老美告訴你：會“說”英語遠遠不夠

Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar. To use English effectively, you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken. Here are a number of important tips to remember when speaking English in the United States.
說英語不僅僅在於語法正確，想要得心應手地使用英語，你還得了解語言的文化背景。如果你在美國說英語，那麼接下來的小貼士能夠提醒你需要注意的地方。

General Points to Remember
你需要記住的是：

Most Americans only speak English1: While it is true that more and more Americans speak Spanish, most Americans only speak English. Don't expect them to understand your native language.
大多數美國人只說英語：雖然現在越來越多美國人說西班牙語，但是大部分美國人仍然只說英語。所以就別太期望他們能理解你的母語。

Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents: Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you!
美國人理解外國口音有困難：很多美國人並不習慣外國口音，因此需要你們之間的耐心交流。

Conversation Tips
對話貼士

Speak about location: Americans love to talk about location. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they are from and then make a connection with that place. For example: "Oh, I have a friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says it's a beautiful place to live." Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.
談論地點：美國人很喜歡聊關於地點的話題，當你與一位外國人初次交談的時候，可以詢問他們的家鄉以及與該地方相關的問題。比如說，“啊，我有一個在洛杉磯讀書的朋友，他覺得那裏很漂亮。”接着，大多數美國人都會很樂意與你交談他們在那個地方生活或觀光的經歷。

Talk about work: Americans commonly ask "What do you do?". It's not considered impolite (as in some countries) and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
談論工作：美國人通常會問 “What do you do?” 雖然在某些國家這是無禮的問題，但在美國不是的，這只是一個陌生人之間的流行話題。

Talk about sports: Americans love sports! However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most Americans understand "American Football", not soccer.
談論體育：美國人太熱愛體育運動了！不過，他們熱愛的是美國體育。當聊到football的時候，絕大多數美國人想到的是橄欖球而不是英式足球。

Be careful when expressing ideas about race, religion or other sensitive topics: The United States is a multi-cultural society. Especially in the last few years, Americans are trying very hard to be sensitive to other cultures and ideas. Talking about sensitive topics like religion or beliefs is often avoided in order to be sure not to offend someone of a different belief system. This is often referred to as being "politically correct".
當談到關於種族，宗教或其他敏感話題的時候要注意：美國是一個多元文化的社會，特別是在這幾年，美國人對不同的文化和觀點特別敏感。在美國，像宗教或個人信仰的敏感話題通常是避免在交談中提到的，以免對別人造成冒犯。這就是通常所說的“政治正確”。Addressing People
稱呼他人

Use last names with people you do not know: Address people using their title (Mr, Ms, Dr) and their last names.
對於不熟悉的人，請使用姓來稱呼。稱呼人的時候，使用頭銜（如先生，女士，博士等）加上他們的姓。

Always use "Ms" when addressing women: It is important to use "Ms" when addressing a woman. Only use "Mrs" when the woman has asked you to do so!
請使用 “Ms” 來稱呼女性：用 “Ms” 來稱呼女性是比較重要的，只有在她要求你稱呼她爲 “Mrs” 的時候才這樣做。

Many Americans prefer first names: Americans often prefer using first names, even when dealing with people in very different positions. Americans will generally say, "Call me Tom." and then expect you to remain on a first name basis.
美國人偏愛使用名字：美國人喜歡別人使用名字來稱呼他們，即使雙方的身份不同也這樣做。美國人一般會說，“叫我Tom”，並且他希望你就這樣稱呼，不需要客氣。

Americans prefer informal: In general, Americans prefer informal greetings and using first names or nicknames when speaking with colleagues and acquaintances.
美國人更不拘小節：一般來說，美國人更喜歡非正式的問候語，當提到同事和熟人的時候會使用他們的名字或暱稱。

Public Behavior
公共場合的行爲

Always shake hands: Americans shake hands when greeting each other. This is true for both men and women. Other forms of greeting such as kissing on the cheeks, etc., is generally not appreciated.
握手的必須的：美國人在互相致意的時候都會握手，這是男女通用的，然而其他的問候方式如親吻臉頰等，則不那麼常用。

Look your partner in the eye: Americans look each other in the eyes when they are speaking as a way of showing that they are sincere.
看着對方的眼睛：爲表示真誠，美國人在與別人交談的時候會看着對方的眼睛。

Don't hold hands: Same sex friends do not usually hold hands or put their arms around each other in public in the United States.
別拉手：在美國，同性朋友在公共場合並不太會拉手或者挽住對方的胳膊。

Smoking is Out!!: Smoking, even in public places, is strongly disapproved of by most Americans in the modern United States.
不許抽菸！！在當代美國，抽菸，特別是在公共場合，是非常不被人們接受的行爲。