Is it true that Russian people don’t smile at you unless they know you well?
俄羅斯人不了解你就不會(huì)對(duì)你微笑,這是真的嗎?
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評(píng)論翻譯
Boris Ivanov
It is different with Russians who are trained to smile (for example, hotel workers) but in general, the answer is yes. We have a saying that I creatively translate as “Smile without a reason is a sign of treason” (it’s actually “…a sign of stupidity”). Our culture doesn’t value fake polite smiles aimed at strangers.
In some situations, smiling at a stranger may be interpreted as laughing at him/her. And that would be an affront. Particularly uncouth Russians may react to a stranger's wide smile with violence. So, having a stone face while communicating with locals is a good idea for a tourist, especially if he/she travels in the areas of Russia where foreigners are rare.
Of course, all of that doesn’t mean that we don’t smile. We do, just not all the time. We prefer sincere and honest smiles aimed at people we know, like and enjoy.
Pictured - ISS cosmonauts. Note the Russian one (Dmitry Kondratiev).
Anna Karenian
Actually, easy smiling is a feature of the British-American culture only.
In all other cultures, more or less established, a unfamiliar person is accepted amicably by default, so no supplementary profession of amicability (i.e. smiling) is required to him/her to be accepted positively by people around. Smiling to unfamiliar persons is unexpected in such cultures and it would be considered as inadequate behavior if no other reason for smiling is apparent to the people exposed.
It is true for the Russian, Eastern-European, Near-Eastern, Oriental, and even for many Western cultures such as the French and the German. In all these cultures, smiling is an exhibition of enough strong emotion, so it needs to be grounded in order to be to the point. It is similar to the laugh to unfamiliar person in the British-American culture.
Susanna Viljanen
Yes. Smile is seen as genuine expression of happiness and rendering yourself vulnerable. Smiling to strangers is considered a sign of retardedness. Why Russians Don’t Smile? - Understand Russia
At worst, someone smiling at you may be considered as a hostile gesture; he is trying to put you down and act as if you were an imbecile.
So do not get upset if you get rude and insensitive service in a Russian restaurant or grocery store. The Russians themselves are perfectly content with it.
Dmitry Baranov
Russians smile when there is a reason to smile, irrespective of the fact they do or do not know you well. If you look funny, joke nicely, or say something nice but to the point — even to someone you don't know — then a Russian will most probably smile.
Just passing by — no matter if you do or don't know a person — is not enough of a reason to give someone a smile, or to expect a smile from someone.
Shutaka Host
I’m a Ukrainian, but in this at least we behave identically. There are a lot of good answers here and yes normally smiling at strangers is frowned upon.
However, even if you know a person, smiling at them is not required or even expected in everyday situations. Take work environment for example. People work together, they know each other, sometimes for years. Yet, when I come to work in the morning and greet my colleagues I usually do not smile unless I have a reason to (e.g. a colleague I’m close to just came back from vacation and I’m glad they are back). And they don’t smile back. And that’s not perceived as gloomy, just a normal morning around friendly but unsmiling people.
There are people though (I’ve met several during the years at my workplaces) that always smile when the greet you in the morning. They are either foreigners, or they are not. Those who are not leave a very peculiar impression. Because if a foreigner smiles at you in the morning you just know this is a habit and does not mean they are happy to see you. When a local does that, it actually means they are glad to see you, those people make my day brighter. Such sunny, earnest and optimistic people are rare and should be treasured.
Of course, those traits should be treasured in anyone, but with foreigners we (Ukrainians) never know if they are smiling out of habit, politeness or are really glad about something. I’ve had clients from the US come and smile at everyone and be super friendly and give an impression everything goes well and then break off contract the next day seemingly without a warning. This behavior is very misleading to people who smile only when there is a reason to smile, but I learned this is how things are normally done in the US and some other countries.
Richard Garrett
Yes, more or less.
Meeting a stranger or even being gracious to a stranger does not warrant a broad grin. They’ll tell you where the train station is, but they won’t smile about simply encountering you.
I don’t know why, but I don’t think it needs explaining. Why do Americans want to grin at strangers? There are reasons we might go into, but what’s the point?
One gets used to it. Not grinning at strangers is not hostility. Clerks in stores don’t grin or ask you how your day is. They just do their job.
In a way, it’s honest.
I once shared a First Class train room with a Russian man. Shortly after departure, the
“Stewardess” brought a placard with meal sextions. The man told her what he wanted, then gestured to me to do the same. I said I don’t speak the Russian language (in Russian). He scoffed, almost spit, ordered something for me, then showed no more interest in me all night.
The fact that I was obviously some kind of tourist was of no interest to him. I didn’t speak Russian, I was like a bug. No reason for me to be there, too much trouble to deal with.
I was not offended. I was chagrined to travel there with so little knowledge of the language. I got what I deserved. Nobody beat me, but nobody catered to me. I found that fair.
For some reason, I love Russian people. Part of that admiration is the not smiling and faking it. Public encounters are less “friendly,” but they’re more in keeping with reality and my own spirit.
To be sure, when they know you, it’s different. They will smother you with smiles and hospitality. Very warm people.
Vic Mayten
Russians and anyone with ex-Soviet background smile when they really feel this way and wouldn’t smile if they don’t feel like it. It has nothing to do with whether they know you or not. It’s like laughing at a joke that’s not funny. Smiling at everything or anyone you meet I think is very idiotic and doesn’t show any so called friendliness. I am not saying you should be looking frown upon with your forehead at anyone you see but normal look on your face should be sufficient enough and smiling should be something extra if you really feel like it.
It all comes from the American lifestyle although I must let everyone know that not all of us (Americans) behave this way.
Now you might say that Russians look gloomy at times and very unfriendly - now that perhaps is not very nice but not all Russians look at you this way (a lot but not all) and also it doesn’t mean their look represents what they think about you personally - in most cases this is the way they look at life in general and perhaps their life is not that happy. Take it easy, don’t take it personally.
Catherine Macievskaya
No. But there is no such social norm in Russia to smile to strangers. I think that in some other countries it’s more like a ritual. It has no deep meaning. A cultural norm and tradition. It’s what people got used to do without ever questioning why they do this. Russian people got used to another norm without ever questioning it. They can smile to strangers, but they don’t usually smile just in the name of smiling. If they move to another country, they have no problems adapting to new social expectations and sometimes find it exciting. It’s a cultural tradition that belongs to this place. When people in Russia smile, it usually means something personal. A stranger can show you a smile if he/she really likes you. Generally speaking, a smile in Russia is usually perceived as something more than regular politeness, it’s a genuine expression of some emotions. If you started to smile to everybody around, people would think that you are either a foreigner or weirdo, but they're unlikely to take it as anything hostile. Just odd.
It is different with Russians who are trained to smile (for example, hotel workers) but in general, the answer is yes. We have a saying that I creatively translate as “Smile without a reason is a sign of treason” (it’s actually “…a sign of stupidity”). Our culture doesn’t value fake polite smiles aimed at strangers.
In some situations, smiling at a stranger may be interpreted as laughing at him/her. And that would be an affront. Particularly uncouth Russians may react to a stranger's wide smile with violence. So, having a stone face while communicating with locals is a good idea for a tourist, especially if he/she travels in the areas of Russia where foreigners are rare.
Of course, all of that doesn’t mean that we don’t smile. We do, just not all the time. We prefer sincere and honest smiles aimed at people we know, like and enjoy.
Pictured - ISS cosmonauts. Note the Russian one (Dmitry Kondratiev).
受過專門的微笑訓(xùn)練的俄羅斯人可能不同(例如酒店員工),但總的來說,答案是肯定的。
我們有一句話,我創(chuàng)造性地翻譯為:“無緣無故微笑是叛國(guó)的標(biāo)志”(實(shí)際上是“……愚蠢的標(biāo)志”)。
對(duì)陌生人保持假假的禮貌性微笑,這在我們的文化中不被重視。
在某些情況下,對(duì)陌生人微笑,可能會(huì)被理解成在嘲笑他或者她。那將是一種冒犯。
某些特別粗魯?shù)亩砹_斯人,可能會(huì)對(duì)陌生人燦爛的笑容做出暴力的回應(yīng)。
因此,對(duì)于游客來說,在和當(dāng)?shù)厝私涣鞯臅r(shí)候,板著個(gè)臉才是個(gè)好主意。尤其是在那些很少有外國(guó)游客的地方旅行的時(shí)候。
當(dāng)然,這并不意味著我們不笑。我們是這樣做的,只是不是一直都這樣。我們更喜歡對(duì)我們認(rèn)識(shí)、喜歡和欣賞的人,露出真誠(chéng)又誠(chéng)實(shí)的微笑。
圖為國(guó)際空間站的宇航員。注意俄羅斯的那個(gè)(Dmitry Kondratiev)。
Anna Karenian
Actually, easy smiling is a feature of the British-American culture only.
In all other cultures, more or less established, a unfamiliar person is accepted amicably by default, so no supplementary profession of amicability (i.e. smiling) is required to him/her to be accepted positively by people around. Smiling to unfamiliar persons is unexpected in such cultures and it would be considered as inadequate behavior if no other reason for smiling is apparent to the people exposed.
It is true for the Russian, Eastern-European, Near-Eastern, Oriental, and even for many Western cultures such as the French and the German. In all these cultures, smiling is an exhibition of enough strong emotion, so it needs to be grounded in order to be to the point. It is similar to the laugh to unfamiliar person in the British-American culture.
事實(shí)上,輕易微笑只是英美文化的一個(gè)特點(diǎn)。
在所有其他文化中,或多或少的有點(diǎn)約定俗成的認(rèn)為:不熟悉的人應(yīng)該被友好的接納,因此不需要用微笑來補(bǔ)充友善,就能被周圍的人積極的接納。
在這樣的文化中,對(duì)不熟悉的人微笑,是讓人感到意外的。對(duì)一個(gè)已經(jīng)解觸過的人,沒有理由的突然露出微笑,這將被視為不恰當(dāng)?shù)男袨椤?br /> 俄羅斯、東歐、近東、東方,甚至許多西方文化,如法國(guó)和德國(guó),都是如此。在所有這些文化中,笑是一種強(qiáng)烈的情感表達(dá),因此它需要有合理的原因才能恰到好處。它類似于英美文化中對(duì)陌生人的嘲笑。
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Yes. Smile is seen as genuine expression of happiness and rendering yourself vulnerable. Smiling to strangers is considered a sign of retardedness. Why Russians Don’t Smile? - Understand Russia
At worst, someone smiling at you may be considered as a hostile gesture; he is trying to put you down and act as if you were an imbecile.
是的。微笑被視為幸福的真實(shí)表達(dá),并使自己變得脆弱。對(duì)陌生人微笑被認(rèn)為是愚蠢的表現(xiàn)。
鏈接:為什么俄羅斯人不微笑?-了解俄羅斯
在最壞的情況下,某些人對(duì)你微笑,可能會(huì)被認(rèn)為是一種敵對(duì)的姿態(tài)。他試圖貶低你,表現(xiàn)得好像你是個(gè)低能兒。
So do not get upset if you get rude and insensitive service in a Russian restaurant or grocery store. The Russians themselves are perfectly content with it.
所以,如果你在俄羅斯餐館或雜貨店得到粗魯和麻木不仁的服務(wù),不要生氣。俄羅斯人自己對(duì)此完全滿意。
Russians smile when there is a reason to smile, irrespective of the fact they do or do not know you well. If you look funny, joke nicely, or say something nice but to the point — even to someone you don't know — then a Russian will most probably smile.
Just passing by — no matter if you do or don't know a person — is not enough of a reason to give someone a smile, or to expect a smile from someone.
俄羅斯人在有理由微笑的時(shí)候微笑,不管他們是否了解你。
如果你看起來很有趣,很好地開玩笑,或者說了一些好聽但中肯的話——即使他還不認(rèn)識(shí)你——那么俄羅斯人很可能會(huì)微笑。
只是擦肩路過——無論你是否認(rèn)識(shí)這個(gè)人——都不足以成為給某人一個(gè)微笑或期望某人給你一個(gè)微笑的理由。
I’m a Ukrainian, but in this at least we behave identically. There are a lot of good answers here and yes normally smiling at strangers is frowned upon.
However, even if you know a person, smiling at them is not required or even expected in everyday situations. Take work environment for example. People work together, they know each other, sometimes for years. Yet, when I come to work in the morning and greet my colleagues I usually do not smile unless I have a reason to (e.g. a colleague I’m close to just came back from vacation and I’m glad they are back). And they don’t smile back. And that’s not perceived as gloomy, just a normal morning around friendly but unsmiling people.
我是烏克蘭人,但至少在這方面我們的行為是一樣的。
這里有很多很好的答案,是的,通常對(duì)陌生人微笑是不被認(rèn)可的。
然而,即使你認(rèn)識(shí)一個(gè)人,在日常生活中也不需要甚至不要期待互相微笑。
以工作環(huán)境為例。人們?cè)谝黄鸸ぷ?,彼此了解,有時(shí)長(zhǎng)達(dá)數(shù)年。然而,當(dāng)我早上來上班問候同事時(shí),我通常不會(huì)微笑,除非我有理由(例如,我身邊的一位同事剛剛度假回來,我很高興他們回來了)。他們也不回以微笑。這并不被認(rèn)為是消極的,只是一個(gè)正常的早晨而已,周圍都是友好但不茍言笑的人。
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不過,有些人(這些年來我在工作場(chǎng)所見過好幾個(gè))在早上問候你時(shí),總是面帶微笑。他們要么是外國(guó)人,也可能不是。那些不是的人會(huì)給人留下非常奇特的印象。
因?yàn)槿绻粋€(gè)外國(guó)人早上對(duì)你微笑,你就知道這是一種習(xí)慣,并不意味著他們很高興見到你。
當(dāng)一個(gè)當(dāng)?shù)厝诉@樣做時(shí),實(shí)際上意味著他們很高興見到你,這些人讓我的日子更加明亮。這樣陽光、認(rèn)真、樂觀的人是罕見的,應(yīng)該珍惜。
當(dāng)然,任何人都應(yīng)該珍惜這些特質(zhì),但對(duì)于外國(guó)人,我們(烏克蘭人)永遠(yuǎn)不知道他們是出于習(xí)慣、禮貌而微笑,還是真的對(duì)某事感到高興。
我有一些來自美國(guó)的客戶,一來就對(duì)每個(gè)人都微笑,表現(xiàn)得非常友好,給人一種一切順利的印象,然后第二天就毫無征兆地解除了合同。
這種行為對(duì)那些只有在有理由微笑的時(shí)候,才會(huì)微笑的人來說,是非常有誤導(dǎo)性的,但我了解到,在美國(guó)和其他一些國(guó)家,事情通常是這樣做的。
Yes, more or less.
Meeting a stranger or even being gracious to a stranger does not warrant a broad grin. They’ll tell you where the train station is, but they won’t smile about simply encountering you.
I don’t know why, but I don’t think it needs explaining. Why do Americans want to grin at strangers? There are reasons we might go into, but what’s the point?
One gets used to it. Not grinning at strangers is not hostility. Clerks in stores don’t grin or ask you how your day is. They just do their job.
是的,或多或少有點(diǎn)。
遇到陌生人,可以對(duì)陌生人彬彬有禮,但不值得咧嘴一笑。他們會(huì)告訴你火車站在哪里,但他們不會(huì)因?yàn)橛龅侥愣⑿Α?br /> 我不知道為什么,但我認(rèn)為這不需要解釋。
為什么美國(guó)人想對(duì)陌生人咧嘴笑?我們可能會(huì)探討出一些原因,但這有什么意義呢?
大家已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了。不對(duì)陌生人咧嘴笑,并不代表著有敵意。商店里的店員不會(huì)咧嘴笑,也不會(huì)問你今天過得怎么樣。他們只是做他們的工作。
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I once shared a First Class train room with a Russian man. Shortly after departure, the
“Stewardess” brought a placard with meal sextions. The man told her what he wanted, then gestured to me to do the same. I said I don’t speak the Russian language (in Russian). He scoffed, almost spit, ordered something for me, then showed no more interest in me all night.
The fact that I was obviously some kind of tourist was of no interest to him. I didn’t speak Russian, I was like a bug. No reason for me to be there, too much trouble to deal with.
I was not offended. I was chagrined to travel there with so little knowledge of the language. I got what I deserved. Nobody beat me, but nobody catered to me. I found that fair.
For some reason, I love Russian people. Part of that admiration is the not smiling and faking it. Public encounters are less “friendly,” but they’re more in keeping with reality and my own spirit.
To be sure, when they know you, it’s different. They will smother you with smiles and hospitality. Very warm people.
在某種程度上,這是一種誠(chéng)實(shí)。
我曾經(jīng)和一個(gè)俄羅斯男人共用一個(gè)頭等艙的火車房。
出發(fā)后不久,乘務(wù)員帶來了一張有餐點(diǎn)選擇的標(biāo)語牌。那個(gè)男人告訴她他想要什么,然后示意我也這樣做。我說我不會(huì)說俄語。他狼吞虎咽,差不多是口沫橫飛,還給我點(diǎn)了一些東西,然后就再也對(duì)我不感興趣了。
事實(shí)上,我顯然是某種游客,他對(duì)此不感興趣。我不會(huì)說俄語,我就像一個(gè)錯(cuò)誤的程序。我沒有理由去那里,有太多的麻煩要處理了。
我沒有感覺到被冒犯。我很懊惱在那里旅行,卻對(duì)語言知之甚少。我得到了我應(yīng)得的。沒有人打擊我,也沒有人迎合我。我覺得這很公平。
出于某種原因,我愛俄羅斯人。其中一部分就是欽佩他們的不微笑和不假裝。公開場(chǎng)合不那么“友好”,但更符合現(xiàn)實(shí)和我自己的精神。
可以肯定的是,當(dāng)他們了解你時(shí),情況就不一樣了。他們會(huì)用微笑和好客來窒息你。非常熱情的人。
Russians and anyone with ex-Soviet background smile when they really feel this way and wouldn’t smile if they don’t feel like it. It has nothing to do with whether they know you or not. It’s like laughing at a joke that’s not funny. Smiling at everything or anyone you meet I think is very idiotic and doesn’t show any so called friendliness. I am not saying you should be looking frown upon with your forehead at anyone you see but normal look on your face should be sufficient enough and smiling should be something extra if you really feel like it.
It all comes from the American lifestyle although I must let everyone know that not all of us (Americans) behave this way.
Now you might say that Russians look gloomy at times and very unfriendly - now that perhaps is not very nice but not all Russians look at you this way (a lot but not all) and also it doesn’t mean their look represents what they think about you personally - in most cases this is the way they look at life in general and perhaps their life is not that happy. Take it easy, don’t take it personally.
俄羅斯人和任何有前蘇聯(lián)背景的人,當(dāng)他們真的想笑的時(shí)候,他們就會(huì)笑,如果他們不喜歡,就不會(huì)笑。這與他們是否認(rèn)識(shí)你無關(guān)。
對(duì)你遇到的一切或任何人微笑,我認(rèn)為這是非常愚蠢的,這就像聽了一個(gè)不好笑的笑話,還哈哈大笑,這并沒有表現(xiàn)出任何所謂的友好。
我并不是說你應(yīng)該皺著眉頭看著你看到的任何人,但你臉上有個(gè)正常的表情就足夠了,如果你真的喜歡的話,就笑。微笑應(yīng)該是額外的東西。
這一切都源于美國(guó)人的生活方式,盡管并不是所有美國(guó)人都這樣做。
現(xiàn)在你可能會(huì)說俄羅斯人有時(shí)看起來很沮喪,非常不友好——這可能并不是很好,但并不是所有的俄羅斯人都這樣看著你(很多但不是全部),也不意味著他們的表情就代表了他們對(duì)你個(gè)人的看法——在大多數(shù)情況下,這是他們看待生活的方式,也許他們的生活并不那么幸福。
放輕松,不要把它當(dāng)成針對(duì)個(gè)人的行為。
No. But there is no such social norm in Russia to smile to strangers. I think that in some other countries it’s more like a ritual. It has no deep meaning. A cultural norm and tradition. It’s what people got used to do without ever questioning why they do this. Russian people got used to another norm without ever questioning it. They can smile to strangers, but they don’t usually smile just in the name of smiling. If they move to another country, they have no problems adapting to new social expectations and sometimes find it exciting. It’s a cultural tradition that belongs to this place. When people in Russia smile, it usually means something personal. A stranger can show you a smile if he/she really likes you. Generally speaking, a smile in Russia is usually perceived as something more than regular politeness, it’s a genuine expression of some emotions. If you started to smile to everybody around, people would think that you are either a foreigner or weirdo, but they're unlikely to take it as anything hostile. Just odd.
不是真的。但在俄羅斯的確沒有要對(duì)陌生人微笑的社會(huì)規(guī)范。我認(rèn)為在其他一些國(guó)家,這更像是一種儀式。它沒有深刻的意義。一種文化規(guī)范和傳統(tǒng)。這是人們習(xí)慣做的事情,并且從不質(zhì)疑他們?yōu)槭裁匆@么做。
俄羅斯人習(xí)慣了另一種常態(tài),也從不質(zhì)疑它。他們可以對(duì)陌生人微笑,但他們通常不會(huì)以微笑的名義微笑。
如果他們搬到另一個(gè)國(guó)家,他們很容易適應(yīng)新的社會(huì)期望,有時(shí)會(huì)感到興奮。這是屬于這個(gè)地方的文化傳統(tǒng)。
當(dāng)俄羅斯人微笑時(shí),通常意味著有一些個(gè)人的原因。如果一個(gè)陌生人真的喜歡你,他/她會(huì)向你微笑。
一般來說,在俄羅斯,微笑通常被認(rèn)為不僅僅是一種禮貌,它是一些情緒的真實(shí)表達(dá)。如果你開始對(duì)周圍的每個(gè)人微笑,人們會(huì)認(rèn)為你要么是外國(guó)人,要么是怪人,但他們不太可能認(rèn)為這是什么敵意。只是會(huì)感到奇怪。