A:You have been here for how long? Four months now?
你来中国多久了?到现在四个月?
B:Yeah, about.
是,大概是这样。
A:Do you know Chinese better now?
你现在对中国人了解多一些了吧?
B:Oh, definitely. I remember, when I first arrived in Guangzhou, my girlfriend was haggling with a sales clerk over the price of a mobile phone.
噢,那当然。我记得,当我初到广州时,我的女朋友在买手提电话时跟营业员正在讨价还价。
A:Oh, yeah. Many Chinese like to bargain. It happens almost everywhere.
噢,是啊。很多中国人喜欢讨价还价。这几乎随处可见。
B:I mean, I understand that. But the speed of the conversation got faster and faster, until it seemed to me that they would fight. My perception of the tone was that it was a violent shouting match. The truth was that it was a perfectly normal conversation.
我知道是那样。但是谈话的语速越来越快,直到我看来他们会打架。他们的音调让我觉得那是一场猛烈的争吵比赛。实情是,那是一个很平常的谈话。
A:A shouting match? You’re so funny. You must be exaggerating. I don’t believe it.
一场争吵比赛?你还真滑稽。你一定在夸张。我不信。
B:I am not exaggerating at all. I’m telling you the truth. That was how I felt at that time.
我一点都不夸张。我是在说真的。当时我真是这么觉得。
A:Yes, perhaps. Chinese usually don’t notice that sort of thing. Maybe it’s quite natural to us.
是,有可能。中国人通常不会注意到这种事。也许我们都习以为常了。
B:Yes, absolutely true.
对,一点都没错。