VOA慢速英语2021 礼貌询问别人的工作

Have you ever wanted to ask someone in English about the kind of work they do but were unsure how?

你是否曾经想用英语问别人做的工作，但又不知道怎么问?

Many cultures have ways of doing this.

许多文化中都有相关的说法。

Today on Ask a Teacher, our question comes from Azra in Turkey.

今天的名师答疑的提问来自土耳其的Azra。

Is it polite to ask people about their jobs? How can I ask someone without sounding impolite¹?

询问别人的工作礼貌吗？怎样问起来才能显得不失礼呢？

Hello Azra and thanks for writing to us!

你好Azra，感谢你的评论！

In the United² States, asking someone about their job is one of the most common things to do when meeting that person for the first time.

在美国，第一次见面询问他人的工作很常见。

But in some other cultures, this question may be considered disrespectful, so be careful.

在一些其他文化中，这个问题可能会被认为是无礼的，所以要小心。

Although questions such as "What is your job?" and "What are you?" seem like the most direct³ ways to ask, we do not use them.

虽然像“What is your job?”和“What are you?”这样的问题似乎是最直接的提问方式，但我们不会这样说。

The questions are structured⁴ correctly but, to Americans, they can sound impolite and unnatural⁵.

这些问题结构上是正确的，但对美国人来说，它们听起来不礼貌、不自然。

Instead, we have a few ways to ask that sound more natural.

相反，我们有一些方法可以让这个问题听起来更自然。

When you meet someone in a social situation, and you want to know what kind of work they do, the most common question is this: What do you do?

当你在社交场合遇到某人，你想知道他是做什么工作的，最常见的问题是：“What do you do?”

It is a shorter way of asking.

这是一种简短的询问方式。

What do you do for a living?

你是做什么工作的？

Listen to both questions and some answers you might hear.

听下面两种问法以及可能听到的回答。

Pay close attention to the pronunciation of "What do you do?" as it usually sounds like "" when said quickly.

注意“What do you do?”的发音，读快了听起来像“Whaddya do?”

What do you do? I'm a teacher.

你是做什么工作的？我是一个老师。

What do you do for a living? I work in photojournalism.

你是做什么工作的？我是一个摄影记者。

What do you do? I run an arts program for teenagers.

你是做什么工作的？我运营着一个青少年艺术项目。

What do you do for a living? I'm a musician.

你是做什么工作的？我是一个音乐家。

Compare the question "What do you do?" to "What are you doing?"

比较一下这两个问法：“What do you do?”和“What are you doing?”

They sound similar, but the second is not work-related.

听起来很类似，但是第二个和工作无关。

It is asking what the person is doing right now, this minute.

他是在问对方现在正在做什么，这一刻在做什么。

Two other friendly ways to ask some about their work are "What kind of work do you do?" and "What line of work are you in?"

另外两种询问工作情况的比较友好方式是“What kind of work do you do?”和“What line of work are you in?”

You can answer in the same way, saying something like, "I run an arts program for teenagers" or "I'm a musician."

你可以用同一种方式来回答，比如：“I run an arts program for teenagers”或者“I'm a musician.”

After the person answers the question, it is a good idea to ask one or two more questions.

当对方回答完这个问题后，你可以再问一到两个问题。

Listen to an example:

请听例子：

What do you do for a living?

你是做什么工作的？

I run an arts program for teenagers.

我运营着一个青少年艺术项目。

Nice! How long have you been doing that?

哇好棒，你做了多久了？

For about five years now.

大概五年了。

Where do you work?

你在哪工作呀？

At the city's arts and culture division⁶.

在市艺术和文化部门。

Despite how common job-related questions are in social situations in the U.S., situations differ.

尽管在美国，与工作相关的问题在社交场合很常见，但情况却有所不同。

Some people may find these questions too personal if asked too soon.

如果问得太早，有些人可能会觉得这些问题太私人了。

If you're ever unsure, you can start a conversation in other ways, such as asking what the person does for fun in that city.

如果你不确定，你可以用其他方式开始对话，比如问这个人在那个城市有哪些娱乐活动。

Or, you can comment on something interesting or funny at the event or activity.

或者，你可以对某件事或活动中有趣的事情进行评论。

You should avoid asking the questions "What is your profession?" and "What is your occupation⁷?"

你最好不要问“What is your profession?”和“What is your occupation?”

They sound too official, so we do not use them in friendly situations.

听起来太官方了，所以我们一般不会在友好场合中这样问。

You would probably only hear them during a job interview or in an office environment.

这样的问法可能只能在工作面试或一些官方场合用到。

Another thing to know is that, in American culture, we do not ask about a person's wages.

另一件要知道的事情是，在美国文化中，我们不询问一个人的工资。

Even some close friends and relatives do not discuss this subject.

甚至一些亲密的朋友和亲戚也不谈论这个话题。

So, unless someone shares this information with you or asks for wage advice, avoid asking this question.

所以，除非有人跟你分享这个信息，或者问你工资方面的建议，否则不要问这个问题。

And that's Ask a Teacher.

以上就是今日名师答疑的全部内容。

I'm Alice Bryant.

我是艾莉丝·布莱恩特。

1 impolite   

adj.无礼的，粗鲁的

参考例句：

• It is impolite to get a word in.别人谈话时插嘴是不礼貌的。
• It is very impolite of you to do so to customers.你这样做对顾客太不客气了。

2 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

3 direct   

adj.直接的；直达的；v.指挥；知道；监督；管理

参考例句：

• This train is direct,you do not have to change.这辆火车是直达的，你不必换车。
• The army is under the king's direct command.军队由国王直接统帅。

4 structured   

adj.有结构的v.组织( structure的过去式和过去分词 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• She hoped that more activities like this could be structured. 她希望能组织更多这类活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was Mann who structured the agenda for maximum efficiency. 是曼制定这个取得最大效率的议程的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

6 division   

n.区分，分开，除法，公司，部门，师(军队里)

参考例句：

• Have you learnt division?你学会除法了吗？
• The division commander ordered that we start the attack before dawn.师长令我们在拂晓前发起攻击。

7 occupation   

n.职业，工作；占领，占据；占用

参考例句：

• I haven't entered up your name and occupation yet.我尚未记下你的名字和职业。
• Reading is a useful occupation to us.阅读对我们是一种有益的消遣。