老外的 “ 禁区 ”

You ：In China, it’s common to ask people their age and salary but when we talk to foreigners, we try not to ask those questions. 中国人之间可以打听别人的年龄和收入，但我们和外国人交谈的时候，就要尽量不问这些问题。

David ： Why? 为什么?

You ：When I was young I was told it was impolite to ask westerners about their age and salary. So now I keep that in mind when I first meet foreigners. 小时候就有人告诉我向西方人打听他们的年龄和工资是不礼貌的。因此当我和外国人初次见面的时候，我都会牢记这个原则。

David ： It’s true. Don’t talk about age or salary. But in Chinese culture, it’s OK to ask. It wouldn’t be impolite to ask. People might just think this kind of question is a sign of one’s interest in someone else. 对，我们不谈年龄和收入。但在中国文化中，是可以问这些问题的。如果你向别人打听这些，不算不礼貌。人们会认为你对别人的事比较感兴趣。

You ：You can even ask girls in China about their age. Besides I also heard that in western countries it is impolite to ask someone about his or her marital status. Am I right? 正是这样。连女孩子的年龄也能问。在西方，打听有关别人的婚姻状况也是非常不礼貌的。是吗?

David ： You’re right. In addition, questions about religious beliefs are also considered taboo for westerners. The taboo is related to our need for privacy, something that westerners take very seriously. 确实是这样的。也有些西方人很忌讳别人打听他们的宗教信仰，这些忌讳都与西方的隐私问题有关，所以他们非常重视。

You ：这可能是东西方文化差异之一吧。