The British love a ‘natter’, a ‘chat’ and a ‘chin-wag’ – which is to say that we enjoy a conversation. There are, however, some topics that are best avoided. Here is a list of four that will raise eyebrows in polite company. It’s not all foreboding though: I’ve included some suggestions that’ll help you get British chins wagging.

英国人可喜欢絮叨、聊天和唠嗑了——我们喜欢与人交谈。但有一些话题还是不要提起的好。如果你和英国人提到以下四个例子，对方即使再有礼貌也会皱起眉头。不过这篇文章也不全是关于这些给人带来不祥预感的话题，最后也包括了些建议让你可以挑起英国人民的话头。

SEX

性

It is illustrative of British embarrassment that I feel awkward just typing the three letter word S-E-X. In Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hugh Grant (as ever playing the stereotypical Englishman) asks another guest at a wedding whether his girlfriend is well. The guest replies: ‘she’s actually no longer my girlfriend’. Awkward enough, but then Mr Grant’s character, in an attempt to console the man, makes it much worse. He causally mentions that the lady in question had not always been perfectly loyal to his conversant. The erstwhile boyfriend chokes on his champagne. ‘She’s now my wife’ he reveals. Given the choice, most Brits would prefer a picnic on an active volcano to being in this situation.

单单把这个字的三个字母(S-E-X)打出来，我就已经想钻地洞了，现在你知道英国人有多容易尴尬了吧。电影《四个婚礼和一个葬礼》中，休·格兰特(一如既往地饰演了传统的英国男人角色)在一场婚礼上问一个客人他女朋友怎么样。客人回答道：“她已经不是我女朋友了。”够尴尬了吧，但之后格兰特的角色还想去安慰那个客人，情况愈演愈劣。他随意提到话中的女士对这个客人劈过腿。“前男友”听了被香槟呛到一口，说：“她现在是我妻子。”大多英国人宁可选择在活火山上野餐也不想陷入如此尴尬的境地。

The British reticence about matters of a carnal nature is inherited from the 19th century. The Victorians were notorious prudes. They would even go so far as to cover-up a table leg, fearing that it would look immodest if left exposed. After the ‘sexual revolution’ of the 1960s we’re more open (no-one thinks twice before leaving a table leg naked) but sex remains a taboo subject in polite conversation.

英国这种不愿谈论露骨话题的习惯要从19世纪说起。维多利亚时代人民的假正经是众所周知的。他们甚至觉得桌腿看起来太下流，要把它遮起来。60年代“性解放”后，我们变得更开放(没有人会在遮不遮桌腿这种问题上浪费时间)，但在礼貌的交谈中，性还是属于一大禁忌。

RELIGION

宗教

During the Tudor period of English history, expressing a religious opinion might lead to execution. Modern Britain is very multicultural, and though one is unlikely to lose one’s head as the consequence of a careless remark, religious debate remains a precarious topic. Faith is seen as a private matter, and it would be considered rude to simply ask someone what religion they belong to. It’s best to keep off the topic until you are better acquainted.

在英国历史上的都铎王朝阶段，表明自己的宗教立场也许会被处以死刑。现代英国具有多元文化，随便说话不会让你被斩首，但宗教还是一个危险的话题。信仰属于私人范畴，随便问别人信什么教会被认为很没礼貌。这话题还是留到你们更熟了以后再说吧。

POLITICS

政治

There is a defunct Oxford tradition, dating from the dark days when the university only accepted men, prohibiting any mention of sex, religion and politics during a formal dinner. Anyone who broke the rule would be forced to drink a huge jug of beer, and if he was unable to finish it in one go would have to pay the bill. I’ve mentioned sex and religion already, and the third traditional taboo – politics – is just as dangerous as the others. As with religion, it is considered extremely impolite to ask someone what political party they support, or which way they vote. Many political topics cause sharp divides amongst the British public – UK membership of the EU and Scottish independence are the highest profile at the time of writing. Save in-depth political discussion until you are better acquainted.

有个已过气的传统曾经流传在牛津只收男生的那段黑暗时期(对男生来说无比黑暗…)：任何人在正式晚宴上绝不能提到性、宗教或政治。破坏规矩的人要强行喝下一大壶啤酒，一口气喝不完的话，这个人要付钱。之前提了性和宗教，第三个禁忌——政治——和其他两个一样危险。就像宗教一样，问一个人他支持什么党派或者他投了谁的票也是特别无礼的行为。很多政治话题造成了英国民众的巨大分歧，例如本人撰写此文时最火的：英国于欧盟是留是走、苏格兰独立等。还是等你们更熟了再来深度讨论政治话题吧。

MONEY

钱

The fourth and final of the major taboo subjects is personal wealth. Expect horrified looks if you ask someone what their salary is. It is, however, perfectly acceptable to talk about how much famous people earn, especially if they are paid to play football. You’ll never be unpopular if you express outrage at Wayne Rooney being paid £300,000 a week, which is over ten times the annual average in the UK. Even the most rabid of Manchester United fans will agree that this is a bit silly; just don’t mention it if you happen to meet Mr Rooney himself.

最后一个重大禁忌是个人财富。如果你问到别人的薪水，等着他目瞪口呆吧。但是讨论名人收入倒没关系，特别是足球运动员。韦恩·鲁尼每周赚30万英镑，这比英国人平均年薪的10倍还多。如果你对此表示愤慨，不用担心没人附和。即使是最最疯狂的曼联粉丝也会承认给这么多不太明智;只要在你碰到鲁尼本人的时候不要讲就好了。

WHAT YOU CAN TALK ABOUT...

你可以谈论…

It might seem that no topic is safe in British company. Don’t be scared – there is plenty to natter about. The classic conversation starter is to make an observation on the weather. The weather changes frequently in England, which means that this gambit can often be used numerous times in the same day. It’s usually best to be on the pessimistic side, as if you are then contradicted and the conversation begins on a happy note. Good lines include ‘what fantastic weather, but I doubt it’ll last until the afternoon’ and ‘what awful weather, no doubt it’ll be raining until next year now’.

貌似和英国人聊什么都不行。别怕，其实可以聊的东西可多呢。一般可以从天气聊起。英国的天气很多变，所以这个梗一天可用多次。最好一开始悲观点，以便于之后来个话风一转，开始谈论节奏愉快的话题。比如，你可以说“天气棒呆了，不过下午就要变脸了吧”，还有“天气烂透了，这雨会下到明年吧”。

After discussing the weather there is unlikely to be time for more conversation, or by then the weather might have changed allowing you to start again. In the unlikely event that you do manage to exhaust this topic of conversation, don’t be afraid to talk a little about yourself. British people are generally interested in the world, and will be keen to know where you come from and your life there. You can then mirror their questions: for instance, if they ask whereabouts in China you come from, you can enquire as to which part of the UK they call home. You’ll soon find yourself a new friend, or at the very least you’ll learn something about the weather forecast and the geography of Great Britain.

聊完天气，一般没什么时间再聊其他的，或者那时老天已经变脸了，你就可以再来一遍。难得有时你说尽了这个话题的话，就聊聊自己吧。英国人大多天性好奇，会很想知道你来自何方还有你在那里的生活。之后你就可以模仿他来问问题：比如，如果他们问你从中国哪里来，你也可以问他们的家乡在英国哪儿。这样的话就马上可以交到新朋友了，就算交不到朋友，至少也会更了解天气预报或英国地理。