in a scenic spot in China) 3. What improvement will you make on the above mistranslations?

4. Have you ever found some similar cases of mistranslation in our life? If you have, what are they?

Part Three Comparing Cultural Patterns

一、讨论题

1. We know that there are quite a few questions that you are not supposed to ask in

the United States and some other western countries. It is considered impolite to

5