文/Anwei Yu（美國） 譯/張佳藝

去另一個國家生活是件讓人既興奮又惶恐的事。除了氣候與環(huán)境的物理變化，不同國家的文化與習(xí)俗也有巨大差異。中國歷史悠久、民族眾多，每個省、市、鎮(zhèn)、村都有自身的文化和語言，可謂博大精深。

Moving to another country is an exciting experience although it can get a bit scary. Besides the physical change of climate and environment, there are also vast differences in cultures and customs. Because of China's long history and diversity, each province, city, town and village has its own cultures and languages.Sounds overwhelming, right? No worries!

中國是一個多民族國家，由56個民族組成了13億多人口，其中，漢族人口占全國人口的91.5%。漢族人使用7種主流方言，每一種都可以再細(xì)化為千千萬萬種次方言。次方言之間少有共通之處，連相鄰的兩個村子也很難理解彼此的方言。在中國南方，方言更是人們引以為榮的文化，在日常對話中隨處可見。方言似乎會讓來華人士產(chǎn)生畏難心理，但如果掌握些許普通話，一切便都不在話下。普通話被廣泛應(yīng)用于學(xué)校等正式場合，具備普通話的基礎(chǔ)知識是必需的。來到中國，就請隨時做好與中國師生進(jìn)行普通話的碰撞吧。

China is a diverse country with a population of over 1.3 billion people made up of 56 ethnic groups.The Han Chinese, the ethnic group that makes up about 91.5% of China's population, speak 7 major dialects of Chinese language which can be divided further into thousands of smaller mutually unintelligible dialects that can change from one village to the next (my family speaks 3 at home). Especially in southern China, people are still proud of their local dialects and will speak them in their daily conversations. This sounds scary, but some basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese can get you very far as it is the language used in all official settings including schools. Be prepared to be taught random phrases and words by your students and fellow teachers!

去中國打包行李前，你可能會好奇“我該穿些什么？”在確定目的地后，我建議先上網(wǎng)了解一下該地區(qū)的全年氣候情況，以便打包衣物時有的放矢。大部分安生教育美國青年教學(xué)使者項目學(xué)校聚集于如江蘇、浙江等四季分明的南方省份。由于空氣濕度高，這些省份比同等溫度下的美國干燥地區(qū)更熱或更冷。另外，兩省雖然有冷至降雪的時節(jié)，但卻沒有供暖系統(tǒng)，只能依靠空調(diào)取暖。

Let's take a step back and look at what you should do before even packing your luggage. You may be wondering, “What do I wear?!” After finding out your placement, I would recommend looking online at the year-round climate data of the area.This will help you in choosing clothes to pack. Most of the AYC placement schools are in the southern provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang which have four distinct seasons. Due to the humidity,it feels more hot or cold than it would at the same temperature in drier places like the United States. In addition, although it can get very cold in these two provinces (to the point where it snows), there are no heating systems installed, only air conditioning systems. However, the air conditioning systems can be converted to emit heat.

中國人往往比西方人更在意天氣，生怕感冒或者曬黑。你會經(jīng)常見到中國人在22℃（72℉）時穿長袖，在陽光明媚或雨過天晴時撐起遮陽傘。如果你穿的衣服件數(shù)比當(dāng)?shù)乩蠋煹囊?，他們就可能會問你冷不冷、需不需要傘。雖然聽起來絮絮叨叨的，但他們只是擔(dān)心你會生病。

Chinese people tend to mind the weather a bit more than Westerners and are very concerned about catching colds and getting tan. Therefore, you will see people wearing long sleeves when it is 22°C (72°F) outside and holding umbrellas when it is sunny or right after rainfall. If you are not wearing the exact same number of layers the local teachers are wearing, they will probably ask you if you are cold or if you need an umbrella. Although it sounds like nagging, they are just worried that you will get sick.

接下來，你應(yīng)該為突發(fā)事件做好準(zhǔn)備。在西方國家，大型會議和事件通常提前幾個月便安排妥當(dāng)，整個學(xué)期的課表也不會發(fā)生任何變化。然而在中國，你會經(jīng)常被告知要去參加某活動或是要調(diào)整課程安排，最早提前兩周通知，最遲則會在既定事件開始之后。例如，我有一天按例去上課，但教室里卻沒有學(xué)生。事后我才知道學(xué)生們?nèi)⒓恿藢W(xué)校組織的一場活動，但卻沒人通知我。老師和學(xué)生總是在最后一刻得到通知，這一點(diǎn)對于剛來中國的人來說確實(shí)很讓人泄氣。我的協(xié)調(diào)員一次又一次地向我道歉，告訴我這些調(diào)整都是在最后一刻發(fā)生的。

Next, you should be prepared for spontaneous events happening in China. In Western countries, big meetings and events are usually scheduled months in advance and class schedules are unchanged throughout an entire semester. However, in China, you will often be notified that you will have to attend an event or have a change in your class schedule as early as two weeks in advance and as late as after the event has already begun. For example, I went to a regularly scheduled class one day and there were no students in the classroom due to a school event that no one had mentioned to me. At first, it may be a bit frustrating, but usually the reason for this is that the teachers and students themselves are notified last minute. My coordinators have apologized time and time again telling me that the changes were very last minute.

本文作者（左一）與同事在一起

有一次我被指派為縣政府做日譯中翻譯，沒有人知道出席者名單、到達(dá)時間。最后，事情照樣得到圓滿解決。在這種情況下，最好的辦法就是保持耐心，和朋友在微信上交流這種情況。

One time I was assigned to be a Japanese-Chinese translator for the county government and no one knew who was attending,when they were arriving or the purpose of the event. In the end,everything worked out, but in situations like this, the best thing to do is to just stay patient and talk about the situation with your friends on WeChat.

初到中國的那幾天，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)生活中充盈著各類食物。中國有句俗語道“民以食為天”。在你的中國之旅中，會有很多人在你學(xué)校或住區(qū)附近請你吃飯，他們會帶你嘗試當(dāng)?shù)靥厣耍踔翞槟阌H自下廚。中國有些菜肴和西方國家的食物大不相同，如果你食物過敏或忌口，一定要盡快和學(xué)校說明。許多中國菜中會添加花生或芝麻來調(diào)味，為了避免過敏反應(yīng)有些人可能認(rèn)為從中挑出來就可以了。你也許會擔(dān)心這樣可能會冒犯主人或傷害他們的感情，但無論如何，請將健康放在第一位。

Within the first few days you are in China, you may notice that there is food everywhere! In China, there is a saying, “People view food as if it is their whole world” (民以食為天). Throughout your whole journey in China there will be many people around your school and even your community offering to treat you to a meal. They will want you to try local specialties and may even cook for you. If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, be sure to make it clear to your school as soon as possible. Many Chinese dishes add peanuts or sesame to garnish dishes and some people may think just picking them out of the food can help you avoid an allergic reaction. You may be worried about offending your hosts or hurting their feelings, but remember to put your health first.

除了食物，不得不提的還有酒文化。外國人酒量大、能適應(yīng)中國活躍的酒文化，已經(jīng)成為中國人的一種刻板印象，所以來華人士在外吃飯（尤其是和領(lǐng)導(dǎo)一起吃飯）時，酒一定會被擺在餐桌上。大多數(shù)中國人喝啤酒或白酒。中國白酒很多是高粱經(jīng)發(fā)酵后蒸餾形成的酒，酒精含量在25%—65%之間；中國啤酒的酒精含量通常為2%—5%，普遍低于國外啤酒。有些人還會選擇喝紅酒和威士忌。敬酒時，要遵循級別高低順序，以示恭敬。如果去赴一場豪華宴，提前喝點(diǎn)水、吃點(diǎn)東西可以免于酒精上頭。

Along with food, we have to discuss alcohol! When eating out(especially with leaders), alcohol will be brought to the table.This is due to a combination of a stereotype that foreigners can hold their liquor and a lively local drinking culture. Most people in China will either pick beer or baijiu, a clear alcohol distilled from fermented sorghum usually ranging from 25%-65% alcohol content, as their drink of choice. Local Chinese beer has a lower alcohol content than most beer in foreign countries (usually ranging from 2%-5%). Some people will also drink red wine and whiskey. It is respectful to toast people at the table starting from the highest ranking. If you know you are going to a fancy dinner, you may find it useful to drink water and eat some food before heading out.

中國人大多不曾出過國，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)他們對國外的生活很感興趣。他們好奇其他國家的情況，以及世界各地生活方式的差異。在路上與餐桌上，學(xué)校里或小區(qū)中的一些人會向你詢問各類問題，從愛好到對國際政治問題的看法都會位列其中。聊天時，如果有任何話題讓你感到不舒服，隨意給出一個模糊的回答就好。畢竟在中國，直接拒絕別人會給人留下極不友好的印象。

You may find that Chinese people are extremely interested in your life as many of them have not left the country before. They are curious about what goes on in other countries and how people's lifestyles differ around the world. During passing and especially during meals, some people in your school or community will ask you about a variety of topics ranging from your hobbies to your opinions toward issues in international politics. If at any time you feel uncomfortable talking about any topic, feel free to give a vague or even fake answer. Directly rejecting people in China can sometimes be viewed as you do not want to be friends.

最后一條建議是有關(guān)外出做客的。在中國，人們?nèi)e人家做客時通常會帶一件小禮物（可以是一些水果），進(jìn)屋前也會先脫掉鞋子，這么做是為了避免將外面的泥土帶進(jìn)屋。中國人家里大多沒有鋪地毯，出于尊重，主人在客人到訪前會徹底清掃房間。外出做客十分輕松有趣，不必太過緊張。

My last piece of advice is regarding visiting Chinese people's homes. In China, it is customary to bring a small gift (maybe a few fruits) to someone's house and take off your shoes before entering the home. People do it today mainly to avoid cleaning their floors from dirt tracked in from outside. The majority of Chinese homes are not carpeted and will usually be thoroughly cleaned before your arrival due to a deep respect for guests.Usually, visits to other people's homes are relaxed and fun, so no need to feel too nervous.

我強(qiáng)烈建議大家來華之前搜索和中國文化與目的地點(diǎn)相關(guān)的信息，給未來同事和朋友們留下深刻印象，并為自己進(jìn)入到人生的下一篇章做好準(zhǔn)備。I highly encourage searching up information about Chinese culture and your placement locations on the Internet before arriving to impress your future coworkers and friends and get yourself ready for the transition to an exciting chapter of your life. (Anwei Yu is one of the Educational Ambassadors of AYC 2017-2018 program. He teaches in Qingtian High School in Zhejiang Province, China.)

本文作者為學(xué)生授課