禮節(jié)美語:254 Tipping 2

Lily跟同事Kyle和Jerry在聊西方給小費(fèi)的文化，Jerry是從中國(guó)來的，覺得美國(guó)給小費(fèi)的習(xí)俗很不方便。Lily說，

Lily: I can see how the custom might make visitors uncomfortable. I've heard stories about restaurant staff getting angry at tourists. Some Americans might not realize that tipping is not a custom in many places around the world.

Kyle: In Japan some people get offended if you offer them a tip. Tipping is not a part of their culture at all. They feel quality service is their duty.

L: Every culture looks at this issue very differently.

Jerry: Yeah...back in China tipping goes the other way around! Restaurant owners will often give free drinks or food to customers as a reward for loyalty. So, what happens in Canada or the U.S. if the service is really awful? Can you skip the tip?

在小費(fèi)方面的文化差異，有時(shí)還會(huì)引起糾紛，如果外國(guó)游客不給小費(fèi)，有些不明就理的餐館服務(wù)員就可能感到氣不過。與此同時(shí)，在日本，給別人小費(fèi)，則會(huì)讓人覺得這是一種侮辱，而在中國(guó)，Tipping goes the other way around! 不是顧客給服務(wù)員小費(fèi)，往往是餐館給那些老顧客一些好處，讓他們經(jīng)常來照顧生意。Jerry問，那如果服務(wù)特別差，是不是就不用給小費(fèi)了呢?Kyle回答說，

K: Um..not really. I know some people might reduce the amount as a way of demonstrating they were unhappy. But you pretty much always have to leave a tip.

L: In Canada, we don't tip as much as they do in the U.S. - ten or 15% is fine.

J: But in the states they expect 20%.

K: Yeah that's true. Back in the 1980s it was also about 10 or 15%, but everything has gotten more expensive.

J: Do you really think tipping inspires better service?

Kyle說，給小費(fèi)已經(jīng)是約定俗成的了，即使服務(wù)差，多少也要留一些，美國(guó)的小費(fèi)高一些，多達(dá)消費(fèi)總額的20%，而加拿大稍微少點(diǎn)，10%到15%就夠了。給小費(fèi)的做法真能刺激服務(wù)員，提供更加周到的服務(wù)嗎?Lily覺得：

L: Even though I'm not such a big fan of the practice...actually, I think it does.

K: Yeah, I would have to agree. The staff knows that there is the potential for getting a nice tip if they treat the customers right.

L: The staff will often be more attentive, and will make sure they get all the little details of your order right, because sometimes a generous person might leave them a sizable gratuity.

J: I guess - just like everything - tipping has its pros and cons.

Lily說，雖然 I'm not a big fan of the practice....雖然我不是特別認(rèn)同給小費(fèi)，be a big fan of something 是熱衷，支持某事的意思，這里所說的 the practice 指的就是給小費(fèi)的習(xí)俗，但是她覺得服務(wù)員確實(shí)會(huì)為了多拿小費(fèi)而提供更周到的服務(wù)，對(duì)顧客更加 attentive 無微不至，如果碰上個(gè)大方的顧客，就可能拿到 a sizable gratuity 一筆數(shù)目可觀的小費(fèi)，gratuity is spelled g-r-a-t-u-i-t-y, gratuity也是小費(fèi)的意思。