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民族 The demographic changes of the past forty years have significantly altered the face of German society. While formerly very homogeneous, Germany’s population has evolved over the past decades into a socially and culturally diversified country. Of Germany’s 82.3 million residents, nineteen percent have an immigrant background, meaning they are foreigners, repatriates of German descent, or children of foreign-born parents. 最近四十年的人口变化极大的改变了德国的面貌。以前社会是非常同质化的，而经过几十年的发展，社会逐渐形成了社会意义和文化意义上的多样性，在德国八千二百三十万的常住人口中，19%有移民背景，意味着他们是外国人，引入的德国后裔或者是出生在外国的家长的孩子。 Religious Tradition 宗教传统 64.1 percent of the German population belongs to Christian denominations. 31.4 percent are Roman Catholic, and 32.7 percent are affiliated with Protestantism (the figures are known accurately because Germany imposes a church tax on those who disclose a religious affiliation). The North and East is predominantly Protestant, the South and West rather Catholic. Historically, Germany had a substantial Jewish population. Only a few thousand people of Jewish origin remained in Germany after the Holocaust, but the German Jewish community now has approximately 100,000 members, many from the former Soviet Union. Germany also has a substantial Musilim minority, most of whom are from Turkey. 64.1%的人口属于基督教之教派之中，31.4%的人是天主教徒，还有32.7%的人隶属于新教（以上数字是准确的，因为德国对隶属于宗教的人征收教堂税）。住在东北区域的人主要信新教，住在南北方向的人信天主教的更多。从历史上说，德国有着巨大的犹太人口。大屠杀以后，只有几千犹太人的血脉留在德国，但是德国现在的犹太人团体大约有十万之众，他们大多来自苏联。德国还有少数穆斯林，他们中大多来自土耳其。 German lifestyle 德国生活方式 The following traditional German saying probably describes it best, "Food and drink hold the body and soul together." 接下来这句德国的古语说的好：“食物和饮料让身体和灵魂在一起”。 Germany is the world’s eighth largest wine producer, and ten percent of German wine is exported to the United States 德国是世界上第八大制酒商，并且其中10%出口到美国。 Few traditions color the world's perception of Germany more than the brewing and drinking of beer. And with 1300 active breweries, beer is still an important part of German culture. 没有什么传统比酿造啤酒和喝啤机更让德国给世界留下印象了。现在有着超过130家活跃的啤酒企业，啤酒是德国文化中很重要的一块。 The influence of the various immigrant groups is most noticeable in the gastronomic and food sector. Many Germans love the healthy Asian and light Mediterranean cuisine. In fact, you often have to look long and hard to find a typical German restaurant, while Italian, Greek, Chinese, Spanish or Thai restaurants are lined up, one after the other. 在烹饪和食品行业，各种移民的印象是最显而易见的，许多的德国人喜欢健康的亚洲和清淡的地中海式饮食。事实上，你常常花很多时间去努力寻找但是还难找到一家典型的德国饭馆，同时意大利，希腊，中国，西班牙或者泰国菜馆却一家接一家的一字排开。 However, not only the eating habits of Germans have changed. Their whole lifestyle has as well. One could say that German students have become more relaxed, easy-going and cosmopolitan as a result of the many different contacts with people and cultures from all around the world. They have, above all, been inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle. Besides working, which continues to play an important role, of course, they also like to dedicate plenty of time and space for some fun and joie de vivre. 然而，不仅仅是德国的饮食习惯改变了，他们整体的生活方式也变了。有人说由于和来自世界各地的不同人与文化对话，德国的学生变得更加悠闲，好处，四海为家。最重要的是，他们都被地中海式的生活方式所鼓舞。除了依然有很大作用的工作，他们也为了一些生活情趣花费时间和空间。 Punctuality 守时 Be on Time! Punctuality is seen not as a courtesy but as precondition for future relations. Most Germans arrive 5-10 minutes early and take this for granted from everyone. Arriving more than two minutes late to a meeting is seen as rude and will be tolerated only with unknowing strangers, unless you can give good reason in your defense. It is seen as a courtesy to call the other participants if you seem to run late. Regular delays are seen as a disrespect for the other participants. 对于以后的关系，守时不仅仅是礼貌问题，而是先决条件。大多数德国人提早5到10分钟到，每个人都认为这是理所当然的。德国人认为约会迟到两分钟以上是很粗鲁的，只对那些不认识的陌生人容忍，除非你的辩护里有充足的理由。一个礼貌是如果你快要迟到了，最好打电话告诉其他参加者。总是迟到被认为是对其他人的无礼。 Family 家庭 Diversity characterises how and with whom Germans live. An estimated 800,000 marriages in Germany are bi-national. In one-in-six weddings, at least one of the partners comes from abroad. This in turn means that ever more children in Germany are growing up with several cultures and languages, and so are particularly well equipped for the challenges of a globalised world. 德国现在有怎样的的多元化特征。一个估计是在德国有八十万场婚姻两人是来自两国的。每六个婚礼中有一个，至少两人中一人来自外国。这也意味着在德国有更多的小孩子在不同的文化和语言下长大，这恰恰为国际化的挑战做好了准备。1 Many different kinds of family structures also exist. The traditional Mom-Dad-2 Kids model is increasingly being replaced by a kind of patchwork family: people get divorced, then live together with their new partner, with children from various relationships. In addition, many single parents or same-sex relationships are bringing up their own or adopted children. Since 2001, gay partners can be registered as a couple and enjoy similar rights as married couples. Importantly, one marked difference about married Germans is that they wear the wedding ring on their right hand not their left. 还存在着不同的家庭架构。传统的爸爸妈妈还有两个孩子的模式渐渐为一种拼凑的家庭所取代：父母离婚，他们和新的对象在一起，孩子有着不同的亲戚。此外单身者和同性恋者带大或者收养的孩子。从2001年起，同性恋这可以注册结婚并享有类似夫妻的权利。很重要的是，一个标志性的区别是结过婚德国人在右手而不是做手上戴结婚戒指。 Sports 运动 Sport forms an integral part of German life, as demonstrated by the fact that 27 million Germans are members of a sports club and an additional twelve million pursue such an activity individually. Soccer is by far the most popular sport, and the German Soccer Federation (Deutscher Fussballbund) with more than 6.3 million members is the largest athletic organisation in the country. It also attracts the greatest audience, with hundreds of thousands of spectators attending top German National League (Bundesliga) matches and millions more watching on television. The other two most popular sports in Germany are marksmanship and tennis.Other popular sports include handball, volleyball, basketball and ice hockey. 运动是德国人生活中的主要部分，两千七百万德国人是运动俱乐部的注册会员还有另外一千两百万人每天运动阐明了这样一个事实。有着六百三十万会员的德国足球联盟（ Deutscher Fussballbund ）是德国最大的运动机构。他也吸引了大量的观众，成千上万的德国观众参加德国足球联盟（ (Bundesliga ）比赛，更多的几百万人在电视机前看比赛。在德国另外两个最流行的运动是射击和打网球，其他运动还有手球，排球，篮球和冰球。 Greetings 问候 Greetings are formal. A quick, firm handshake is the traditional greeting. Titles are important and denote respect. Use a person's title and their surname until invited to use their first name. You should say Herr or Frau and the person's title and their surname. If you are invited to a German's house, bring a small gift such as chocolates or flowers. Gifts are usually opened when received. 问候是正式的。一个简洁有力的握手是传统的问候。头衔也是很重要并体现尊重的。在叫人名前面先叫人的头衔和姓。你应该叫还有叫人家头衔和姓。如果你被邀请到德国人家里去，买一份像巧克力或者鲜花这样的小礼品。人们常常收礼时打开礼物。 Table manners 餐桌礼仪 Table manners are continental -- the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. Do not begin eating until the hostess starts or someone says 'Guten Appetit' (good appetite). Indicate you have finished eating by laying your knife and fork parallel across the right side of your plate, with the fork over the knife. The most common toast with wine is 'Zum Wohl!' ('good health'). The most common toast with beer is 'Prost!' 餐桌礼仪是很大陆化的，左手拿叉子，右手拿刀。在主人没有又说“”（祝胃口好）之前不要开始吃饭。将你的刀叉并摆在盘子的右边位置，叉子放在刀上表示你吃完了。最常用的葡萄酒祝酒词是“ Zum Wohl! ”（身体好），啤酒的最常见祝酒词是“”（ Prost ）祝贺。 Germans and Americans… some observations to be taken with a grain of salt: 德国和美国...对有些观察持怀疑态度 Germans and Americans have a few different standards regarding what constitutes "politeness". Americans tend to define politeness in terms of "friendliness": smiling, telling "white lies" to avoid hurting people's feelings, pretending to like people even if we don't, saying "Hi, how are you?" whether we really care how they are or not, etc. Germans, however, tend to consider "respect" to be the proper way to show "politeness", and "respect" assumes that the other person wants an honest answer. 德国和美国对于什么构成了礼貌有着相差无多的标准。美国人通常以友谊的角度定义礼貌：“微笑，为了避免伤害别人的感情说‘白色谎言’，即使不喜欢也假装喜欢别人，无论是否真的关心别人也说‘嗨，过的怎么样？’等等”。德国人常常认为尊重是表达礼貌的一种方式，并且尊重假定别人想要一个真诚的回答。 Humor 幽默 Dour. Unfunny. Serious. Such is the reputation of the German in much of the world. Problem is though, it's simply not true. While not everyone in the country is quite as ready with a joke as Hans and Franz, nor as outlandish as Dieter, the German funny bone is quite well developed. Self-deprecation, irony, sarcasm, and a sharp wit are to be found in abundance -- and often you have to really be paying attention. Nor is it easy to pin down. Germany has almost as many different ways of making you laugh as there are different dialects in the country. The following are just some of the stereotypes: 沉闷，严肃，无趣，这就是德国人在世界上的口碑。问题是，这并不是真的。在这个国家虽然不是每个人都像汉斯和弗朗茨准备一个笑话，但他们也没有像瓦内克那样古怪，德国人有着很好的幽默感。可以发现很多自嘲,讽刺、挖苦和尖锐机智，并且你需要真的注意他们，它们也很确认，德国有很多不同的方式去开你玩笑，并且这个国家有着不同方言，下面就是一个陈词。 The Bavarian: Humor just north of the Alps tends to be anything but subtle. In-your-face slapstick abounds as do hearty belly laughs around the Biergarten table. 巴伐利亚人：幽默就像阿尔卑斯山的东面，倾向于是微妙而不是其他什么。在啤酒屋的餐桌上有很多放肆的闹剧和真心的捧腹大笑。 The Rhinelander: Germans from the Rhineland are crazy about Karneval. Each year, Cologne and many other cities shut down just to party for a week. Besides copious drinking, part of the fest is ritualized joke telling in massive halls. 莱茵兰德人：来自莱茵兰德的德国人狂热的爱好嘉年华。每年，克隆和其他许多城市都会为了聚会停工一个星期，除了很多酒水，集会的一部分就是大厅里程式化的讲笑话。 The Berliner: Germany's capital is famous for its Schnauze-- literally "snout" -- which is essentially shorthand for its big city attitude. Always quick with a retort, the Berliner is very definitely not a stranger to sarcasm. But so long as you're not overly sensitive, the snarky comments can often be hilarious. Just be ready with your own quick cutdown. A true Berliner will respect getting taken down a peg as much as making fun of somebody else. 柏林市民：德国的首都以雪纳瑞（字面意思是‘鼻子’）出名，这是他大城市的速记态度，柏林市民常常讽刺，有着敏捷的回击。但是只要你不是过于敏感，这些无力的评价常常很欢乐。准备好让自己迅速的回击。在真正的柏林人开别人玩笑的时候，他们也准备着自己被别人说成一头猪。 The Hamburger: No, we're not talking about American fast food here. The Hamburger is synonymous with the clichéd assumptions about Germany's supposedly cool and calm northern residents. Don't expect the knee-slapping, belly laugh of the Bavarian -- it's all about understatement and irony up north. Deadpan delivery and witty banter are the way to tickle the Hamburger's funny bone. 汉堡人：不，我们这讲的不是美国的便利食品。这个汉堡人和德国人是冷酷镇定的北方居民的陈旧假设同义。别在巴伐利亚指望亲密无间，捧腹大笑。这是对北方的陈词滥调和讽刺，不动声色的教育和善意的玩笑满足了汉堡人的幽默感。 Making friends 交朋友 German students may seem a bit distant and uncommunicative at first. Don't give up! Once you have made your first few contacts things will pickup and you are bound to be included in the numerous social activities of German students. Note that the German Freund involves a closer, much steadier relationship than its English counterpart “friend.” 起初，德国学生开起来有一点冷淡和拘礼。别放弃！一点你开始做了一点联系以后事情就会带你走，你肯定会被包括在无数德国学生的社交活动内。注意德国的朋友比英国类似的朋友概念亲密的多。 Tipping 小费 Unlike in some other countries, service staff is always paid by the hour (albeit not always that well). A tip is a matter of politeness and shows your appreciation. If you didn't appreciate the service (e.g. slow, snippy or indifferent service), reduce the tip accordingly or don't tip at all. 不像其他一些国家，服务生按小时收费（其实不全是这样）。消费是礼貌的问题，同时还表示了你的感谢。如果你不满意服务（比如很慢，傲慢或是冷漠的服务）适当的降低你的小费或者根本不给。 Since the introduction of the Euro, a tip (Trinkgeld, lit. "drink money") of about 5-10% is customary if you were satisfied with the service. Nonetheless, service charge is already included in an item's unit price so what you see is what you pay. 自从引入欧元，小费（赏钱）如果你满意服务的话大约是消费额的5-10%。但是通常小费是包含在商品费用里的，所以你看到多少付多少。 Tipping in Germany is usually done by mentioning the total while paying. So if eg. a waiter tells you the bill amounts to "€13.50", just state "15" and he will include a tip of €1.50. 在德国付小费的时候常常是在付账提到总价的时候。所以，如果一个服务生告诉你价钱是13.5欧元并且只是说15，那么1,5元是他的小费。 Tipping in other situations (unless otherwise indicated): 在其他情形下的小费 Taxi driver: 5%-10% (at least €1) 出租车司机，5-10%（至少一欧元）。 Housekeeping: €1-2 per day 客房服务：每天1-2欧元。 Carrying luggage: €1 per piece 搬行李：1欧元一件。 Public toilet attendants: €0.30-0.70 公厕：0.3-0.7欧元。 SHOPPING 购物 Be prepared to bag your own groceries and goods as well as provide your own shopping bags for doing so. While most stores provide plastic as well as canvas shopping bags at the checkout, you are charged for them. 自己拿杂货还有自己带袋子。虽然大多数商店在付账那里有塑料袋和帆布袋，但是你要付费。 LIFESTYLE 生活方式 Most cities have a vibrant gay and lesbian scene, especially Berlin and Cologne. The Berlin tourism agency and other tourism organisations have started campaigns to attract gay and lesbian travellers to their cities. In fact, some politicians (e.g. the Mayors of Berlin and Hamburg) and stars in Germany are homo- and bisexuals. 大多数城市都有男同和女同的场面，特别是在柏林和科隆。柏林旅游中介和其他旅游组织开设吸引同性恋者的活动。事实上，德国有些政治家（比如柏林和汉堡的市长）和明星是同性或双性恋者。 |
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