英语礼貌用语的特点由刀豆文库小编整理，希望给你工作、学习、生活带来方便，猜你可能喜欢“英语中的礼貌用语”。
英语礼貌用语的特点
来源：青岛外事办时间：2007-4-2
5礼貌用语是人们在日常工作和人际交往中的一个重要部分，它反映一个国家的文明程度和民众的素质。礼貌用语（或称委婉表达法），是纯正英语的特色之一。这种以简单明快而见长的语言，表达力强，同时使听者感到愉快、舒服，可称为语言的润滑剂。随着我国改革开放的蓬勃发展，国际交往迅速增多，礼貌用语的重要性日益凸现，值得认真探索。
一
多年前，在我国国际航班的广播中听到这样的句子：PASSENGERS MUST PAY ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS, 宣布上机后乘客必须遵守飞行时的某些规定，口气十分生硬。如改为：Paengers are kindly requested to observe the following regulations, 口气就客气和礼貌得多，很容易为外国旅客理解和接受。要宣布事情，不要直截了当地说 ATTENTION EVERYBODY, 如果表达为：may I have your attention please, ladies and gentlemen？就非常得体。我国译员和服务行业都存在类似的问题。笔者乘坐外国飞机时，发现礼貌用语随处可闻可见。如：请乘客保持盥洗室脸盆清洁时，贴有下述标志：AS A COURTESY TO THE NEXT PASSENGER, MAY WE SUGGEST THAT YOU CLEAN THE BASIN WITH THE TOWEL YOU HAVE BEEN USING.(为照顾其他旅客，竭诚建议您用刚用过的清洁纸把脸盆擦干净)。在广播中请旅客在飞机完全停稳之前不要离开座位，是这么说的：Paengers are kindly requested to remain seated until the aircraft comes to a complete halt.客气地使用语言，是欧美文化的重要组成部分，外国人对这点是很敏感的。要求对方做某某事时，往往使用下述句型： Will you…….? Would you like to……? Would you mind doing something? I wonder if you would……would you be so kind as to …….I would be grateful if……..I would appreciate it if …….，如：will you follow me and go this way please？显然不是问句，而是导游客气地请客人跟他走。SIR……WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT BESIDE LADY……，PLEASE？请客人按主人的安排就座，并非征求意见。Would you mind answering a few personal questions? 考官客气地问面试者一些个人问题。I wonder if you could do me a favor by posting the letter in the post office on your way home.请人顺路代寄一封信。We could be most grateful(or much obliged, appreciate it)if you kindly let us know your comments at your early convenience,请客户及早赐告对产品的意见。这一句型在外事文书上有得尤多。
二
国外政府机构和公司企业的秘书往往使用一套规范用语，值得学习。他们接电话时，先以问候和自报单位开始，如：GOOD MORNING，THIS IS BHP GENERAL
MANAGER„S OFFICE，接着马上问：MAY I HELP YOU? 或 IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO FOR YOU？需要问清对方身份时，除了用WHO IS CALLING PLEASE？还可以说，MAY I TELL OUR GM WHO IS CALLING? 显得更委婉客气。如对方想找的人不在，先答：SORRY，MR.XXX IS NOT IN.还可以解释：MR.XXX IS AWAY ON A BUSINESS TRIP.或HE IS ON VACATION FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.还可以进一步表示：BUT I‟LL LET HIM KNOW THAT YOU CALLED AS SOON AS HE
RETURNS，也可以问：WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE？ 使人感到这位秘书热情而又负责。对方查询某情况时，WAIT A SECOND或 HOLD ON，PLEASE.是一种答复。更客气的回答是：DO YOU MIND WAITING A FEW SECONDS WHILE I CHECK THAT FOR YOU？（我查一下，请稍等几秒钟可以吗？）查出告诉对方后，往往再加上一句：THANK YOU FOR WAITING 或 SORRY TO HAVE KEPT YOU WAITING.（谢谢，对不起让您等候了。）对不是自己主管的事，从不一推了事，而是耐心提供线索，不要用：YOU HAVE TO ASK…….FOR THAT，而用以下词句：AS FAR AS I AM AWARE，MR…….OF THE…….OFFICE IS IN CHARGE OF THAT.I‟M SURE HE‟LL BE GLAD TO HELP YOU IF YOU RING…….真是礼多人不怪，服务周到之至。一方在电梯上不慎踩碰了对方，双方往往同时说 I AM SORRY，对方从不会去责怪一方，所以说，礼貌用语是人际关系的润滑剂。使用礼貌的电话用语，重要的是避免使用命令句，如不用YOU MUST，YOU HAVE TO，IT‟S NECESSARY FOR YOU TO…….，YOU‟D BETTER ASK MR…….，但可用IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF……
三
在表示婉拒，发表不同意见和看法时，也大有讲究。宜避免单刀直入和太直截了当，要迂回地缓和语气，使对方不感唐突和尴尬，婉拒时说：I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL BE UNABLE TO COME AS I ALREADY HAVE A PRIOR COMMITMENT ON THAT DAY，THANK YOU ALL THE SAME.（因事先已另有约会，无法应邀，但仍感谢盛情邀请），类似的表达法还有：I‟D LOVE TO，BUT I HAVE A PRIOR APPOINTMENT，I WISH I COULD，BUT MY MOTHER IS COMING THIS EVENING，THAT‟S VERY KIND OF YOU，BUT I‟LL HAVE AN EXAM TOMORROW 或I‟M TERRIBLY
SORRY，I DON‟T THINK I CAN BECAUSE……，在书面答复中，先感谢邀请，接着表示 …….REGRETS THAT……（遗憾地表示无法出席）。当对方突然提出某种要求，希望在短时间内办到，使听者很为难，但又不宜断然拒绝，可委婉地先吹吹冷风，先档一下：I AM NOT SURE WHETHER THAT CAN BE ARRANGED AT SUCH SHORT NOTICE.IN ANY CASE，I‟LL ASK AND RING YOU UP BEFORE LONG..即：通知时间这么短，我对能否办成实无把握，但表示可以问一下上级再复，使对方有了此事可
能办不成的思想准备，但答复很客气。当不同意对方看法时，不用I DON‟T AGREE，而说 I AM NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THAT。类似的表达法还有：I DON‟T KNOW THAT I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.OF COURSE I PRESUME THAT YOU
WOULDN‟T EXPECT ME TO SHARE THAT VIEW.WELL，THAT IS A VIEW I AM NOT DISPOSED TO ADVOCATE.（这个观点不敢苟同）。也可表示：WELL，THERE IS TRUTH IN WHAT YOU SAID，BUT I WOULD THINK……WOULD IT BE BETTER IF…….或说I DOUBT IT WILL WORK，BUT I‟LL TRY MY BEST.前述的I AM NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THAT，实际上是不同意的巧妙表达，等于给对方一个软钉子碰，可称怨而不怒，不卑不亢，多年前一个外国代表团来华谈判，适逢该国发表攻击我国的声明，我方表示无法在此种不利的政治气氛中谈判，向对方说：FRANKLY，WE ARE NOT INCLINED TOWARDS OPENING THE TALKS AT THIS SENSTIIVE TIME.用“不倾向于开始谈判”来表明立场，但又不刺激对方，使人感到中方的做法无懈可击。以上例子表明，不论是婉拒、表达不同观点、表达不同观点，甚至是出现严重分歧时，都可在用词造句上进行有分寸的表述，起到避免不必要地营造对抗气氛的效果。尤其在外事场合，注意字斟句酌，既表明了立场，又不伤害别人，不啻为一门艺术。
四
双方交往时问题已经产生，为防止激化矛盾，可用较委婉的词句缓和一下。客户对厂家抱怨，经办人认为情况并非如此，就表示：WE DON‟T RECALL THAT，BUT WE‟CHECK OUR RECORDS.（答应查一下记录），或说WE WILL DOUBLE CHECK，无法办到对方的要求时，可这么说：I AM SORRY WE COULD NOT MANAGE TO DO MORE，BUT I THINK IN THE PRESENT SITUATION THIS IS THE MAXIMUM OF WHAT WAS POSSIBLE，即表示歉意后，提出在当前情况下已尽了最大努力。笔者在英国时，目睹一件甲方如何托辞拒绝会见乙方的实例：MY TIMETABLE IS
HOPELESSLY CROWDED，AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE A MEETING，I WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU PUT YOUR VIEWS TO MY SECRETRAY.甲方推说自己日程实在太紧，请对方有问题找秘书反映，让对方吃闭门羹又不伤害人，把英国政客的老奸巨滑表现地淋漓尽致。英国一内阁成员在同首相发生严重政治分歧而提出的辞呈中写道：IN ALL HONESTY，I FIND MYSELF UNABLE TO SHARE YOUR VIEW OF THE RIGHT APPROACH TO THIS QUESTION.ON THIS BASIS，I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT I CAN ANY LONGER SERVE WITH HONOUR AS A MEMBER OF YOUR GOVERNMENT.决心以下但口气平和，分寸把握得娴熟之至。他接着写道：I AM VERY SAD THAT OUR LONG YEARS OF SERVICE TOGETHER SHOULD HAVE TO END IN THIS WAY.IT HAS BEEN A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO SERVE UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP.I SHALL, OF COURSE, MAINTAIN MY SUPPORT FOR YOUR
GOVERNMENT IN…….,这是西方政界在处理矛盾时使用的典型语言，收到怨而不怒，落落大方的效果，实际上是言犹未尽，细心的读者定能从这种委婉语句中玩味出未明确表达的弦外之音。难怪西方流传一种说法：政治家和外交家都是善于运用晦涩或漂亮的言辞，来掩盖自己真实思想的能手。
这方面的例子还很多，西方人在听到赞扬时从不说NO来表示谦虚，而说THANK
YOU，或IT‟S VERY KIND OF YOU TO SAY SO，可也说BETTER TOMORROW和 I‟LL KEEP TRYING 等等。收到礼品，哪怕再不喜欢也表示：ISN‟T THAT LOVELY！OH，LOOK AT THAT！甚至用GREAT，TERRIFIC，GORGEOUS，SUPER，FANTASTIC等夸张形容词。这种现象更多是由于东西方的文化差异，值得人们做进一步的研究。
摘自2005年《山东外事》第二期
[本文作者胡传忠曾在英国和澳大利亚长驻，在外交部翻译室从事口（笔）译及审稿工作近20年，具有丰富口（笔）译工作经验。现为外交笔会成员]
