文化差異

今日喺travel.yahoo.com睇到呢篇關於文化差異嘅文章.我揀咗啲出黎想搭吓咀.

Touching Someone

Where It’s Offensive: Korea, Thailand, China, Europe, the Middle East.

What’s Offensive: Personal space varies as you travel the globe. In Mediterranean countries, if you refrain from touching someone’s arm when talking to them or if you don’t greet them with kisses or a warm embrace, you’ll be considered cold. But backslap someone who isn’t a family member or a good friend in Korea, and you’ll make them uncomfortable. In Thailand, the head is considered sacred — never even pat a child on the head.

What You Should Do Instead: Observe what locals are doing and follow suit. In Eastern countries remember that touching and public displays of affection are unacceptable. In places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, men and women are forbidden from interacting, let along touching.

香港人,除咗啲色狼,好小主動有身體接觸.記得有次同奧地利朋友去香港嘅彌撒,其中一節係認識你附近嘅人. 喺呢度啲人會握手, 香港就只係點吓頭. 朋友話佢伸手時, 啲港人覺得好突然.

Keeping Your Clothes On

Where It’s Offensive: Scandinavian countries, Turkey.

What’s Offensive: Wearing bathing suits, shorts and T-shirts, underwear, or any other piece of clothing into a sauna, hammam, or other place of physical purification. In some cultures, a steam room or a sauna is considered a place of purity and reflection, where the outside world (i.e., your clothes) should be left outside. In some Scandinavian countries it’s common for entire families to sauna together in the nude.

What You Should Do Instead: Sitting on a folded towel is considered acceptable. If you’re too modest to appear naked, strip down, but wrap yourself in a towel.

呢篇嘢叫你用毛巾包住. 但係喺奧地利同德國係唔可以架.條毛巾係用黎墊住坐嘅咋.

另外喺土耳其試過土耳其浴hammam. 咁大個仔第一次光脫脫俾陌生人摸渾全身.

Looking Them in the Eye … or Not

Where It’s Offensive: Korea, Japan, Germany.
What’s Offensive: For Americans, not making direct eye contact can be considered rude, indifferent, or weak, but be careful how long you hold someone’s gaze in other countries. In some Asian nations, prolonged eye contact will make a local uncomfortable, so don’t be offended if you’re negotiating a deal with someone who won’t look you straight in the eye. If toasting with friends in a German beer hall, your eyes had better meet theirs — if they don’t, a German superstition says you’re both in for seven years of bad luck in the bedroom.
What You Should Do Instead: Avoid constant staring and follow the behavior of your host — and by all means, look those Germans straight on.

係呀, 奧地利人同德國人乾杯時一定要眼望眼架.

另外香港人因為唔慣眼望眼,所以以前公司教同客講嘢要望尾心.

Blowing Your Nose

Where It’s Offensive: Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, France.
What’s Offensive: Some cultures find it disgusting to blow your nose in public — especially at the table. The Japanese and Chinese are also repelled by the idea of a handkerchief. As Mark McCrum points out in his book Going Dutch in Beijing, the Japanese word hanakuso unpleasantly means nose waste.
What You Should Do Instead: If traveling through Eastern and Asian countries, leave the hankies at home and opt for disposable tissues instead. In France as well as in Eastern countries, if you’re dining and need to clear your nasal passages, excuse yourself and head to the restroom. Worst-case scenario: make an exaggerated effort to steer away from the table. Let’s hope you don’t have a cold.
呻鼻涕我覺得冇乜嘢. 但係用手巾仔呻鼻涕我就覺得好核突.
我知道日本人唔會喺人面前呻鼻涕. 所以佢哋傷風可以戴到口罩.我就唔得喇. 戴咗唔夠兩分鐘我就要除咗佢呻鼻涕.

Removing Your Shoes…or Not

Where It’s Offensive: Hawaii, the South Pacific, Korea, China, Thailand.
What’s Offensive: Take off your shoes when arriving at the door of a London dinner party and the hostess will find you uncivilized, but fail to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands and you’ll be considered disrespectful. Not only does shoe removal very practically keeps sand and dirt out of the house, it’s a sign of leaving the outside world behind.
What You Should Do Instead: If you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your laces. If not, keep the shoes on.
我會問人使唔使除鞋. 喺日本人屋企記住鞋頭向出門口呀.

Talking Over Dinner

Where It’s Offensive: Africa, Japan, Thailand, China, Finland.

What’s Offensive: In some countries, like China, Japan, and some African nations, the food’s the thing, so don’t start chatting about your day’s adventures while everyone else is digging into dinner. You’ll likely be met with silence—not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtimes are for eating, not talking. Also avoid conversations in places a country might consider sacred or reflective—churches in Europe, temples in Thailand, and saunas in Finland.
What You Should Do Instead: Keep quiet!
我屋企人食飯好小講嘢架