什么是“新时代淑女”

 　　Rumors¹ are circulating that American actress Anne Hathaway is replacing Carey Mulligan to star in a remake of the 1964 film My Fair Lady. It's still a mystery who will finally snag the role of Eliza Doolittle, a vulgar flower girl who is transformed into a lady by a language expert, but the news has definitely called attention to the word “lady”。

　　有传闻称美国女星安妮？海瑟薇将取代凯瑞？穆里根，在1964年经典电影《窈窕淑女》的翻拍版中出演女一号。片中的女主人公伊莉莎？杜利特尔在一位语言学家的教导下，从粗俗的卖花姑娘变身为窈窕淑女，尽管最终伊莉莎这一角色将花落谁家仍是未知，但这则新闻毫无疑问将人们的视线转移到了“淑女”一词上。

　　The word always conjures² up images of women in the Victorian era of British history or Jane Austen novels. But do we have to go back to dressing³ in that style to be a lady? What does being a lady actually mean in the 21st century?

　　这一词汇总是让人们联想起英国历史上的维多利亚时代以及简？奥斯汀小说中的女性形象。但要成为淑女，就非得选择这种复古装扮么？21世纪，淑女到底是如何定义的呢？

　　British etiquette⁴ tutor William Hanson told The Telegraph that being a lady today is all about elegance⁵ and confidence. “The behavior doesn't need to be something straight out of a Jane Austen novel,” he said. But that doesn't mean there are no specific rules to being a modern day lady. According to Hanson and other experts on etiquette, a real lady must tick all the following boxes of style and manner.

　　英国礼仪顾问威廉？汉森在接受《每日电讯报》采访时表示，现如今，淑女的判定标准不外乎优雅与自信。“行为举止不必照搬简？奥斯汀小说，”他说。但这并不意味着新时代淑女无规可循。汉森和其他礼仪专家一致认为，一位真正的淑女必须严格遵守以下这些有关风度与礼仪的条条框框。

　　Education

　　教育背景

　　Being educated was one of the essential qualities of a lady in the time of Jane Austen, when the middle class was commonly educated at home. In Pride & Prejudice, Caroline Bingley says: “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages to deserve the word [lady].” Mr Darcy adds that an accomplished⁶ lady must also improve her mind through extensive reading.

　　在简？奥斯汀时代，受过良好的教育是一位淑女的必备素质，当时的中产阶级普遍在家接受教育。在《傲慢与偏见》中，卡洛琳？宾利说：“一个女人必须精通音乐、歌唱、美术、舞蹈以及现代语文，那才当得起‘淑女’这个称号。”达西先生接着补充道，一位有修养的淑女还要多读书，长见识。

　　This educational requirement hasn't been compromised much. A lady by today's standards must educate herself in every possible way, from higher education to common sense manners, according to Candice Simpson, author of How to Be a Lady: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy.

　　如今，对于教育背景的要求并未大打折扣。《淑女养成计划：当代基本礼仪指南》一书的作者坎蒂斯？辛普森说，当代标准下的淑女必须极尽所能地去提升自己，既要接受高等教育又要学习礼仪常识。

　　Dress code

　　着装要求

　　One of the biggest misconceptions of a lady is that she can't be fashionable, pointed⁷ out Eunice J Leong of elegantwoman.org. As a modern example of a lady, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has proved that it's possible to be elegant and fashionable at the same time. But elegant fashion is usually understated and simple ― ostentatious designer logos should be avoided.

　　来自elegantwoman.org网站的尤尼斯？J?梁指出，人们对淑女最大的误解就是淑女与时尚绝缘。作为当代淑女的典范，剑桥公爵夫人凯特？米德尔顿已经证明时尚与优雅可以并存。但优雅的时尚通常是低调而简约的——应避免高调的品牌标志。

　　In addition, according to Hanson, a lady never feels the need to show her flesh, legs or cleavage ― she always lets her natural beauty shine. Hanson even prescribes strict skirt lengths. He believes a lady should never wear any garment that rises too far above the knee ― if necessary, she should wear dark colored tights. Based on this rule, Lady Gaga, one of the most famous ladies of our times, should be simply Gaga.

　　英国礼仪顾问威廉？汉森还表示，真正的淑女从不需要露肉，露腿或者露乳沟——她永远散发出自然美。汉森甚至规定了严格的裙长要求。他认为，淑女不应穿任何膝上过短的裙子。若有必要，也应该配上一条深色的打底裤。从这一点看，时下最知名女性之一的Lady Gaga大概只能改叫Gaga了。

　　Table manners

　　餐桌礼仪

　　A true lady knows that she is expected to begin eating first, before the men, said Hanson. So don't faff around, as a true gentleman will just sit there watching his food go cold as you carry on chattering⁸.

　　汉森表示，真正的淑女清楚自己在用餐时应该优先于男士。所以不要瞎忙活一通，因为一位真正的绅士可是会一直听着你唠叨然后眼睁睁地看着自己的食物冷掉的。

　　A much forgotten skill, added Hanson, is “turning the table”。 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is still an advocate of this. It means speaking to the person on either side of you, one after the other. During the first course a lady speaks to the person on her left, during the second course she speaks to the person on her right, and so on. And no one ever talks across the table.

　　汉森补充道，另一个被大多数人所遗忘的礼仪技巧便是“扭转局面”。英国女王伊丽莎白二世仍是这点的提倡者。所谓“扭转局面”，意思是说要先后与坐在你两边人交谈。在享用第一道菜时，作为淑女要跟坐在自己左边的人交谈，上第二道菜时则换做与右边的人交谈，以此类推。切记，不要隔着桌子与人交谈。

　　Art of words

　　语言艺术

　　Although it can be tempting⁹ to gossip quietly about a friend or close acquaintance, a lady should avoid mean gossip, said Hanson. It leaves a bad impression on others, even if they are joining in. If you freely gossip about someone, others will begin to wonder if you gossip about them to others.

　　汉森说，尽管大家都爱背后讲朋友或熟人的闲话，但淑女必须远离那些尖酸刻薄的流言蜚语。这会给他人留下糟糕的印象，即便他们也乐在其中。当你无所顾忌，大爆某人的八卦时，其他人会想，你是不是也会在别人面前这样谈论他们。

　　Further tips for being a lady, as offered by Hanson, include:

　　此外，汉森还给出了以下几点淑女养成攻略：

　　Don't swear.

　　不要口出恶言。

　　Don't be brusque with others.

　　不要对他人无礼。

　　Don't overshare or talk about your private life loudly in public.

　　不要在公共场合过度分享或大声谈论自己的私事。

1 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 conjures   

用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
• The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。

3 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

4 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

5 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

6 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

9 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。