中美語伴一席談

中美語伴一席談

Language Exchange Partners

中央民族大學與美國喬治梅森大學一直有游學項目的合作，在這個夏天，來自喬治梅森大學的7個美國學生與中央民族大學的7個中國學生兩兩結成語伴，在一個月的時光中互相交流、彼此幫助。5月25日，7對語伴來到《國際人才交流》編輯部，分享他們的跨文化友情故事。

The 7th meeting of the "World Speaking" club passed in the Minzu University of China. The Minzu University of China has a student exchange agreement with the George Mason University of the USA. This summer, seven George Mason University students became language exchange partners with seven Chinese students from Minzu University. They interacted with each other for a month, as well as helped each other. On May 25th, seven pairs of language exchange partners were invited to "International Talent" editor's department to share their stories on cross-cultural friendship experience.

主持人(Hosts)：吳星鐸（Wu Xingduo）、 于嬿華（Filiz Unal）

嘉賓(Guests)：美國學生——李國磊 （Nikolai Lipnicky）、亮謙（Sam Richter）、赫連莉（Christy）、達娜（Dana）、漢娜（Hannah Smith）、夏侯琳（Jailene Cascante）、白美玲（Malin Beckering）中國學生——李偉康（Li Weikang)、黃璜(Huang Huang)、劉姍姍(Liu Shanshan)、姚綺(Yao Qi)、趙責屹(Zhao Zeyi)、許彤瑩(Xu Tongying)、林韻琴(Lin Yunqin)

文化大不同

Big Culture Difference

夏侯琳：東西文化差異巨大，中國人信奉集體主義的思考方式，美國人則信奉個人主義。中國人把每個人都看作集體的一員，大家都彼此照顧。

Jailene: The difference between Oriental and Western cultures is really big. Chinese people believe in collectivism, and Americans in individualism. Chinese people see each as a crowd. They take

李國磊：關于小費也是一種文化差別。在中國，結賬的時候很少付小費；在美國小費則非常普遍。最近我想買一雙新運動鞋，李偉康幫我在淘寶上網購了一雙。他費了很多時間，所以我要給他一些小費。

李偉康：我幫他買的鞋，價格是109元。他昨天給了我120元。我問他為什么給我120元，他說那是小費。我堅決退還給他。我說，這是在中國。

劉姍姍：吃飯的時候，我們的美國語伴們習慣自己點一份菜吃。就算是大家都點了很多，他們也把想吃的都放在自己的盤子里，然后吃自己盤子里的菜。我們教了他們在中國的飲食習慣，大家一起用餐。

趙責屹：他們通常不吃動物內臟，包括動物的血。比如我曾經極力推薦鴨血粉絲湯，但我的語伴斷然拒絕，因為她不吃動物的血。有一回我們晚上出去吃串，點了一份涮肚，跟他們說這是豬的胃。吃了一口之后，我這輩子都忘不了他們臉上的那種表情。care of each other.

Nikolai: There is culture difference when it comes to giving tips. In China, when you ask for a bill, you normally don’t give a tip. But in the USA giving tips is very common. Recently, I wanted to buy a pair of sports shoes. Li Weikang helped me to get them from Taobao. He spent so much time helping me out, and that was why I wanted to reward him with a tip.

Li Weikang: I helped him to buy shoes, the price was 109 RMB. Yesterday he gave me 120 RMB. I asked him, why 120 RMB? He said it was a tip, I returned the money to him, saying, this is China.

Liu Shanshan: When we go out to eat, my American language partners order one dish for themselves. Even if everyone ordered a lot of food, they still would stick only to what they ordered for themselves. We taught them the Chinese way of dining out, when everyone shares their ordered dishes.

Zhao Zeyi: They normally don’t eat internal organs of animals, including animals’ blood. For example, once I agitated for a restaurant nearby the university that served duck blood vermicelli soup, but my language partner categorically refused, because she doesn’t eat animals’ blood. Once at night we went out to get some “chuanr”, we ordered, what I told them, the pig’s stomach. After they have tried it, I will never forget the expression on their faces.

語言生妙趣

Language is a source of humor

達娜：漢語有四聲，所以我說中文的時候，姚綺常常聽不懂。比如有一次我要吃“面條”，卻說成了“棉條”，我重復了很多遍她才聽懂。

趙責屹：還有音調以外的錯誤。有一次到了地鐵站，漢娜跟我說：“那是‘人口’，對嗎？”我一看，寫的是“入口”。

姚綺：我一直分不清“零食”和“蛇”，他們每天糾正我，我第二天還是分不清。他們教我和彤瑩說“蹲下（squat）”那個單詞，我倆一直在那兒練，他們總說不對不對，最后我倆只好放棄了。

許彤瑩：亮謙有一次問我，“煎雞蛋”在中國很有名嗎？我蒙了，這個問題很奇怪，“煎雞蛋”只是一種雞蛋的烹飪方法，談不上有沒有名。后來他拿出手機，我看到在手機上搜索出來一個中國武打明星：甄子丹。

趙責屹：每天大家齊刷刷地把手機拿出來查字典的時候，就是看菜單的時候。

許彤瑩：我跟他們經常中文、英文、手勢再加上圖畫給他們解釋。有一次吃燒烤，我們點了

Dana: There are four tones in the Chinese language, that’s why when I speak Chinese, Yao Qi sometimes doesn’t understand. For example, once I wanted to eat “mian tiao” (noodles), but I pronounced it like “mian tiao” (cotton sliver). I repeated several times, and only then she understood what I meant.

Zhao Zeyi: There are also some mistakes not connected to the tones. Once we arrived at the subway station, Hannah said to me:“There is ‘ren kou’ (population), right?” Then I saw it here was written “ru kou” (entrance).

Yao Qi: I can never differentiate “snake” from “snack”, they correct me all the time. The next day I still make the same mistake. They taught me and Tongying to pronounce “squat”, we practiced there all the time, but they still insisted we were saying it wrong. At last we gave up.

Xu Tongying: Once Sam asked me, are “fried eggs (“jian jidan”)”popular in China? I was puzzled, this question sounded weird, fried eggs is only a method of cooking eggs, we normally don’t discuss its popularity. Later he took out his phone, I took a look at what he was searching for. It was the Chinese martial arts star Zhen Zidan.

Zhao Zeyi: Everybody needs the dictionary especially when looking up words on the food menu.

Xu Tongying: I frequently use Chinese, English, gestures and even一份“掌中寶”，就是雞爪或鴨爪掌心的那塊脆骨，解釋了很久都不明所以，我倆查詞典也解釋不了。后來我給他們畫了圖。

林韻琴：點菜學英語這件事我也印象深刻。我讀的學科是英語教育專業，以后要教中小學生。這次交流給我非常大的啟示，以后教學生一定要多教他們在生活情境中學習英語。

李偉康：我從我的語伴那里學到一句英文俚語：睡懶覺（sleep in）。

趙責屹：中國的“說曹操曹操到”，在英文里面也會有一個相對應的說法：“Speak of the devil”。

許彤瑩：有一次去故宮，想給他們解釋“后宮佳麗三千，獨得皇上恩寵”，我覺得好難啊。

趙責屹：有一天我們看見一個標語上面寫著“多一點低碳，少一點‘霾’怨”。我嘗試解釋雙關的含義，但貌似不怎么成功。

漢娜：我學到中文的繞口令“吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮，不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮”，英文也有類似的：“她在海灘賣海貝殼。她肯定她賣的貝殼是海貝殼（She sells sea shells on the seashore. The seashells she sells are seashells she is sure）”。

pictures to help them understand. Once we were out eating roast duck, we ordered “zhang zhong bao” which is chicken and duck claws. I explained to them for so long, we looked it up in the dictionary but all was in vain. So I drew it for him instead.

Lin Yunqin: Learn English by menu gave me a very deep impression. I learn teaching English Major, after graduation will be teaching primary and middle school students. That time I was left with an idea that later I will for sure teach my students some real life English words.

Li Weikang: I learnt from my language partner a word “sleep in”.

Zhao Zeyi: The Chinese saying “Talk about someone, and he appears” also has an equivalent in English, “Speak of the devil”.

Xu Tongying: Once we were visiting Forbidden City, wanted to explain to them “The emperor has more than three thousand concubines, but only loves one”, I think it’s very hard.

Zhao Zeyi: One day we saw a slogan “More low–carbon,less complain” (“complain “has similar pronunciation with “haze” in Chinese). I tried to render its meaning, but was not successful.

Hannah: I learnt a Chinese tongue twister, in English we have a similar one: She sells sea shells on the seashore. The seashells she sells are seashells she is sure”.

中美語伴左起：李偉康和李國磊、黃璜和亮謙、劉姍姍和赫連莉、姚綺和達娜、趙責屹和漢娜

語伴談語伴

Language partners discuss each other

黃璜：語伴是我的靈魂伴侶

關于“語伴”，最開始是指“語言交換”層面的伙伴，但我覺得“語伴”事實上超越了“語言交換”的定義，因為有人和人的情感融入其中，而單純機械的語言交換并沒有用心在交流，因此，我認為語伴其實是一種靈魂伴侶。我的語伴亮謙長得像好萊塢明星，像《荒野獵人》里的主角，他剛開始有點內向，但現在話越來越多。他就像一本書，書的封面很厚，但是假如你翻開了這本書，與他成為靈魂之友后，就會發現這本書充滿了黃金和鉆石。

Huang Huang: My language partner is my soulmate

As for the term “language partner”, at first it solely meant “language exchange” between two people, but now, I think, it already surpassed this notion, because when feelings appear, the mechanical language exchange process is no longer necessary. With this regard, I think, language partner is a soul-mate. My language partner Sam reminds me of Leo Di Caprio’s character in “The Revenant”. At first, Sam seemed to me a bit introvert, but now he is getting more and more lively. He is like a book to me which seems too thick at the beginning, but when you start reading it and making it your soul-mate, you discover it is full of gold and diamonds.

中美語伴左起：許彤瑩和夏侯琳、林韻琴和白美玲

白美玲：語伴幫助我們欣賞中國

語伴們給我們的是一種完全融入中國的體驗。和語伴的交流中，我們聽到了很多關于中國真實的動聽的故事，從這些故事中，我們了解到了中國的更多方面，而并不是僅僅說“在中國，我去了傳說中的長城”。他們幫助我們從不同的角度欣賞中國。

夏侯琳：語伴是我在中國可以親近的人

我參加這個游學項目的理由之一就是有語伴。就算在自己的國家，也常常會遇到文化沖突。因此在另一個國度里，有一個可以親近的同齡人，我們一起聊天，一起娛樂，這讓我非常安心。

李偉康：語伴是我的“雙胞胎”兄弟

我的語伴李國磊很特別，我覺得他簡直是我的“雙胞胎”兄弟。剛開始是因為我們倆體型就比較接近，后來才知道我們倆是在同一年來到這個世界上，興趣愛好方面，我喜歡籃球，他喜歡滑板，都是比較擅長運動。從語伴到兄弟，我們用的時間很短。

（中文整理：吳星鐸、周京錦、吳璽，英文整理：蘇莉）

Malin: Language partners make us admire China

Language partners help us to blend in the Chinese culture. In the process of communication, one can hear interesting genuine stories about China. By this stories we get to know China from different aspects, so that I can say about China more than “I have been to the legendary Great Wall of China”. A language partner helps us to enjoy China from different angles.

Jailene: My language partner is my closest person in China

One of the reasons why I took up the exchange program was to find the language partner. Sometimes, even in my own country, I might encounter the culture shock. That’s why in another country, it’s better to have someone of your age, someone close to you, to chat, to have fun together. That way it makes me feel relieved.

Li Weikang: My language partner is my “twin” brother

My language partner Nikolai is very special, I even think he is my twin brother. Firstly, we thought we looked alike, and later found out that we were born in the same year. And as for our hobbies, I’m good at basketball and he is good at snowboarding, we both love sports. We went the way from being language partners to brothers within a short time.

(Chinese version: Wu Xingduo,Zhou Jingjin,Wu Xi; English version: Anastasia Sukhoretskaya)