7 Survival Phrases and Cultural Fluency

You may have perfect grammar, but grammar does not make you a good intercultural communicator, nor does it make you confident and effective in your speaking.

你的語法知識可能很棒，但語法好不意味你就有一個很好的跨文化交流，也不意味著你開口講的時候能讓你自信和有效。

Today we will explore 7 important phrases that will not only dramatically improve your cultural fluency in English, they will also make you sound more natural and confident.

今天我們將探討7個重要短語句型，不僅會極大地幫助你用英語流利地跨文化交流，也會讓你的口語聽起來更自然和自信。

In its essence, cultural fluency is how communication is influenced by attitudes, body language, customs, and other intangible and often ambiguous aspects of communication that are not easy to perceive.

事實上，文化流暢展示出溝通是如何受到態度、肢體語言、文化習俗和其他隱性，和不易覺察的模糊狀態所影響的過程。

But if you can find a way to learn and teach this stuff, it is dynamite for your English fluency. This guide will teach you an important aspect of the cultural fluency system that we teach every student here at Real Life English.

但是如果你能找到一種方法去學習和揣摩，會讓你的英語流利賦予生命力。

Here’s a quick overview of the top 6 culturally indelicate responses English speakers/learners make when they don’t understand something. You generally SHOULD NOT respond in the following ways in English:

以下是6個最常用，面對不能很好理解對方講話，不禮貌的回覆， Don’t:

• “What?”

• “I didn’t/don’t Understand”

• “uhhh?”

• Confused/puzzled look

  露出困惑的表情

• Body language expressing fear or frustration toward the speaker

  肢體語言表達出沮喪和恐慌

• Looking for help from another person

  向另外一個人尋求幫忙

A few days ago, Real Life English had another monthly international English speaking party in Belo Horizonte,Brazil. There were about 150 attendees of all English levels, including many native speakers.

幾天前，真實英語巴西貝洛奧裡藏特有一場月度國際英語口語活動。有150人蔘與，英語水平不等，包括很多還是英語母語。

Here’s a conversation I had with an intermediate English speaker:

以下是我和一位中級水平的對話：

Me: So what do you do enjoy about your job?

我：那麼你最享受工作的哪個部分？

Girl: WhaT? (sharp “t” sound”)

女孩：什麼？（T音發的很尖利）

Me: What do you enjoy about your job? (more slowly)

我: (慢速重複)

Girl:(Confused look- and then she said, “What do I enjoy??? Enjoy?!?!?!?! I don’t understand. Speak in Portuguese.”)

女孩：（困惑的表情，然後她說：what do I enjou??? Enjoy????我不明白你的意思，當然是用葡萄牙與說的）

Her inability to investigate the meaning of just one word, by saying “what does ENJOY mean?” decreased the quality of our conversation. It didn’t flow in a natural way because the girl didn’t have strong survival phrases, and this made me feel awkward talking with her.

她僅僅因為無法弄懂一個單詞，就降低了我們整個對話的質量。因為她不知道使用救場的短句，讓對話無法進入正軌，也使得我感覺和她的對話很糟糕。

She had solid grammar, and although she needed work on her listening, she should have been capable of communicating fluently. Because of her lack cultural fluency, however, she had very low confidence, and poor communication strategies.

When she said “what?,” something in me closed and I felt like she was interrogating me. Because I’m experienced with this and teach it all the time, I taught her what you’re going to learn today.

當她說“what?”的時候，我感覺她是在詢問我。對此類狀況我已很有經驗，所以我教她如何處理這樣的狀況。

Not only did she start speaking more English, but an hour later I saw her having a fluent conversation, using the phrases, and speaking with way more confidence.

所以接下來她開始能說更多的英語，1個小時後我還看見她運用這些短語開始更流利的對話，說話方式更加自信。

Obviously she was the same girl, with the same grammar level, but she was speaking A LOT better because she learned simple cultural fluency strategies.

顯然她同樣還是那一個女孩，相同的語法基礎，但是她因為學了一些簡單的文化流暢交流的策略後，說的越來越多越來越好了。

If you do not have an intuitive feel for the human and cultural elements of English communication, native speakers will feel less comfortable and natural speaking with you.

如果你對文化因素沒有直接的感悟，那麼英語母語人士和你講話就會不舒服，不自然。

When this happens, I often speak slower because you probably won’t understand many aspects of my pronunciation, and this will force me to make a conscious effort to use easier words.

當發生這樣的情況，我經常說的更慢，因為你可能聽不懂我發音的很多部分，這也迫使我下意識地替換更簡單的詞語來交流。

Because I have to speak slower, and the communication is not very efficient, the conversation seems less natural, and it feels like I’m teaching rather than communicating. The conversation becomes work for me.

因為我不得不放慢語速，溝通的效率就降低了，對話看起來更不自然，感覺我正在教課而不是交流。對話變成了我的工作。

If you know how to respond when you don’t know, native speakers will feel more authentic speaking at a normal speed, and you will feel more comfortable letting them.

如果你知道當你不知道的時候如何去應對，母語人士用正常語速講話感覺更像是真正的對話，你自身也會感覺舒服。

What follows is a list of responses that are polite, maybe even in a little bit of an exaggerated way, but they will greatly facilitate your cultural fluency.

下面是在溝通中一些禮貌，有利文化流暢的短語列表。

BELOW:Listen to the AUDIO (and Repeat) for All Phrases Below

聽音頻（並複述）

1. Sorry?/ Excuse Me?/ Pardon?

Native speakers use “what?” sometimes, but it’s very indelicate, or impolite in a subtle, almost unconscious way. It’s like you’re interrogating the speaker. Native speakers don’t pronounce the sharp “T” sound at the end, and when non-natives do this, it’s a bit indelicate.

母語人士認為無意地冒出“what”是不文雅，不禮貌的。像是你在質問對方。並且尾音“T”發音發的很尖利，對母語人士同樣也是不文雅的。

2. Can you repeat that? /

Can you speak slower (or more slowly)?

3. What does ( said word ) mean?

4. How do you saysaidword?

5. What do you mean?

Native speakers don’t say “I don’t understand” much in social interaction. This seems more formal, more rigid, and is not common in social situations.

母語人士大多少社交場合不會說“I don’t understand”，因為這句話非常正式，語氣生硬，在社交場合不常用到。

6. (Do You) Know What I mean?/ “Know What I’m Saying”

If you say “do you understand?” to verify that people are following and understanding you, you communicate insecurity, or a lack of confidence in your English.

如果你說“do you understand?”，是在確認對方是否正在跟上和明白你的意思，透露出你在英語交流時的不安全感，或是缺乏自信。

7. Body Language and Fluent Communication

what’s the appropriate body language for communication? Ideally, you shouldn’t cross your arms or legs. When you don’t understand, lean forward and communicate that you are open and interested in learning from the other person. This is active and engaged listening.

溝通交流時什麼是恰當的肢體語言？理想來說，你不應該雙臂抱著或者雙腿交叉。當你無法明白對方意思，身體向前傾斜，表達你在向對方學習傾聽，開放的姿態，對話題感興趣。

Learning fluency in these survival phrases is not hard, but the reward is BIG. It will provide you with armor, and you can go into battle and learn, communicate, make mistakes, and struggle, but your communication and learning will be much more fluid and culturally acceptable.

學習這幾個救場的短語，並不難，但回報卻非常大。她相當於幫你穿上了盔甲，你可以深入去勇敢戰鬥，學習，交流，犯錯，和對抗，但是你的交流和學習將會越來越流利，越來越自然得體和被母語人士接受。