Unit 2 Communication Problems新编大学英语第二版第二册课文翻译

1、Unit2CommunicationProblemsSpeaking Different LanguagesJohn Gray1 When Martians and Venusians first got together, they encountered many of the problems with relationships we have today. Because they recognized that they were different, they were able to solve these problems. One of the secrets of the

2、ir success was good communication. 2 Ironically, they communicated well because they spoke different languages. When they had problems, they would just go to a translator for assistance. Everyone knew that people from Mars and people from Venus spoke different languages, so when there was a conflict

3、 they didnt start judging or fighting but instead pulled out their phrase dictionaries to understand each other more fully. If that didnt work they went to a translator for help. 3 You see, the Martian and Venusian languages had the same words but different meanings depending on the way they were us

4、ed. Their expressions were similar, but they had different connotations or emotional emphasis. Misinterpreting each other was very easy. So when communication problems emerged, they assumed it was just one of those expected misunderstandings and that with a little assistance they would surely unders

5、tand each other. They experienced a trust and acceptance that we rarely experience today. 4 Even today we still need translators. Men and women seldom mean the same things even when they use the same words. For example, when a woman says, “I feel like you never listen,” she does not expect the word

6、“never” to be taken literally. Using the word “never” is just a way of expressing the frustration she is feeling at the moment. It is not to be taken as if it were factual information. 5 To fully express their feelings, women would tend to exaggerate the facts a little bit for effect and use various

7、 superlatives, metaphors, and generalizations. Men mistakenly take these expressions literally. Because they misunderstand the intended meaning, they commonly react in an unsupportive manner. In the following chart ten complaints easily misinterpreted are listed, as well as how a man might respond u

8、nsupportively. Ten Common Complaints That Are Easily Misinterpreted Women say things like this: Men respond like this:“We never go out.” “Thats not true. We went out last week.” “Everyone ignores me.” “Im sure some people notice you.” “I am so tired, I cant do anything.” “If you dont like your job,

9、then quit.” “I want to forget everything.” “I dont think theres anything to forget.” “The house is always a mess.” “Its not always a mess.” “No one listens to me anymore.” “But Im listening to you right now.” “Nothing is working.” “Are you saying it is my fault?” “You dont love me anymore.” “Of cour

10、se I do. Thats why Im here.” “We are always in a hurry.” “We are not. Friday we were relaxed.” “I want more romance.” “Are you saying I am not romantic?” 6 You can see how a “literal” translation of a womans words could easily mislead a man who is used to using speech as a means of conveying only fa

11、cts and information. You can also see how a mans responses might lead to an argument. Unclear and unloving communication is the biggest problem in relationships. The number one complaint women have in relationships is: “I dont feel heard.” 7 Even this complaint is misunderstood and misinterpreted! 8

12、 A mans literal translation of “I dont feel heard” leads him to take the womans complaint lightly. He thinks he has heard her if he can repeat what she has said. A correct translation of a woman saying “I dont feel heard” is: “I feel as though you dont fully understand what I really mean to say or c

13、are about how I feel. Would you show me that you are interested in what I have to say?” 9 If a man really understood her complaint, then he would argue less and be able to respond more positively. When men and women are on the verge of arguing, they generally misunderstand each other. At such times,

14、 it is important to rethink or translate what they have heard. 说着不同的语言1 当火星人和金星人最初相聚时，也遇到了我们目前存在的许多人际关系问题。他们之所以能够解决这些问题是因为他们认识到相互之间的差异。他们成功的秘诀之一就是良好的交流沟通。2 具有讽刺意味的是，他们交流沟通的成功却是因为他们说着不同的语言。当他们遇到问题时，就去找翻译帮助。众所周知，他们每个人都清楚火星人和金星人语言不同，因此，一旦遇到冲突，他们并不去评论是非或争斗，相反，他们会掏出自己的短语词典，以便更全面地理解对方。如果这样无效的话，他们就去找翻译帮助。3

15、 你明白吗？你知道，火星语和金星语用的词相同，但是所表达的含义却不同，这要根据词的用法来决定。两种语言的措词尽管相似，但是措辞的内涵却不同，所侧重的情感也不同。相互之间很容易误解。因此，当交谈出现问题时，他们推断这只不过是一个误解而已，是预料中的，只要得到些许帮助他们就必定能够彼此理解。他们体验到的是一种相互间的信任和认同，这是我们今天很少能体验到的。4 即使在今天，我们依然需要翻译。男人和女人即便用词相同，他们所表达的含义也很少相同。例如：当女人说：“我觉得你从不听我说话，”她希望对方不要从字面上理解“从不”这个词。使用“从不”这个词只不过是用来表达她此时此刻感到非常失望。不要把它当作真实的

16、意思来理解。5 为了充分表达她们的感受，女人们往往会把事实夸大一点以引起注意，并使用各种最高级，隐喻以及推论。男人错误地从字面上来理解这些用语。他们误解了女人想要表达的意思，便常常以不赞同的态度，来回答她们。下面列有十句女人的抱怨话，这些都是很容易被男人误解的，同时也列出了男人以不赞同的态度可能做出的回答。容易被男人误解十种抱怨=女人这样说：男人这样回答：=“我们从不一起出去。” “不对，我们上周还出去过。”=“所有人都不理睬我。” “我敢肯定有人关注你。”=“我太累了，我什么也干不了了。” “要是你不喜欢自己的工作，那就辞职。” =“我讨厌所有的一切。” “我没觉得有什么让你讨厌的。”=“家

17、里总是乱七八糟。” “并不总是这么乱。”=“再也没人听我说话了。” “我不正在听你说嘛。”=“没有一样东西管用。” “你是说这都是我的错？”=“你不再爱我了。”“当然爱你，要不我干嘛还在这儿。”=“我们老是处于匆忙状态。” “没有，周五我们刚轻松过。”=“我需要更多的爱情。”“你是说我不够多情？”6 可以看出，习惯于把语言用作传达事实和信息手段的男人们，从“字面”上去理解女人的话是怎样易于产生误解的。也可以看出，男人的回答又是怎样引起争吵的。含糊的、缺乏爱心的交流沟通是男女之间的最大问题。女人们在交往中的第一大抱怨是“我觉得没人听见我说的话。”7 即使这种抱怨也会被误解和曲解。8 男人从字面上

18、去理解“我觉得没人听见我说的话”，这使他漠然地对待该抱怨。他认为只要他能重复说出她的话就表明他听到她所说的话了。对于女人所说的“我觉得没人听我说话”的正确理解是：“我觉得好像你没有完全理解我真正想说的话，或者你不关心我的感受。你能不能表示一下你对我非说不可的话感兴趣呢？”9 如果男人能真正理解她的抱怨，那么他就会少些争吵，就能更积极地做出反应。当男人和女人到了要争吵的地步时，他们往往是误解了对方的意思。这时候，重新考虑和解释自己所听到的话是很重要的。Five New Words at a TimeYulan Ying1 My family came to America in 1985. No

19、 one spoke a word of English. In school, I was in an English as a Second Language class with other foreign-born children. My class was so over-crowded that it was impossible for the teacher to teach English properly. I dreaded going to school each morning for fear of not understanding what people we

20、re saying and for fear of being laughed at. 2 At the time, my mother, Taiqi, worked part time in a Chinese restaurant from late afternoon until late in the night. It was her unfamiliarity with the English language that forced her to work in a Chinese-speaking environment. Although her job exhausted

21、her, my mother still woke up early in the morning to cook breakfast for my brother and me. Like a hen guarding her chicks, she never neglected us because of her fatigue. 3 So it was not surprising that very soon my mother noticed something was troubling me. When I said nothing was wrong, my mother a

22、nswered, “ You are my daughter. When something is bothering you, I feel it too. ” The pain and care I saw in her moon-shaped eyes made me burst into tears I had held back for so long. I explained to her the fear I had of going to school. “ Learning English is not impossible, ” my mother said. She ch

23、eerfully suggested that the two of us work together to learn the language at home with books. The confidence and determination my mother had were admirable because English was as new to her as it was to me. 4 That afternoon, I saw my mother in a different light as she waited for me by the school fen

24、ce. Although she was the shortest of all the mothers there, her face with her welcoming smile and big, black eyes was the most promising. The afternoon sun shone brightly on her long, black hair, creating an aura that distinguished her from others. 5 My mother and I immediately began reading togethe

25、r and memorizing five new words a day. My mother, with her encouraging attitude, made the routine fun and interesting. The fact that she was sacrificing her resting time before going to work so that I could learn English made me see the strength she possessed. It made me admire my mother even more.

26、6 Very soon, I began to comprehend what everyone was saying and people could understand me. The person solely responsible for my accomplishment and happiness was my mother. The reading also helped my mother learn English so that she was able to pass the postal entrance exam . 7 It has been seven yea

27、rs since that reading experience with my mother. She is now 43 and in her second year at college. My brother and I have a strong sense of who we are because of the strong values my mother established for herself and her children. My admiration and gratitude for her are endless. That is why my mother

28、 is truly the guiding light of my life. 一次五个新单词1 1985年我们全家来到美国。当时，没有一个人能说一丁点英语。在学校里，我上的是作为第二语言的英语课，和我一起上课的还有其他一些在国外出生的孩子。我这个班级学生过分地多，以至于老师不可能教好英语。每天早上，我都怕去学校，害怕听不懂别人说的话，害怕别人笑话我。2 当时，我母亲苔琪在一家中国餐馆打零工，从傍晚时分一直干到深夜。正是由于她不懂英语，她不得不在说中文的环境里工作。尽管工作使她疲惫不堪，母亲依然每天很早起床为我和我兄弟准备早餐。她就像老母鸡呵护自己的小鸡那样，从不因为自己疲惫而忽略了我们。3

29、因此，毫不奇怪，我母亲很快注意到有什么事情困扰着我。我跟她说一切正常，母亲回答说：“你是我女儿，你有烦心事，我也能感觉到。”在她弯月形的眼睛里，我看到了痛苦和关心，忍了很长时间的眼泪一下子像开了闸似的。我向她解释我为什么害怕去学校。“学会英语不是不可能的，”妈妈说。她很乐意地建议我们俩一起借助书本在家学英语。妈妈的自信和决心令人钦佩，因为英语对她来说是同样陌生的。4 那天下午，妈妈在学校的篱笆旁等我，妈妈在我的眼里和以前不一样了。尽管她是在场的妈妈们中最矮的，但是，她那友好的笑容、大大、黑黑的眼睛，使她的脸庞透露出最美好的希望。午后的阳光照在她长长的黑头发上，产生的光环和氛围使得她有别于其他的

30、母亲。5 我和妈妈马上开始一起读书，每天记五个新单词。妈妈用她那令人鼓舞的态度使这种常规的学习变得趣味盎然。她牺牲了工作前的休息时间让我学英语，这使我看到了她所具有的活力。我更加钦佩我的母亲了。6 很快，我开始理解大家说的话了，别人也能明白我的意思。妈妈是唯一为我的成功和幸福负责的人。这样的读书也促进了妈妈学英语，结果她通过了邮政入行考试。7 和妈妈一起读书至今已经七年了。她现在43岁，在大学上二年级。由于母亲为自己也为我们树立了明确的价值观，我和我兄弟对自己是怎么样的人非常明确。我对她的钦佩和感激无穷无尽。这就是为什么妈妈才真正是我生活中的引路人。Misunderstandings1 He

31、had uncombed hair, dirty clothes, and only 35 cents in his pocket. In Baltimore , Maryland , he got on a bus and headed straight for the restroom. He thought that if he hid in the restroom, he could ride to New York without paying. But a passenger at the back of the bus saw him. She tapped the perso

32、n in front of her on the shoulder and said, “ Theres a bum in the restroom. Tell the bus driver. ” That passenger tapped the person sitting in front of him. “ Tell the bus driver theres a bum in the restroom ” he said. 2 The message was passed from person to person until it reached the front of the

33、bus. But somewhere along the way, the message changed. By the time it reached the bus driver, it was not “ theres a bum in the restroom ” but “ theres a bomb in the restroom ” . The driver immediately pulled over to the side of the highway and radioed the police. When the police arrived, they told t

34、he passengers to get off the bus and move far away from it. Then they closed the highway. That soon caused a 15-mile-long traffic jam. With the help of a dog, the police searched the bus for two hours. Of course, they found no bomb. 3 Two similar-sounding English words also caused trouble for a man

35、who wanted to fly from Los Angeles to Oakland , California . His problem began at the airport in Los Angeles . He thought he heard his flight announced, so he walked to the gate, showed his ticket, and got on the plane. Twenty minutes after takeoff, the man began to worry. Oakland was north of Los A

36、ngeles , but the plane seemed to be heading west, and when he looked out his window all he could see was ocean. “ Is this plane going to Oakland? ” he asked the flight attendant. The flight attendant gasped. “ No, ” she said. “ Were going to Auckland Auckland, New Zealand. ” 4 Because so many Englis

37、h words sound similar, misunderstandings among English-speaking people are not uncommon. Not all misunderstandings result in highways being closed or passengers flying to the wrong continent. Most misunderstandings are much less serious. Every day people speaking English ask one another questions li

38、ke these: “ Did you say seventy or seventeen? ” , “ Did you say that you can come or that you cant? ” Similar-sounding words can be especially confusing for people who speak English as a second language. 5 When a Korean woman who lives in the United States arrived at work one morning, her boss asked

39、 her, “ Did you get a plate? ” “ No., ” she answered, wondering what in the world he meant. She worked in an office. Why did the boss ask her about a plate? All day she wondered about her boss strange question, but she was too embarrassed to ask him about it. At five oclock, when she was getting rea

40、dy to go home, her boss said, “ Please be on time tomorrow. You were 15 minutes late this morning. ” “ Sorry, ” she said. “ My car wouldnt start, and. ” Suddenly she stopped talking and began to smile. Now she understood. Her boss hadnt asked her, “ Did you get a plate? ” He had asked her, “ Did you

41、 get up late? ” 6 English is not the only language with similar-sounding words. Other languages, too, have words that can cause misunderstandings, especially for foreigners. 7 Auckland and Oakland . “ A plate ” and “ up late ” . When similar-sounding words cause a misunderstanding, probably the best thing to do is just laugh and learn from the mistake. Of course, sometimes its hard to laugh. The man who traveled to Auckland instead of Oakland didnt feel like laughing. But even that misunderstanding turned out all right in the