A：You have been here for how long? Four months now?

你来中国多久了?到现在四个月?

B：Yeah, about.

是，大概是这样。

A：Do you know Chinese better now?

你现在对中国人了解多一些了吧?

B：Oh, definitely. I remember, when I first arrived in Guangzhou, my girlfriend was haggling with a sales clerk over the price of a mobile phone.

噢，那当然。我记得，当我初到广州时，我的女朋友在买手提电话时跟营业员正在讨价还价。

A：Oh, yeah. Many Chinese like to bargain. It happens almost everywhere.

噢，是啊。很多中国人喜欢讨价还价。这几乎随处可见。

B：I mean, I understand that. But the speed of the conversation got faster and faster, until it seemed to me that they would fight. My perception of the tone was that it was a violent shouting match. The truth was that it was a perfectly normal conversation.

我知道是那样。但是谈话的语速越来越快，直到我看来他们会打架。他们的音调让我觉得那是一场猛烈的争吵比赛。实情是，那是一个很平常的谈话。

A：A shouting match? You’re so funny. You must be exaggerating. I don’t believe it.

一场争吵比赛?你还真滑稽。你一定在夸张。我不信。

B：I am not exaggerating at all. I’m telling you the truth. That was how I felt at that time.

我一点都不夸张。我是在说真的。当时我真是这么觉得。

A：Yes, perhaps. Chinese usually don’t notice that sort of thing. Maybe it’s quite natural to us.

是，有可能。中国人通常不会注意到这种事。也许我们都习以为常了。

B：Yes, absolutely true.

对，一点都没错。