How do you do???
初次见面的外国人跟你说了句"How do you do", 估计多数人都会美滋滋地搬出学校教的那套,回敬一句"How do you do"。可英美人士却觉得你的回答有点买帽子当鞋穿--不对头。因为他们会觉得对话似乎没有得到回应,好像你并不高兴见到他一样。所以,当别人说"How do you do"的时候,你最好改答"Nice to meet you"或者"It's a pleasure to meet you"。
别着急,我现在就告诉大家一些社交小技巧。它们可以让你在不同的场合游刃有余,沟通无极限。
先来看一段Jake和Debbie之间的对话吧。大姑娘上花轿--头一回,这两个大一新生在校园里初次碰面了。
JAKE: Hi! My name is Jake. We haven't met before, have we?
DEBBIE: No, we haven't! My name is Debbie.
JAKE: Nice to meet you, Debbie!
DEBBIE: Nice to meet you, too, Jake.
JAKE: Are you a new student?
DEBBIE: Yes, I am. What about you?
JAKE: Yeah, me too!
JAKE: What're you studying here?
DEBBIE: Journalism. I want to be a journalist. What about you?
JAKE: I'm doing law. But I'm thinking of doing business studies instead.
DEBBIE: Do they allow you to change?
见机行事,见什么人说什么话。Jake和Debbie之间的对话适用于什么场合呢?
他们的对话适用于非正式场合。
因为:
1 Jake使用了Hi这个问候词。这个词适用于比较随意的场合或者正式场合下彼此非常熟识的人之间。
2 Jake和Debbie在介绍自己和称呼对方的时候都在用彼此名字的第一个字。如果两人第一次见面就直接用名字的第一个字相互称呼,这就暗示他们想让接下来的谈话无拘无束,闲散自在一些。
3 两个人谈话的语气和内容都显得轻松,随意。
再来看一段James Taylor和Wang Dong之间的对话。James Taylor是AEC Advertising 的总裁,Wang Dong是China Bright Advertising Company 外事处的秘书。她负责到机场去接从未谋面的James Taylor。
Wang Dong: Good morning. Are you James Taylor?
James Taylor: Yes, and ...
Wang Dong: Welcome to Beijing, President Taylor. I'm Wang Dong, the secretary of the foreign affairs office from China Bright Advertising Company. Please call me Wang.
James Taylor: Oh, nice to meet you, Wang.
Wang Dong: Nice to meet you, too. How was the flight?
James Taylor: It was OK, though I feel a bit tired.
Wang Dong: Would you like me to help you with the luggage?
James Taylor: Oh, thank you.
Wang Dong: Please follow me to the gate. The company car is waiting for you outside.
大家已经意识到了吧,这段对话适用于正式的社交场合。
1 二个人用 Nice to meet you 相互问候。
2 Wang Dong 在自我介绍的时候不仅说了自己的姓名,还说了自己的职务和此行的身份。
3 Wang Dong 称呼对方为President Taylor,这是一种正式的称呼,而不是用Mr. James或者James。
4 Wang Dong 的用语十分礼貌,恭敬。
说到这里,让我们来作个初次见面问候用语的小结吧。
Brief greetings:
-- Hi! (for informal situation)
-- Hello! (for informal situation)
-- Hullo! (for informal situation)
-- Good morning/afternoon/evening. (for more formal situation)
Extended greetings at the first meeting:
-- Nice to meet you. (-- Nice to meet you, too.)
-- How do you do! (--Nice to meet you.) (for more formal situation)
附:几个实用的句子
1. Nice to meet you. 很高兴认识你。二个素不认识的老美见面打招呼的方式很简单,就是一个人先说"Nice to meet you", 另一个人说 "Nice to meet you, too",然后相互握手。但人多的时候, 你不可能一个一个说 "Nice to meet you",这时简单说"Hi" 就可以了,但这么说不适用于比较正式的场合。
2. Give me a hug.给我一个拥抱吧。
如果两个人相识已久,见面再说"Nice to meet you" 反而显得有点见外。这时候通常问候一句 "How are you doing" 或者 "What's up" 比较好一些。如果两个人还是不错的朋友,就会彼此拥抱一下。当然啦,拥抱之前不一定要说 "Give me a hug",只要看到人家张开双手,你就可以迎上去拥抱啦。
3. Do you want to exchange numbers? 你想不想交换电话呢?
如果是学生的社交场合,要不要名片就不是那么重要了。这时你可以尝试跟对方交换电话号码。你可以说 "Do you want to exchange numbers" 或是直截了当要对方的电话 "Could I have your phone number"。当然,第一次见面就要对方电话感觉好像怪怪的,所以你也可以跟对方要 E-mail address 或是 ICQ number。总之要什么就根据当时的情况和你个人的企图来定了。