基于人際交往誤解案例思考中美跨文化交際

摘要：本文選取兩個中美人際交往中引發雙方誤解的典型實例加以剖析，指出民族中心主義對有效跨文化交際可形成阻礙。并提出文化移情的交際策略，以有助于來自不同文化背景交際主體培養跨文化交際意識及提升對文化差異的理解力和適應力。

關鍵詞：人際交往;跨文化交際;民族中心主義;文化移情

二十一世紀以經濟全球化為大背景，同時也促成世界各國文化空前頻繁活躍的互動。根據Samovar 和 Peter 的觀點：“Intercultural communication is communication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event.”[1]由此可見跨文化交際涉及到不同文化背景之下迥然相異的文化知覺和文化符號體系。跨文化交際的實例可謂不勝枚舉，古有印度佛教傳入中國，絲綢之路，鄭和下西洋。今有中美貿易談判，美國制片人拍攝《功夫熊貓》，中國學子忙于博取雅思高分而后考入夢寐以求的美國名校。本文選取的相關案例均出自2003年 Stephen Smith 所著Culture in Contrast：Miscommunication and Misunderstanding between Chinese and North Americans。

1. A Gift from a Chinese Student

Xie Dong did his graduate study in an American university.He came back to China for a summer vacation.When he went back to his program，he paid his supervisor a visit and presented him a gift.

The professor opened the gift.It was a ginseng with many tiny roots spreading out in a very artistic pattern.It clearly was an expensive gift.

The professor’s eyes shone at the ginseng，but he then began to feel uneasy.“Xie Dong，I appreciate your kindness，but I can’t take it as a gift.”

“Why？ Don’t you like it？” It was Xie Dong’s turn to be uneasy now.

“Oh，sure，I love it.But I can’t accept it.”

“Because I didn’t do anything to deserve such a gift.”

為什么美國導師盡管喜歡，卻婉拒了中國學生的人參禮物呢？中國文化在送禮方面，尤其是受禮者地位高于自己時，傾向于選擇比較貴重的禮物，以示敬意和重視。人參既能體現東方文化符號，又不失貴氣，中國學生用心良苦，借此表達對導師教誨的感激，同時可令恩師滋補身體。但從美國教授的角度，學生完全可以通過其它的禮物來致謝，如一束鮮花，一盒巧克力等等，禮雖輕，但情意厚重。要讓學生如此破費送禮，美國教授會深感不安。而學生也覺得很尷尬，覺得自身有賄賂導師之嫌。

2.Simple Can be Special

Wenhong had an American professor in he economics class in China.She had given the professor a lot of help during the course.At the end of the semester the professor and his wife invited her to their home for dinner.They said they are going to cook her an American meal.

Wenhong felt very flattered and excite，since McDonald，KFC and Pizza Hut had been her only exposure to western cooking.

They had salad to start with，then steak with potatoes，followed by ice-cream.Wenhong had expected more courses but the meal came to an end.She knew the professor and his wife were being kind to her，somehow she was a little disappointed.She wondered whether Americans do eat like that at home.

中國飲食文化源遠流長，國人請客吃飯菜品繁多，往往在席間不斷上菜，晚餐則更加隆重，以示殷勤的待客之道。然而美國教授夫婦款待溫紅的美式晚餐在她看來，過于簡單，甚至有些許令人失望。可美國人招待客人通常從餐前小點和飲料開始。之后就是作為主菜的牛排。餐后可有甜點如冰淇淋一類。而且美國夫婦在家宴請中國學生就是誠意的表現，他們尊重對方，希望能與她共同分享日常生活的點滴。而如果是單純的工作關系，則邀請至餐廳即可。所以一頓看似簡約，有失殷勤的美國家庭晚餐其實蘊涵著濃厚的真情。

從上述兩個實例中，不難發現導致交際主體雙方誤解的根源在于民族中心主義（ethnocentrism）。不可否認，特定的文化背景會對人的文化意識形成潛移默化的塑造，但如果過分地以本民族文化或國家為中心，將本土文化價值理念強加或者凌駕于他族文化內涵之上，主觀武斷地評判異國人士的人際交往方式、社會習俗或者言行舉止，則無法有效知曉乃至認同他們的文化符號及其交際禮儀規范，從而導致誤解產生。

如何解決中美人際交往的誤解與沖突？文化移情（cultural empathy）在跨文化交際中可以使交際雙方相互適應，實現和諧流暢的情感交流和溝通。這要求“交際主體自覺地轉換立場，在交際中有意識地超越本土文化的俗套和框架模式，擺脫自身的文化束縛，置身于另一種文化模式中，如實地感受、領悟和理解另一種文化。”[2]要消除中美跨文化人際交往的誤解，需要雙方共同努力，深化對他方文化及其相應價值體系的理解，換位思考，求同存異，擯棄刻板的思維定式，有意識地培養對他方文化的敏銳度，并轉化為人際交往的行動指南，以促成交際的順利完成。

【參考文獻】

[1]Samovar，L.A.amp; Peter，R.E.Communication between Cultures[M].Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，2000.

[2]高永晨.跨文化交際中文化移情的適度原則[J].外語與外語教學，2003（08）