各国送礼大观
Do’s and Taboos of Gift Giving

● 　America
　　美国

　　An American woman living in Wisconsin volunteered to tutor1 English to a Japanese woman who had moved into the same community. “Before each lesson, and on each and every visit,” the American reported, “the Japanese lady brought me a gift — a book, some paper sculpture, flowers, or candy. It was embarrassing.”

　　一位居住在威斯康星州的美国女士自告奋勇辅导刚搬进同一社区的一位日本女士学习英语。她指出：“那位日本妇女每次上课、每次拜访都带礼物给我，一本书、纸刻品、花或是糖果，真令我尴尬。”

　　Unknowingly, this American was experiencing a vestige of protocol rooted centuries deep in the Japanese culture. 来源：考试大

　　这位美国女士不知不觉领教了日本几百年来根深蒂固的文化传统。 来源：考试大

　　In America, lavish2, extravagant3 gifts are definitely out. An appropriate alternate to a gift is to take the deserving person to dinner, or to an entertainment or sporting event. On the contrary, gift giving is an institution and a revered custom in Japan. According to Business Tokyo magazine, among the Japanese “gift giving is a necessity, not merely a nicety as in the West.” In Japan the proper gift is thought to express the giver’s true friendship, gratitude, and respect far better than words can. So if you plan to visit Japan or to have Japanese visit you here, be prepared.

　　在美国，赠送贵重的礼物是行不通的，比较合适的礼物是带上你要感谢的朋友去赴宴或参加娱乐体育活动。与之相反的是，在日本送礼是一种制度，一个优良惯例。据《东京商业杂志》所言，“日本人送礼至关重要，而不像西方仅把它当作一件不起眼的事。”在日本，恰当的礼物意为表达送礼之人诚挚的难以言表的友好、感激及尊重之情，所以如果你准备前往日本或有日本朋友前来拜访，一定要做好准备。

　　So you know gift giving plays a very important role in nowadays society. Now let’s see what’s happened in other countries. 来源：考试大

　　你看，当今社会，送礼发挥着重要作用。现在我们来看看其他国家的情况。 来源：考试大

● 　Germany
　　德国

　　 A West Virginia executive, visiting Germany for the first time, was invited to the home of his largest customer. He decided to be gallant4 and bring his hostess a bouquet of flowers. He selected a dozen red roses.

　　 一位西弗吉尼亚主管第一次去德国，其最大的客户邀请他上门拜访。他想献殷勤，于是给女主人带了一束鲜花，选的是一打红玫瑰。 来源：考试大

　　Oops! Terrible mistake! Social gift giving is popular and well-established in Germany but has certain do’s and don’ts. 来源：考试大

　　噢！这个错可犯大了！交际中送礼在德国早已司空见惯，为世人所接受。不过什么可送什么不可送可是大有学问的。

　　Flowers are often taken to a hostess of a dinner party at her home, but there are three taboos to remember: 1)red roses signify a romantic interest, 2)an even5 number of flowers signifies bad luck, as does the number thirteen, and 3)always unwrap the flowers before presenting them. This West Virginia was making what amounted to a pass at his customer’s wife.

　　如果晚宴设在女主人家中，常见的就是给她送花。不过有三个禁忌一定得记住：1）红玫瑰象征着心仪对方；2）偶数鲜花寓意着倒霉，13朵也是如此；3）献花之前不要包扎。这个西弗吉尼亚人送红玫瑰让人以为他对客户的妻子有意思呢！ 来源：考试大
　　
　　  When visiting a German home, gifts that reflect your home country are popular, and you might want to bring small gifts for the children of the family you are visiting.

　　登门拜访德国人时，带上能反映你祖国特色的礼物将大受欢迎！也可以给主人家的孩子带上点小礼物。

　　Gifts are customarily6 wrapped and many Germans spend considerable time designing elegant wrappings. Most shops offer gift-wrapping services, too.

　　礼物一般得包扎，很多德国人会花上一定的时间设计个优雅的包装。大多数商店也会提供包装服务。