英美系列之逆向文化冲击：离开法国的困境 [法国媒体]

Reverse culture shock: The troubles of leaving France

逆向文化冲击：离开法国的困境

【日期】2016年9月1日



Returning home after living in France can come with some reverse culture shock. Readers spell out the troubles they have re-adjusting.

生活在法国的人们回到家乡后出现了一些逆向文化冲击。读者们罗列出了他们得重新适应的一些问题。

The bread is no good back home

回家后面包不够好

This was a common response, notably from the Brits. And let's be honest, it's hard to compete with fresh French bread. 

这是最常见的问题，尤其是对英国人来说。坦白说，想胜过新鲜的法式面包有点困难。

... and it's not free either

并且（面包）也不再免费

One Australian commenter said she found it "affronting" when a restaurant offers bread and it arrives with a price tag. Yes, in France, bread with a meal is not only delicious, but is free.

一个来自澳洲的评论者说，当她发现饭店提供的面包需要付费顿时觉得“很闹心”。没错，在法国，食物不但美味面包还是免费哒。


 
The binge drinking

酗酒

Several people pointed out that the French were a refined bunch of drinkers in contrast to their home compatriots. 

一些人说比起自家的同胞法国喝酒的群体总是很优雅

"Everytime I go to the UK I wonder how the hell France can always be ranked higher in terms of average drinking per person in every study," says Ferdinand Lefebvre on Facebook. 

Ferdinand Lefebvre在非死不可上说“每次我去英国就很好奇为啥法国饮食在每一项中都排名很高”。

One Brit said that the British towns saw such heavy drinking and unruly behaviour that there was "an atmosphere of potential violence rarely experienced in French towns". 

一个不列颠人说，英国小镇总能看见很多酗酒和发酒疯的人，“而在法国小镇上这种暴力氛围就很少见。”

The weather...

天气

For those living in the sunny south of France, the return to Britain is always going to be tough.

对那些住在阳光明媚法国南部的人来说，回到英国有点日子有点难过



The noise...

嘈杂

"Everywhere is so noisy, especially bars and restaurants," said Nigel Hartnup. Yes you'll have to take your earplugs back home with you if you've been used to evenings on quiet café terraces in France.

Nigel Hartnup说，到处都吵吵闹闹，尤其是酒吧和饭店，如果你习惯了法国露天咖啡馆的安静日子回到家你必须得带着耳塞。

Having to drink inside, standing up

喝酒必须在室内，总得起立

Yes there is far less café terrace culture back home compared to France. That's in part due to the weather, but also because the French just like to sit down, relax, talk and sip. In the UK at least, a night out often involves standing up, inside. Not good, readers say.

没错，回去后少有能和法国相比的露天咖啡文化。这一部分是因为天气缘故，但主要是因为法国人喜欢坐着，放松下来，聊着天小酌。在英国，一晚上你经常得站起来好几趟，还只能呆在室内。不喜欢这样，读者们说。

And also on the subject of drinking...

另外关于饮酒的话题……

Not eating on a night out

晚上出去别想吃东西

What is it with people back home who are happy to go out for a night and just drink. If you've been in France for a while you know that a night out pretty much always involves dinner somewhere. Eating is never cheating.

回家后晚上和别人出去玩就只是为了喝酒。如果在法国住了一段时间，你就会知道晚上出去玩多半是要吃晚餐的。吃一顿才是实实在在的。



The food can never compare to French food

食物永远比不上法餐

Maureen Jones from Canada says that she misses the food from France as soon as she gets home, and who can blame her given France's offerings.

加拿大的Maureen Jones 说，她回家后没多久就开始想念法餐，谁又能怪她如此偏爱法国呢。

"We get depressed visiting our grocery stores, there's nothing to buy," she says. 

她说“我们很沮丧地逛过了我们的杂货店，啥也买不到。”

The food portions are too big back home

家这边食物分量太大了

This was a common response from people from around the world, with many telling us that they just couldn't get accustomed to the huge servings of food after getting used to how the French eat in moderation.

这是来自全国各地的人们的常见反应，很多人告诉我们，习惯了法餐饮合适的分量他们回家后无法适应食品供应的分量，太多了。



They've got no table manners back home

家乡同胞不讲餐桌礼仪

Living in France can help you to develop extremely good table manners that you perhaps had never even thought about before. 

住在法国很好的帮你提升了餐桌礼仪，也许之前你根本没有注意到这点。

Tazzy Elhassadi said that when she went home she had a tenfold increase in noticing "all the little things" missing in her home country when it came to table manners. 

Tazzy Elhassadi 说，回到家乡后她对小事物的关注度提升了十倍，尤其是她的家乡在餐桌礼仪方面的缺失。

People don't fight for their rights like the French do

人们不像法国人那样为自己的权利而抗争

Christos Tiger, who says the French are masters of fighting for their rights.

Christos Tiger说，法国人是为他们权利而抗争的主人

"The English put up with everything without complaining," he writes.

“而英国人毫无怨言的接受一切”他写道

"I must have gone native as I always kick off trying to stand up for my 'rights' whenever I go back to the UK, not that it makes any difference whatsoever..."

“我肯定被（法国）同化了，因为当我回到英国的时候总忍不住为自己的权利而抗争，而不是和别人一样……”

Transport costs

运输成本

Going back to London and seeing how much people pay to use the tube or buses makes you long to be squished in on an RER train or Metro carriage in Paris, one reader declared.

一个读者说，回到伦敦，当你看到人们花费多少钱去搭乘地铁或者公交时，就忍不住会想念巴黎挤死人的RER火车或者Metro地铁车厢。

Public transport in Paris might have problems but at least it's fairly cheap.

巴黎的运输系统虽然也有问题但至少它便宜啊。

Expensive French wine

昂贵的法国葡萄酒

You pay a premium to drink French wine anywhere but France it seems. It's pain full having to shell out ￡10 to get a half-decent bottle of French wine in a British supermarket knowing that the same money would get you a really decent wine from Nicolas or Monoprix.

不用在法国，似乎在世界各地也能喝到法国葡萄酒。令人不爽的是在不列颠的超市你花10磅能买半个像样的法国酒瓶，而在法国，同样价格你能得到来自Nicolas 或者 Monoprix的一瓶不错的酒。

On the other hand you could just buy Californian or South African plonk.

当然，你也可以选择买加利福尼亚或者南非的葡萄酒。

They don't do basic politeness

他们没有基本的礼貌

The Local's former intern Katie Warren said that basic politeness went out the window when she returned to the US.

当地的前实习生Katie Warren说，当她回到美国，基本礼貌即被丢出了窗外。

"Reverse culture shock is so real," she said. "My first interaction here (in a deli) went something like this:

“反向文化冲击确实存在。我在这（熟食店）的初次遭遇是这样的”

Me upon walking in: "Hello!"

我走过来打招呼“你好”

Cashier girl: Silence.

收银的女孩默

Me: Puts pasta salad on counter.

我把意面沙拉放在台子上

Cashier: "Seven fifty."

收银员“七五零”

Me: "Great, thanks. Bye, have a good evening!"

我“好的，谢谢，再见，祝你晚间愉快”

Cashier: Silence."

收银员默

Jock Meston says: "I've also grown used to the French politeness, saying thank you and please, looking each other in the eye when clinking glasses, that sort of thing being the norm."

Jock Meston 说“我习惯了法国人的礼貌，说谢谢和请，碰杯时看着对方的眼睛，这种事情是常态。”

The lack of holidays

缺乏假期

In the US at least, "people work incredibly hard and get very few vacation days... and they do some in an almost robotic way", says Erielle Delzer.

Erielle Delzer说至少是在美国是这样，“人们辛劳工作极少有假期……他们总是过得跟机器人似得”

All the chain stores and bars

酒店和酒吧总是连锁的

France has managed to look after its independent stores, bars and cafés better than many Anglophone countries. "When you go back to the UK now, all town centres just feel the same. Boots, Costa coffee, Superdrug, Pizza Express..." one UK expat said.

比起很多英语为母语的国家，法国的商店，酒吧和咖啡店大多是独立经营。“当你回到伦敦，所有的市中心看起来都很像，Boots，Costa coffee, Superdrug, Pizza Express...”（以上一串都是连锁店）一个英国的外国人说。

French towns are thankfully holding on to their originality. 

法国的城市都很坚持自己的原创性

"Motorway service stations...

高速公路服务站

...With only junk food" was one suggestion sent in by a reader and we agree. French motorway service stations are a pleasure to stop in. And the machine coffee is even decent. 

……一个读者留言吐槽说“只有垃圾食品”，我们表示赞同。停靠在法国的高速公路服务站则是种乐趣。甚至是咖啡机都是极好的。

Litter and rubbish

杂物和垃圾

Two or three readers, presumably not living in Paris, pointed out how they are shocked by all the litter and rubbish onthe streets of UK towns compared to clean French towns and villages. Not just the rubbish, but also "how scruffy the towns" were.

有两三个可能不是在巴黎生活的读者，表示比起法国干净的村庄，他们震惊于伦敦市街道的杂物和垃圾。不仅仅是垃圾，而是“如此肮脏的城镇。”

Having to drink six cups of tea a day

每天必须要喝6杯茶

My bladder is no longer big enough for the average daily tea intake in the UK, said one reader. 

一个读者说，对于英国日均饮茶量我的膀胱有点不够用

But there are positives for some people...

对人们来说这里也有些积极的事情

The supermarkets are actually open

超市全天开放

We heard this one a lot, and it's no surprise - many French shops will be closed on Sunday and won't open late. In other countries, especially the US, you can find anything at any time (and often in any place).

这点我听说了很多次，没什么好惊讶的——很多法国商店周天不开门并且早早收摊。在其他国家，尤其是美国，你可以在任何时间买到任何东西（通常不少地方都如此）



The red tape is suddenly so easy

官僚作风到处可见

"What will never cease to be pleasantly surprising is how easy everything admin is," said one Australian woman. "I dedicated half a day to renewing my driving licence and it was done in 20 minutes without an appointment and with irregular circumstances. I was expecting huge problems."

“行政管理总能给你惊讶，”一名澳洲妇女表示，“我曾经花了半天去更新我的驾照，然而在没有预约和按规章办事的情况下20分钟就完成了。对此我深怀疑问。”

Smiling is normal

微笑是正常的

And lastly, when she's back home in the US, Erielle Delzer says that not smiling "is considered rude". This no doubt comes as a shock after living in France, or at least Paris, where those who smile are the tourists and the drunks.

最终，当回到美国的家中，Erielle Delzer说不微笑被认为是粗鲁的。毫无疑问这让生活在法国的她很震惊，或者说至少在巴黎，那些微笑的人不是游客就是酒鬼。




tony548 • 9 days ago 
Nothing surpasses French arrogance. This article is utter drivel.

没谁能比法国人更傲慢了。这文章一派胡言。

oll  @tony548 • 9 days ago 
Bonjour ( put silence here ) . Merci pour votre brillant commentaire (put silence here) . Au revoir. (put silence here)

你好（此处沉默）。谢谢你精彩的评论（此处沉默）。再见（此处沉默）。这段有礼貌地全是法语，括号里沉默没反应地全是英语，大约是想说有礼貌地法兰西人对比木礼貌地英语国家吃瓜群众

Eric John • 9 days ago 
What strikes me most when going home to the US is the hyper-extraverted, masculine, in-your-face energy of the place. Everyone seems like they're smoking testosterone crack.
It gets tiring after a few days.
That said, I do appreciate the frankness and openness and optimism of my fellow Americans.

回到美国家乡最打击我的就是那些豪放的，满是雄性气概，特立独行的无处不在的能量。每个人看上去都像吸食了类固醇。几天之后就会觉得无聊。就是说我还是挺欣赏我美国同胞们的坦率，开放和乐观的。

Liz Price • 9 days ago
The thing I in the past have found the hardest about returning to the UK, just about to do it again. Is that being handicapped here - as a rule you are just another normal person. Back in the UK I have been looked at like i have 3 heads. Scotland this time hopefully it is better

重回英国我经历过得最困难的事情，就是要重新来过一遍。残疾人在这里——通常就是另外一个正常人。但回到英国我感觉我好像长了三个脑袋似得。希望这次苏格兰能表现更好点。

Marathon-Youth • 9 days ago
Some common aspects the article failed to touch upon.
Media censorship is worse in Europe than in the US. 
The "culture shock" is only oriented to 
what is good in France
and
what is bad everywhere else.
Oh yes I am smiling as I type this comment. 
An American song on "Smile":
"Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you"

一些常见的方面文章根本没触及。媒体管控欧洲比美国情况糟糕多了。“文化冲击”只是在用法国的好处去对比其他地方的不好。对了，当我打下这条评论的时候我正在微笑。有首美国歌曲叫“微笑”（这歌MJ翻唱过）“微笑，尽管你很心痛。微笑，即使它正在破碎。当天空飘过云朵，你便可以做到。请用微笑来面对悲伤和恐惧。微笑，也许就在明天，你会发现太阳为你而明亮”