Ever been told by a new neighbour ‘You must come for dinner’ then spent weeks waiting for a follow-up invitation that never arrives?
曾經(jīng)遇到過新鄰居對(duì)你說“你得過來吃個(gè)晚飯”，可幾個(gè)禮拜后邀請(qǐng)遲遲不來？

Or been thrilled when the boss said he’d bear your ‘very interesting’ idea in mind and been surprised when it was never mentioned again.
或者是激動(dòng)地聽到上司說他會(huì)記住你“非常有趣”的想法，卻驚訝他再也沒提過這件事？

Then you’ve been victim of the uniquely British trait of being too prim and polite to say what we really mean. And if it can be baffling for us, imagine what it must be like for foreigners who take our every word at face value.
那你就是擁有獨(dú)特特征的英式英語(yǔ)的受害者了，英式英語(yǔ)對(duì)于表達(dá)真實(shí)所想來說太過拘謹(jǐn)、禮貌了。其實(shí)對(duì)于英國(guó)人來說，想想外國(guó)人可能會(huì)把他們的每句話信以為真，也挺令人困擾的。

Now there’s help in the form of a translation table which has become a huge hit on the internet.
現(xiàn)在這里有一張?jiān)诰W(wǎng)上引起熱議的翻譯表，能對(duì)你有所幫助。


WHAT THE BRITISH SAY
英國(guó)人說的
WHAT THE BRITISH MEAN
英國(guó)人實(shí)際表達(dá)的

WHAT OTHERS UNDERSTAND
別人所理解的
I hear what you say
我聽到你說什么了
I disagree and do not want to discuss it further
我不同意也不想繼續(xù)討論下去了
He accepts my point of view
他接受了我的觀點(diǎn)
With the greatest respect
懷著最高的敬意
You are an idiot
你是一個(gè)白癡
He is listening to me
他在聽我說
That's not bad
那不算壞
That's good
不錯(cuò)
That's poor
那很差勁
That is a very brave proposal
這是一個(gè)非常勇敢的提議
You are insane
你瘋了
He thinks I have courage
他認(rèn)為我很有勇氣
Quite good
真不錯(cuò)
A bit disappointing
有一點(diǎn)令人失望
Quite good
真不錯(cuò)
I would suggest
我認(rèn)為
Do it or be prepared to justify yourself
按我認(rèn)為的去做或者證明你的想法
Think about the idea, but do what you like
考慮他的說法，但按自己想的做
Oh, incidentally/by the way
哦，順便提一下
The primary purpose of our discussion is
這次討論的主要目的是
That is not very important
那并不是很重要
I was a bit disappointed that
我對(duì)此有點(diǎn)失望
I am annoyed that
我被惹惱了
It doesn't really matter
沒關(guān)系
Very interesting
非常有趣
That is clearly nonsense
那簡(jiǎn)直是胡說八道
They are impressed
那令人印象深刻
I'll bear it in mind
我會(huì)記住的
I've forgotten it already
我已經(jīng)忘了
They will probably do it
他們大概會(huì)這么做
I'm sure it's my fault
我確信這是我的錯(cuò)
It's your fault
這是你的錯(cuò)
Why do they think it was their fault?
為什么他們覺得是他們的錯(cuò)？
You must come for dinner
你得過來吃晚飯
It's not an invitation, I'm just being polite
這并不是一個(gè)邀請(qǐng)，我只是表示禮貌
I will get an invitation soon
我很快就會(huì)受到邀請(qǐng)
I almost agree
我差不多同意了
I don't agree at all
我根本不同意
He's not far from agreement
他差不多同意了
I only have a few minor comments
我只有一些次要意見
Please rewrite completely
請(qǐng)全部重寫
He has found a few typos
他只找到了一些印刷錯(cuò)誤
Could we consider some other options
我們能考慮下別的選擇嗎
I don't like your idea
我不喜歡你的主意
They have not yet decided
他們還沒決定

It reveals that when a British person begins a sentence ‘With the greatest respect...’, they’re really saying ‘I think you are an idiot.’
表格揭露了當(dāng)一個(gè)英國(guó)人用“懷著最高的敬意”為一句句子開頭，他們實(shí)際想說的是“我認(rèn)為你是一個(gè)白癡”。

‘I hear what you say’ means ‘I disagree and do not want to discuss it further’ while ‘That is a very brave proposal’ translates as ‘You are insane’.
“我聽到你說什么了” 代表“我不同意也不想繼續(xù)討論下去了”，“這是一個(gè)勇敢的提議”代表“你瘋了”。

The table, which has been posted on numerous internet blogs, has received thousands of comments acknowledging that it’s spot on–from foreigners and Britons alike.
這張表格被放到許多博客中后，收到許多外國(guó)人和英國(guó)人本身的贊同，承認(rèn)這極其正確。