伦敦奥运会外国游客生存指南

 　　The 8,000 volunteers who will welcome international visitors to London 2012 have been issued with a 66-page instruction manual, covering everything from foreign etiquette¹ to uniform care and advice on dealing² with journalists. But what of the visitors themselves? Could they not do with a manual outlining the customs, manners and practicalities of the islands they are visiting? We hereby present a simple guide to UK etiquette for the 2012 Olympics.

　　负责2012伦敦奥运会国际游客接待的8000名志愿者，收到了一份长达66页的指南手册，里面包含了大小事项，从国外礼节到着装细节再到如何和记者打交道。可是外国游客们的指南在那里呢？没有指南手册告诉他们即将游览的英伦三岛的习俗、礼仪和其他事项，他们能行吗？为了2012伦敦奥运会，我们下面就来简单介绍一下外国游客在奥运会期间的伦敦生存指南。

　　Welcome, and before we begin – please accept our apologies. Your four-hour nightmare wait at passport control should not be taken as a symptom of Britain's contempt for foreigners. It is merely a symptom of a woeful lack of spending on a key aspect of travel infrastructure³ in the run-up to a hugely important event. In other words, it's the government that hates you. Don't worry, they hate us too.

　　欢迎来到英国，不过在我开始介绍之前请先接受我们的道歉。你们在入境检查时等了4个小时的噩梦本不应该是英国轻视外国人的象征。这只反映了英国在一项如此重要的赛事来临时对旅游基础建设的投入严重不足。换句话说，是英国政府怠慢了你们。别不开心，政府对我们也不咋地。

　　Canadians: I'm afraid that while you are here you will be repeatedly mistaken for Americans and blamed for all sorts of stuff you had nothing to do with. Unless you can think of a quick and simple way to distinguish yourselves at a glance – flower in lapel? Saddle shoes? Maple⁴ leaf eyepatch? – then you are just going to have to suck it up.

　　加拿大人：到了英国，你们恐怕会一次又一次地被人误认为是美国人，还会因为那些和你们毫无关联的事情而备受指责。除非你能想出一种简便快速的办法，让人一眼就能看出你是加拿大人（在衣领上夹一朵花？穿马鞍鞋？戴枫叶图案的眼罩？）要不然你也就只能慢慢习惯，不再抱怨了。

　　Americans: While you're here, why not pretend to be Canadian? Very few Britons can tell the difference, and it will allow you to rescue yourself from awkward conversations about the death penalty.

　　美国人：对于你们来说，干脆装成是加拿大人好了。英国人很难判断你们之间的区别，这样你们就可以避免卷入到关于死刑的尴尬谈话中了。

　　1. Under no circumstances should you ask your taxi driver how excited he is about having the Olympics in London this summer. It's not that he will be reluctant or embarrassed to offer a personal opinion on the matter. That is not the problem at all.

　　无论在什么情况下都不要问出租车司机，对于今年夏天伦敦的奥运会有多么激动。不是说他会勉强或尴尬地发表个人意见，而是你根本就不该问这个问题。

　　2. Nobody here can answer any questions you have about fencing. Google it.

　　这里没有人能够回答你问的任何关于击剑的问题。还是去google一下吧。

　　3. Pay no attention to those bow-tied etiquette experts you sometimes see on CNN International, telling you how to behave while in Britain. These people are generally of dubious⁵ provenance⁶, normally live in California and tend to peddle⁷ advice that is either irrelevant⁸ or out of date. For example, they will often say that Britons love queuing and are so fond of apologising that they will often say "sorry" even when something isn't their fault. In reality, Britons are just as likely to jump to the front of a queue and then punch the person behind them for coughing. It all depends on how muggy⁹ it is.

　　别理会那些出现在CNN国际频道里、告诉你英国行为规范的打领结的专家。这些家伙通常来历不明，自己住在美国加州，却试图提供一些要么不相干要么过时了的建议。比如说，他们通常会告诉你，英国人喜欢排队；喜欢说对不起，即使有时候并不是他们的错误。而事实上，英国人也喜欢插队，而且还会用咳嗽把排在他们后面的人也吓跑。这取决于天气有多闷热潮湿。

　　4. British people may seem to apologise a lot, but it doesn't quite mean the same thing here. In the UK, "I'm sorry" actually means either a) I didn't hear you; b) I didn't understand you; or c) I both heard and understood you, and I think you're an idiot.

　　英国人似乎总是喜欢道歉，但道歉的意义并不相同。在英国，“对不起”实际可能表示这几种意思：（1）我没听清你说什么；（2）我没明白你的意思；（3）我听到了你说的，也明白你的意思，可我觉得你是个白痴。

　　5. Britons love bleak¹⁰ humour: that's why all the hire bikes are branded with the name of a bank currently being investigated for fixing interest rates. It's supposed to be funny.

　　英国人喜欢冷幽默：这就是为什么所有出租的自行车都刻着同一家银行的名字，而这家银行正因为固定利率而在被调查阶段。他们也许觉得这很有趣吧。

　　6. London's bike hire scheme couldn't be simpler, by the way: just go up to the terminal at any docking station, pay by card and take away one of our so-called "Boris bikes". When you're done with it, simply throw it into the nearest canal. They're disposable!

　　顺便说一句，伦敦的自行车租赁制度再简单不过了：走到任何一个租车点，刷卡付费就可以带走一辆自行车。当你使用完毕时，把车丢在附近的河里就行。这些自行车都是一次性的！

　　7. Do not ask a policeman the best way to get to the West End or how to use an Oyster¹¹ card. He wants to help, but he's from the West Midlands.

　　别问警察怎样去伦敦西区最快，也别问他如何使用牡蛎交通卡。他也很想帮你，不过他是从西米德兰兹郡来的。

　　8. Please aid the Olympic authorities and organisers by demonstrating at all times that you are not a terrorist. Do not perspire¹², take off your shoes, smile in a weird¹³ way while texting someone, or point and shout: "Hey! Look at all those missiles on that roof over there!" In fact, if you're not using your hands for anything, it's probably best if you keep them in the air where everybody can see them.

　　请时刻注意证明你不是恐怖分子，这样就是对奥运组委会和主办方最大的帮助。别没事冒冷汗，别随便脱鞋子，别一边发短信一边诡异的微笑，别指着某处大喊：“嘿！看导弹部署在那边屋顶上！” 事实上，如果你的手闲着没事儿，最好能放在让所有人都能看见的地方。

　　9. We here in the UK want nothing more than to provide you, our guests, with a fantastic experience this summer, combining the best in international sport, brilliant facilities, fantastic entertainment and a cultural legacy¹⁴ that draws on centuries of excellence¹⁵ in art and architecture. If you ended up with four tickets for the wrestling at the ExCel Centre, well, better luck next time.

　　亲爱的贵客们，我们希望英国能为你们贡献一个美好的夏天，这个夏天包括了顶尖的国际赛事、先进的设施、有趣的娱乐、以及汇集了几个世纪的艺术建筑精华的文化遗产。如果你最终只收获了四张卓著国际中心的摔跤比赛门票，好吧，祝你下次好运。

1 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

5 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

6 provenance   

n.出处；起源

参考例句：

• Kato was fully aware of the provenance of these treasures.加藤完全清楚这些珍宝的来源。
• This plant's provenance is Asiadj.这种植物原产于亚洲。

7 peddle   

vt.(沿街)叫卖，兜售；宣传，散播

参考例句：

• She loves to peddle gossip round the village.她喜欢在村里到处说闲话。
• Street vendors peddle their goods along the sidewalk.街头摊贩沿著人行道兜售他们的商品。

8 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

9 muggy   

adj.闷热的；adv.（天气）闷热而潮湿地；n.（天气）闷热而潮湿

参考例句：

• We may expect muggy weather when the rainy season begins.雨季开始时，我们预料有闷热的天气。
• It was muggy and overcast.天气闷热潮湿，而且天色阴沉。

10 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

11 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

12 perspire   

vi.出汗，流汗

参考例句：

• He began to perspire heavily.他开始大量出汗。
• You perspire a lot when you are eating.你在吃饭的时候流汗很多。

13 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

14 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

15 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。