美国人到底是怎么看英国人的?

Taylor Ahern
Having been to England three times I can honest to God say that there was never one dull moment spent in that country, as I always had a fantastic time & would return in a heartbeat. Loved spending time over there.
The rural scenery was breathtaking & magnificent in its lushness, as I was often transfixed upon the wondrous & sublime beauty of the English countryside. Mesmerized, it was all heavenly to behold.
Also, the pub scene was truly an experience to savor & enjoy, as there is a relaxing, quaint, & surreal atmosphere to most English pubs, especially those in rural areas. I felt at ease in them, filled with a tranquility & bliss that brought me to another level of awareness, of calm, & of happiness. And much of the chit chat was of an intellectual caliber that was very impressive, & hard to experience back home.

我去过英国三次，我可以诚实地说，在那里的每一刻都充满了乐趣，我随时都愿意再次回去。我非常喜欢在那里度过的时光。
那里的乡村景色美得令人窒息，郁郁葱葱，我常常被英国乡村的壮丽美景所吸引，被其深深迷住，这一切都是天堂般的景象。
此外，酒吧文化也是一次真正值得体验和享受的，大多数英国酒吧都有着轻松、古雅、超现实的氛围，尤其是在乡村地区。在这些酒吧里，我感到非常自在，充满了宁静和幸福，带我达到了另一种意识、平静和快乐的境界中。而且，许多闲聊都具有相当高的智力水平，给我留下了深刻印象，这在我自己的国家是难以体验到的。

And the people were mostly great! I was often enchanted by them & their gentility, for which English people are renowned. Very polite & courteous indeed. Loved interacting & intermingling with the people over there, as it was a very healthy, positive & upbeat experience.
The food was also more than decent, as there is a great & outstanding variety of it, often very tasty, while the fish & chip meals were savored in a spectacular, hearty fashion.
I would return to England in a heartbeat!

那里的人大多很棒！我经常被他们以及他们所闻名的温文尔雅所吸引。他们非常礼貌和体贴。我喜欢和那里的人互动和交往，因为这是一个非常健康、积极和乐观的经历。
那里的食物也非常不错，种类繁多，常常非常美味，尤其是炸鱼薯条，人们以一种令人惊叹而丰盛的方式品尝薯条。
我会毫不犹豫地再次回到英国！

Ken Walker
What do Americans think of the U.K.?
I’m an American who moved to the U.K. 9 months ago, and I think I can offer a unique perspective to this discussion.
I served in the U.S. military for 23 years, and during my career my family and I lived in 7 different states across the U.S. We immersed ourselves in the local communities and attempted to blend in with the local culture. We sent our kids to local schools, bought or rented houses in local neighborhoods, and sought entertainment and shopping in whatever the local area offered.
When I left the U.S. last year, I was absolutely pissed off.
I was angry that the country I’d spent nearly a quarter century defending was broadcasting its infantilism and its internal divisiveness to the world. I was angry that we’ve become so consumed with social media, and technology, and racism, and inequality of the sexes that we completely forgot how to treat our neighbor with respect. And mostly I was angry at the apathy.

美国人怎么看英国?
我是一位9个月前搬到英国的美国人，我想我可以为这次讨论提供一个独特的视角。
我在美国军队服役了23年，在服役期间，我和我的家人在美国7个不同的州生活过。我们深入当地社区，尝试融入当地文化。我们送孩子去当地学校，在本地社区购买或租赁房屋，并在当地区域寻找娱乐和购物。
去年我离开美国时，感到非常愤怒。
我对我花了将近四分之一世纪保卫的国家感到愤怒，因为它向世界展示了它的幼稚和内部分裂。我对我们的社交媒体、科技、种族主义和性别不平等感到愤怒，以至于我们完全忘记了如何尊重地对待我们的邻居。最让我生气的是他们的冷漠。

Some weird twist of fate led to my family relocating to a small town in England last year, and I have absolutely loved every minute of this experience. We speak roughly the same language, making communication relatively easy, but beyond that, I wasn’t prepared for just how different the culture is here than what I knew in America.
The main difference, in my opinion, is the vastly different level of fear. Americans are scared shitless. We’re scared of our neighbors, and so we never speak to them. We’re scared in our local towns, and so we purchase firearms (I had several myself). We’re scared of other races and so we congregate with our own. We’re scared of our police and so we attack every misstep they make. We’re scared of our government, and so we choose a side and vehemently attack the opposition, regardless their stance on any issue. We’re scared of not being important, and so we flood social media and reality TV with our important faces so everyone else is aware of just how amazingly awesome each of us really is.
Are there fearful people in the U.K.? Sure there are.

一些奇怪的命运转折让我们一家去年搬到了英国的一个小镇，我非常享受这次经历的每一分钟。我们说大致相同的语言，使交流相对容易，但除此之外，我没有想到这里的文化与我在美国所知道的如此不同。
在我看来，主要的区别是恐惧的程度大不相同。美国人害怕得要死。我们害怕我们的邻居，所以我们从不与他们交谈。我们害怕我们的当地城镇，所以我们购买枪支（我自己也有几把）。我们害怕其他种族，所以我们只与自己的种族聚集。我们害怕警察，所以我们抨击他们的每一个失误。我们害怕政府，所以我们选择一方政党，并激烈的攻击反对政党，不管他们在问题上的立场如何。我们害怕自己不重要，所以我们用我们重要的面孔充斥社交媒体和真人秀，以便其他人都知道我们每个人有多棒。
英国是否存在让我感到恐惧的人？确实存在。

But the average level of consciousness here is not the same as in the U.S. The British aren’t scared. They’re confident. They’re proud, without being boastful. They’re well-grounded in their history and culture, and ready and willing to share it with anyone who’s interested in learning. They can’t imagine getting pissed off about whether you stand, kneel, or masturbate during their national anthem…they know that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter one bit.
I can walk into a local park and engage in comfortable conversation with a Muslim, a Russian, a Canadian, a Christian, and people with every shade of skin imaginable, and nobody feels territorial or defensive. There’s a level of common acceptance I’m not used to.
Whether it’s in the local Tesco, or walking the halls of a local church or school, do you know what the British are scared of? They ask what I think about our President. They know he’s a destructive egotistical force that flies in the face of democratic ideals, and they’re as fearful as we are that he’s going to disrupt the progress our nations have made jointly over the past 4 or 5 decades. They wonder why we lost our goddamn minds and put a 3 year old child in charge. I don’t blame them.
I feel as welcome in the U.K. as I ever have been in any American town, and honored to be part of their community for a few years. While our nation’s leadership has no problem enacting a policy of fractured disrespect to our allies, my biggest hope is that my presence here, in some small part, can convince my British counterparts that not all Americans are egotistical shit biscuits.

但这里人们的平均意识水平与美国不同，英国人不害怕。他们有信心，他们自豪，但不吹嘘。 他们对自己的历史和文化有很好的了解，并且愿意与任何对学习感兴趣的人分享。他们无法理解为什么会因为在国歌奏响时选择站立、跪下或做出不恰当行为而感到愤怒......他们知道，从大局来看，这一点都不重要。
我可以走进当地的公园，与穆斯林、俄罗斯人、加拿大人、基督徒以及各种肤色的人进行舒适的交谈，没有人有领土意识或防卫意识，存在一种我不习惯的普遍接受程度。
当你身处当地的特易购超市，或者漫步在教堂或学校的走廊时，你知道英国人害怕的是什么吗？他们会询问我对我们的总统有什么看法。他们认识到他是那种破坏性的、自我中心的人物，这种行为违背了民主的基本原则。他们也和我们一样担心，他可能会中断我们各国在过去四五十年间共同取得的发展进步。他们不解我们为何会如此失去理智，竟然让一个三岁小孩来掌管一切，我理解他们的疑惑。
我在英国和在美国任何一个城镇一样感到受欢迎，并且很荣幸能在几年内成为他们社群的一员。尽管我们国家领导层在执行对我们盟友不敬的政策时毫无顾忌，我最大的希望是，通过我在这里的小小存在，能够向英国的朋友们证明，并非所有美国人都是自以为是的蠢货。

Marshall Gittler
I lived in London for 7 years and loved it. Especially the people, most of whom were wonderful. They have a great sense of humor and many are more culturally literate than Americans. Also, the average person is simply more eloquent, i.e. has a larger vocabulary and more creative way of speaking. More fluent in English. I also found people to be quite kind. It’s a wonderful country filled with wonderful people.
Of course there are always some outliers  but overall I had a great time.

我曾在伦敦生活了7年，并且非常喜欢那里，特别是喜欢那里的人们，他们大多数人都很棒。他们有很好的幽默感，许多人比美国人更有文化修养。此外，普通人更雄辩，也就是说，他们的词汇量更大，说话方式更有创意。英语更流利。我还发现人们都很善良。这是一个充满了优秀人民的美好国家。
当然，总有一些例外，但总的来说，我过得很愉快。

Lee Darnell
What do Americans think of the U.K.?
Until this year I had never made the trip across the Atlantic. I have always respected the UK as our number one ally in the world as well as a great cultural asset (that I don’t always understand).
My sister in law moved to London many years ago for a great career opportunity and never looked back. She gained British citizenship and I can’t imagine her living anywhere else.
So, my family made the trip to visit this year. Granted, my entire UK experience is based on London alone and I know that so much is yet to be experienced.
While in London I took in the typical tourist experiences and loved it. I expected horrible food based on talk online. I found just the opposite. The food was great. The beer and pubs were awesome.
I spent a lot of my time hitting the door of my Air BnB flat and just setting off in a direction to explore. For two weeks I wandered and never felt unsafe once. My eyes usually pointed in the air taking in the amazing architecture. It is such a beautiful place. So much history!
In America these days we struggle a lot with everybody being so territorial and split into factions based on race, money, politics, or other insane reasons. We are “encouraged” by society to choose sides and hate everyone else. It is crazy and it bothers me more than words can describe.

美国人怎么看英国?
直到今年我才完成了横渡大西洋的旅行。我一直尊重英国作为我们在世界上的头号盟友，以及一个伟大的文化资产（尽管我并不总是能够完全理解它）。
我的嫂子多年前为了一个绝佳的职业机会搬到了伦敦，并且从未后悔。她入籍成了英国公民，我无法想象她会想住在其他地方。
所以，今年我的家人决定去英国旅行。当然，我在的英国体验仅基于伦敦，我知道还有很多东西等着我去体验。
在伦敦期间，我体验了典型的游客活动，并且非常喜欢。我原本预期食物会很糟糕，这是基于网上的评论。但我发现情况完全相反：食物非常棒，啤酒和酒吧都非常棒。
我大部分时间都在我的Airbnb公寓门前启程，然后随意选择一个方向去探索。在两周的时间里，我漫无目的地游荡，从未感到不安全。我的眼睛通常都是仰望着天空，欣赏着那些令人惊叹的建筑。这是一个如此美丽的地方，有着非常丰富的历史！
在美国，我们目前面临很多问题，人们常常因为种族、金钱、政治或其他荒谬的理由而变得领土化，分裂成不同的派系。我们被社会“鼓励”去选择立场，去憎恨其他人。这很疯狂，它让我感到无比困扰。
如今在美国，每个人都有很强的领土意识，并因种族、金钱、政治或其他疯狂的原因而分裂成不同的派别。我们被社会“鼓励”选择立场，憎恨其他所有人。这太疯狂了，让我无法用言语来形容。

In London it may or may not be that way but there was zero indication of it if it is. There were people from all backgrounds with all the neat little pieces they showed of their culture. I heard so many varied languages being spoken. Every few blocks there was a neat restaurant or store offering a taste of another culture. That is heaven for me since I love people and learning about our differences. It is amazing. I only saw one incident indicating bias and it was a cab driver bad mouthing an American customer he had driven and in his descxtion he dropped the “n” word. That bothered me but seemed to be an isolated thing. Everyone else was so very kind and proper.
London is a big city but the pace of life was totally different than anything I’ve experienced here at home, even in rural areas. It was much slower paced and more focused on enjoying life and each other.

在伦敦可能是这样，也可能不是这样，但没有任何迹象表明它是这样的。这里有来自不同背景的人，他们展示了各自文化的美妙细节。我听到了很多不同的语言。每隔几个街区就有一家整洁的餐馆或商店，提供另一种文化的味道。这对我来说就像天堂一样，因为我喜欢与人打交道，喜欢学习我们之间的差异，这太神奇了。我只看到一个表现出偏见的事件，那就是一个出租车司机对他的一个美国乘客说坏话，在他的描述中，他省略了“n”字。这让我很不安，但看起来像是个孤立事件，其他人都非常友好和礼貌。
伦敦是个大城市，但生活节奏与我在美国家中所经历的状态完全不同，即使在农村地区也是如此。它节奏更慢，更注重享受生活和享受彼此的陪伴。

While there we had to be tourists so we spent a night at the theater seeing Hamilton from center stage fourth row. It is funny to leave the states for the UK to watch a show about a founding father and American patriot. It was so worth it. We also took in the Harry Potter parts one and two in the theater. Both productions were top notch and breathtaking.
I came to London as a typical American with no clue what to expect. I came with respect and admiration. I left two weeks later and my admiration had turned to love for the people and the great culture. I now know why my sister in law loves it there. I’m not a city guy but I would love to have stayed and made a life there. I LOVE the great United States but there is a special place in my heart now for the UK.
Next, I need to branch out and explore a bigger sample of the UK and see if my experience will hold true elsewhere.

作为游客，我们去看了《汉密尔顿》的音乐剧，坐在中心舞台第四排。很有趣的是，我离开美国来到英国，去看一个关于美国开国元勋和爱国者的演出。这是非常值得的，我们还看了电影《哈利·波特》第一和第二部。两个制作都非常棒，令人叹为观止。
我作为一个典型的美国人来到伦敦，对这里一无所知，我带着尊重和钦佩来到这里。两周后我离开了，我的钦佩已经变成了对人民和伟大文化的热爱。我现在知道我嫂子为什么喜欢那里了，我不是一个城市人，但我想留在那里，在那里生活。我爱伟大的美国，但现在英国在我心中有一个特殊的位置。
接下来，我需要探索英国的更多地方，看看我的经验是否适用于其他地方。

John Stacey
Reading the comments about Britain made by American visitors made my heart leap and brought tears to my eyes. Their praise and the affirmative - often glowing - opinions about the British way of life and the people who populate our islands was quite overwhelming and made me re-uate my opinion of the country where I was born and raised.
The UK has had its problems in the last few years: political upheavals, division and underhand chicanery by some government ministers including our prime minister has made millions of us feel perpetually sad, confused and manipulated by the ruling class. It's handling of the Covid epidemic is a case in point. I could go on but I won't.
It would be easy for me to say that Britain is a declining force in the world, had lost its way and is a laughing stock. That might or might not be true but reading how much we are loved by our American cousins made me realise that our current troubles are merely transitory.
What Britain stands for - fair play, decency, wry humour, sportsmanship and selflessness - is as true today as it has ever been. Our pubs are still oases of companionship, our countryside remains utterly beautiful, our history is unmatched, we have a royal family that many people still revere and our scientists, doctors, musicians, writers and sportsmen and women are the equal if not superior to any in the world.
And the irony is that it has taken Americans, one of the most derided nationalities on Earth, to make me realise this. So, thank you, Jack and Diane from Massachusetts, you've made a proud Brit even prouder.

读到美国游客对英国的评论，我的心激动得跳了起来，眼中泛起了泪水。他们对我们英国生活方式和我们岛屿上的人民的赞扬和肯定——通常是热情洋溢——让我感到不知所措，让我重新评估了我对出生和成长的国家的看法。
过去几年，英国面临了不少挑战：政治剧变、社会分裂，以及包括首相在内的一些政府官员的不诚实行为，让无数英国人感到持续的忧伤、迷茫，感觉被统治阶层所操控。英国对新冠肺炎疫情的应对就是一个例证。我本可以继续列举，但我不打算再详细说下去了
我很容易说，英国是世界上一支衰落的力量，已经迷失了方向，成了笑柄。这可能是真的，也可能不是真的，但看到我们的美国表亲如此爱我们，我意识到我们目前的困境只是暂时的。
英国所代表的——公平竞争、体面、幽默、体育精神和无私——今天和以往一样真实。我们的酒吧仍然是友谊的绿洲，我们的乡村仍然非常美丽，我们的历史无与伦比，我们有一个许多人仍然尊敬的王室，我们的科学家、医生、音乐家、作家和运动员即使不优于世界上任何一个国家，也是同级别的存在。
具有讽刺意味的是，美国人，这个地球上最受嘲笑的民族之一，才让我意识到这一点。所以，谢谢你们，来自马萨诸塞州的杰克和戴安，你们让一个骄傲的英国人更加骄傲了。

Lynette Edmonds
Americans look at the UK with respect and fear. They respect the UK for its long-standing government, for being the roots of American culture, and for its undying friendship. Americans feel fear when they look at the UK and realize that everything changes and they, like the UK, will not be the world power forever either.

美国人怀着敬意和敬畏之情看待英国。他们尊敬英国悠久的政府治理历史，尊崇英国是他们文化传统的发源地，并且珍视两国间长久的友谊。然而，当他们看到英国时，也会感到一种恐惧，因为他们意识到一切都在变化，正如英国一样，美国也不可能永远保持世界强国的地位。