What's Offensive 禁忌：

　　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。

　　在日本和一些非洲国家，吃饭就是吃饭，所以当其他人都在大快朵颐时，不要谈论你当天的经历。你可能会遭遇沉默——这并非你的同伴不友好，而是因为就餐时间只应吃饭，无需交谈。也要避免在一些被认为是神圣或需要沉思的地方谈话——比如欧洲的教堂、泰国的庙宇和芬兰的桑拿浴室。

　　What You Should Do Instead 对策：

　　Keep quiet! 保持沉默！

　　Removing Your Shoes…or Not 脱鞋...。.与否

　　Where It's Offensive: Hawaii, the South Pacific, Korea, China, Thailand。

　　禁忌地：夏威夷、太平洋群岛、韩国、泰国

　　What's Offensive 禁忌：

　　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。

　　到伦敦人家里参加宴会时脱掉鞋子，女主人会认为你不文明，但去亚洲、夏威夷或太平洋群岛的居民家中不脱鞋却被认为失礼。脱掉鞋子不仅把沙粒与尘土留在了门外，更意味着把外面的世界抛之脑后。

　　What You Should Do Instead 对策：

　　If you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your laces. If not, keep the shoes on。

　　如果你在门口看到一排鞋子，就解开自己的鞋带。否则，就穿鞋进去吧！

　　Knowing Your Right from Your Left 分清左右手

　　Where It's Offensive: India, Morocco, Africa, the Middle East。

　　禁忌地：印度、非洲、中东

　　What's Offensive 禁忌：

　　Many cultures still prefer to eat using traditional methods--their hands. In these cases, food is often offered communally, which is why it's important to wash your hands before eating and observe the right-hand-is-for-eating and the left-hand-is-for-other-duties rule. If you eat with your left hand, expect your fellow diners to be mortified. And when partaking from a communal bowl, stick to a portion that's closest to you. Do not get greedy and plunge your hand into the center。

　　许多文化依然推崇传统的进食方式——用手吃。在这种情况下，食物往往是众人一起分享的，因此饭前洗手很重要，而且要遵守用右手吃东西的习俗(左手往往有其他用途)。如果你用左手吃，同伴会感觉蒙受羞辱。当大家一起从公共的碗里取食时，就吃离你最近的那部分吧，不要贪婪地把手伸向饭碗中央。

　　What You Should Do Instead 对策：

　　Left-handed? Attempt to be ambidextrous--even children who are left-handed in these cultures are taught to eat with their right hand--or at least explain yourself to your fellow diners before plunging in。

　　你是左撇子吗？还是努力让自己的双手都灵巧吧——在这些文化里，即使是左撇子的孩子也被教会用右手吃饭——或者至少吃饭前向同伴解释一下。

　　Once you are on the ground of a different country, remain highly sensitive to native behavior. Never be completely surprised by anything; try to take it in stride, and don't feel offended if something seems offensive--like queue jumping. After all, this is a global village, and we are all very different。

　　一旦你踏上异国的土地，就要对当地人的一举一动高度敏感。千万不要大惊小怪，尽量使自己泰然自若，对一些看似无礼的行为也不要恼火—— 比如插队。毕竟，我们生活在一个地球村，不同的文化构成了我们共同的家园。