礼节美语 Business Etiquette 169 Saving Face (1)

　　Jerry要去中国出差，找同事Amy请教。
Jerry: Hey Amy...your family is from China, right?
A:Yep. I was born and raised in Shanghai. Why do you ask?
J: Well, I hope you don't mind...but I'm planning a business trip to China soon and I was wondering if you could give me some pointers.
A: You mean like where to go for food or shopping?
J: That would be good, too. But I'm actually hoping you might give me some insights into doing business in China.
A: Ah...sure! I think I can help. Do you have a specific question?
Jerry准备去中国出差，希望Amy能给自己点建议give me some pointers. pointer is spelled p-o-i-n-t-e-r, pointer是指点，建议的意思。Amy从小在上海长大，看来Jerry算是找对人了。Jerry并不是想了解吃饭、购物的事，而是想知道在中国做生意的一些规矩。
J: Well, for starters, what do they mean by "saving face?"
A: "Saving face" is a catch-all term for the concept of honor. In China there is a protocol¹ to everything and it should be followed, otherwise you and the other party might be embarrassed.
J: So in short...saving face is about avoiding embarrassment²?
A: Exactly. Say you're late to a meeting. This would cause you to lose face.
For starters, 首先，Jerry想知道什么是有面子，saving face. Amy解释说，saving face is a catch-all term for the concept of honor. 有面子包括了所有跟荣誉和颜面有关的问题。
这里所说的catch-all is spelled c-a-t-c-h, catch, a-l-l, all, catch-all，意思是全部包含、统统适用的。Amy说，中国人干什么都讲究规矩，protocol, p-r-o-t-o-c-o-l, protocol, 按规矩做事，大家都有面子，破坏了规矩，就会让人lose face，丢脸，比如说开会迟到。
J: How can you go about regaining⁴ your "face", or your honor?
A: It depends on how serious the offense⁵ was. If you were late, you can repeatedly apologize and the other person will probably forgive you.
J: But I would need to apologize more times than I would if I was late here in America?
A: Yes. Make many apologies. The person will probably say it's not a big deal, but in fact it could be a pretty big deal to them, so make sure to say sorry if you make a mistake.
如何才能regain³ face挽回面子呢？Amy说，这要看你错误的严重程度。It depends on how serious the offense was. 如果开会迟到，你最好使劲道歉，请求对方原谅。对方可能嘴上会说，it's not a big deal，没什么大不了的，但事实上，他们心里可能非常在意，所以一定要再三道歉。

1 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

2 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

3 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

4 regaining   

复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
• She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。

5 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。