完整版Unit20CultureShock文化沖擊

1、Unit 20Culture ShockKalvero Oberg1 Culture shock might be called an occupational disease of people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad. Like most ailments, it has its own symptoms and cure.文化沖擊又叫人們移居國外的職業(yè)病。像大多數(shù)小病一樣，它也有自己的癥狀和治療方法。2 Culture shock is precipitated by the anxiety that results from

2、 losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. Those signs or cues include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situation of daily life: when to shake hands and what to say when we meet people, when and how to give tips, how to make purchases, when to acce

3、pt and when to refuse invitations* when to take statements seriously and when not. These cues, which may be words, gestures, facial expressions, customs, or norms, are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and are as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we a

4、ccept. All of us depend for our peace of mind and our efficiency on hundreds of these cues, most of which we do not carry on the level of conscious awareness.文化沖擊是焦慮產(chǎn)生的，這種焦慮是由于喪失了指導(dǎo)我們進行社交的熟悉的信號和符號。這些信號和暗示包含了許許多多使我們適應(yīng)日常生活情況的方法：何時握手，當(dāng) 我們見到人時說什么，何時怎樣給小費，怎樣購物，何時接受何時拒絕邀請，何時把別 人的話當(dāng)真，何時不。這些暗示也許是詞語，手勢，面部表情，

5、風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣或者規(guī)范，這 些都是我們在成長過程中學(xué)習(xí)得來的，它們跟我們所講的語言，所接受的信條一樣，是 我們文化的一部分。我們所有人都依靠這些暗示來獲得平靜的心情以及高效的生活，而 這些暗示的大多數(shù)并不是有意識地記住的。3 Now when an individual enters a strange culture, all or most of these familiar cues are removed. He or she is like a fish out of water. No matter how broad- minded or full of goodwill you ma

6、y be, a series of props have been knocked from under you, followed by a feeling of frustration and anxiety. People react to the frustration in much the same way. First they reject the environment which causes the discomfort. T he ways of the host country are bad because they make us feel bad. When f

7、oreigners in a strange land get together to grouse about the host country and its people, you can be sure they are suffering from culture shock. Another phase of culture shock is regression. The home environment suddenly assumes a tremendous importance. To the fore18ner everything becomes irrational

8、ly glorified. All the difficulties and problems are forgotten and only the good things back home are remembered. It usually takes a trip home to bring one back to reality.當(dāng)一個人進入一個陌生的文化，所有或大多數(shù)的暗示消失了。他或她像是離開水的魚。不管你是多么心胸開闊或者充滿友善，你的一系列精神支柱從你身下被抽走，隨之 而來的是挫敗感和焦慮。人們對焦慮的反應(yīng)大都是相同的方式。首先，他們抵制引起不 適的環(huán)境。“東道國的習(xí)俗不好，

9、因為他們讓我感到很糟糕?！碑?dāng)生活在異國他鄉(xiāng)的外國人聚到一起抱怨東道國和它的子民時，你可以確定他們正在遭受文化沖擊帶來的痛苦。 另一個文化沖擊的階段是回歸。家庭環(huán)境突然變得極為重要。對外國人來說，家中的一 切都被不合邏輯的美化了。所有的困難和問題都將被遺忘，只記得家中美好的事情。這 通常需要回家一趟，才能把他們帶回現(xiàn)實中來。4 Some of the symptoms of culture shock arc excessive washing of the hands, excessive concern over drinking water, food dishes, and beddin

10、g; fear of physical contact with attendants, the absent-minded stare; a feeling of helplessness and a desire for dependence on long term residents of ones own nationality; fits of anger over minor frustrations; great concern over minor pains and eruptions of the skin; and finally, that terrible long

11、ing to be back home.文化沖擊的一些癥狀是過多的洗手，過多擔(dān)心飲用水，食物，和床具；害怕親自與 服務(wù)員接觸，心不在焉的眼神；無助的感覺和渴望依靠來自本國的長期居住者；因為一 點點挫折大動肝火；對輕微疼痛和皮疹的擔(dān)心；最后，極為渴望回家。5 Individuals differ greatly in the degrees in which culture shock affects them. Although not common, there are individuals who cannot live in foreign countries. However; th

12、ose who have seen people go through culture shock and on to a satisfactory adjustment can discern steps in the process. During the first few weeks most individuals are fascinated by the new. They stay in hotels and associate with nationals who speak their 1anguage and are polite and gracious to fore

13、igners. This honeymoon stage may last from a few days or weeks to six months, depending on circumstances. If one is very important, he or she will be shown the show places, will be pampcred and petted, and in a press interview will speak glowingly about goodwill and international friendship.個人受文化沖擊的

14、程度大不相同。盡管這樣的現(xiàn)象不普遍，但確實有人不能生活在 國外。然而，那些看過人們經(jīng)歷文化沖擊到令人滿意的適應(yīng)過程的人，卻能辨認(rèn)出該過 程的各個階段。在最初的幾個星期，大多數(shù)人都被新鮮感感到著迷。他們待在酒店里， 與講自己國家語言的人交往，并且對外國人禮貌和善。這個蜜月期將持續(xù)幾天或者幾個星期到6個月，依情況而定。如果這個人是重要人物，他將會被安排游覽勝地，受到縱 容和寵愛，在新聞采訪中，他會熱情洋溢地談?wù)撚焉坪蛧H友誼。6 But this mentality does not normally last if the foreign visitors remains abroad and

15、has seriously to cope with real conditions of life. It is then that the second stage begins, characterized by a hostile and aggressive attitude toward the host country. This hostility evidently grows out of the genuine difficulty which the visitor experiences in the process of adjustment. There are

16、house troubles, transportation troubles, shopping troubles, and the fact that people in the host country are largely indifferent to all these troubles. .They help, but they dont understand your great concern over these difficulties. Therefore, they must be insensitive and unsympathetic to you and yo

17、ur worries. The result, I just dont like them. You become aggressive, you band together with others from your country and criticize the host country, its ways, and its people. But this criticism is not an objective appraisal. Instead of trying to account for the conditions and the historical circums

18、tances which have created them, you talk as if the difficulties you experience are more or less created by the people of the host country for your special discomfort.但是這種精神狀態(tài)不會持續(xù)，如果外國造訪者仍然留在國外，并且開始認(rèn)真地對待 真實的生活狀況。在那時，第二個階段開始了，以對東道國敵對的，攻擊挑釁的態(tài)度為 特征。這種敵對明顯源自在調(diào)整過程中遭遇的真正的困難。有房子困難，交通困難，購 物困難，以及東道國人對這些困難的漠不關(guān)

19、心的事實。他們幫忙，但是他們不能理解你 對這些困難的極度擔(dān)憂。因此，他們對于你和你的困難一定很冷淡，不同情。結(jié)果是，“我就是不喜歡他們。”你變得有攻擊性，你和來自本國的同伴聯(lián)系起來，一起評判東 道國，他的方式，他的人民。但是這些批評并不是客觀的評價。你沒有盡力找出造成這 些現(xiàn)象的環(huán)境因素和歷史原因。卻認(rèn)為似乎你經(jīng)歷的這些困難多多少少是東道國的人民 為了讓你不舒服而特別設(shè)置的。7 You take refuge in the colony of others from your country which often becomes the fountainhead of emotionally

20、 charged labels known as stereotypes. This is a peculiar kind of offensive shorthand which caricatures the host country and its people in a negative manner. The “doar grasping American “ and the indolent Latin Americans are samples of mild forms of stereotypes. The second stage of culture shock is i

21、n a sense a crisis in the disease. If you come out of it, you stay; if not, you leave before you reach the stage of a nervous breakdown.你到本國的僑民聚居地尋求庇護，那里通常是那些充滿情緒化色彩的綽號的源頭， 而這些綽號也已成為公式化的名稱被人們廣為熟知了。這些特殊的帶有攻擊性色彩的速寫，非?？鋸埖貜呢撁嫘袨樯厦枋隽藮|道國及其人民?！柏澵?shù)拿绹恕?，“懶散的拉美人”都是公式化名稱中比較溫和的例子。文化沖擊的第二階段在某種意義上是疾病的危 險期。如果你能擺脫它，

22、你就留下；如果不能，那么在你到達神經(jīng)衰弱之前趕緊離開吧。8 If visitors succeed in getting some knowledge of the language and begin to get around by themselves, they are beginning to open the way into the new cultural environment. Visitors still have difficulties but they take a this is my problem and I have to bear it “attitude

23、. Usually in this stage visitors take a superior attitude to people of the host country. Their sense of humor begins to exert itself. Instead of criticizing, they joke about the people and even crack jokes about their own difficulties. They are now on the way to recovery.如果造訪者能成功的獲得語言方面的知識，并且能獨立解決一些

24、困難，那么他們開始打開通往新文化環(huán)境的路。造訪者仍然會有困難，但是他們采取“這是我的問題，我 必須接受它”的態(tài)度。通常在這個階段造訪者對東道國的人采取更加友好的態(tài)度。他們 開始發(fā)揮幽默感。不是批評，而是拿周圍的人甚至自己遇到的困難開玩笑。他們在恢復(fù) 的路上。9 In the fourth stage, your adjustment is about as complete as it can be. The visitor now accepts the customs of the country as just another way of living. You operate wit

25、hin the new surroundings without a feeling of anxiety, although there are moments of social strain. Only with a complete grasp of all the cues of social intercourse will this strain disappear. For a long time the individual will understand what the national is saying but is not always sure what the

26、national means. With a complete adjustment you not only accept the food, drinks, habits, and customs, but actually begin to enjoy them: When you go home on leave, you may even take things back with you; and if you leave for good, you generally miss the country and the people to whom you became accustomed.第四階段，適應(yīng)達到完善的狀態(tài)。來