注意你的言谈举止
Mind your Ps and Qs
So, tonight’s the night, Neil. How do you feel?
就是今天晚上了，尼尔。你感觉怎么样呢？
A bit nervous, but mostly excited.
有点紧张，但更多的是兴奋。
I’ve been practising my speech all morning.
整个上午都我在练习演讲。
Just go out there, smile, and don’t forget: mind your Ps and Qs!
走上台，微笑，别忘了：“注意你的‘Ps和Qs’”！
Eh? I know how to spell, Feifei.
嗯？我知道怎么拼写，菲菲。
You know what I mean!
你知道我的意思!
Don’t worry! I won’t offend anyone.
别担心！我不会冒犯任何人的。
Mind your Ps and Qs is our phrase in The English We Speak.
“Mind your Ps and Qs”是我们今天《地道英语》的短语。
If someone tells you to mind your Ps and Qs, they’re telling you to be polite in a social situation, and to be careful about what you say or do.
如果有人跟你说““Mind your Ps and Qs”，他们是告诉你在社交场合要彬彬有礼，注意你的言行。
Feifei, I’m always on my best behaviour.
菲菲，我的言行总是表现得很好。
Now, let me practise my speech.
现在，让我练习一下演讲。
And I’ll play some examples.
我来举几个例子。
Gang, Gang, Gang!
刚，刚，刚！
How many times have I told you to mind your Ps and Qs when you’re with your grandparents?
当你和祖父母在一起的时候，我告诉过你多少次要注意你的言行举止？
Grandma doesn’t like that kind of language!
奶奶不喜欢那种语言！
Last week’s meeting with our new clients was super frustrating.
上周与我们和新客户的会面令人非常抓狂。
But I had to mind my Ps and Qs.
但我不得不注意我的言辞。
As they say, the customer is always right!
就像他们说的，顾客永远是对的!
Lan always says the first thing that comes into her head.
兰总是说她脑子里想到的第一件事。
I just hope she minds her Ps and Qs at lunch today.
我只希望她今天午餐的时候注意自己的言行。
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English.
欢迎收听BBC《地道英语》节目。
In this programme we are looking at the expression ’mind your Ps and Qs’.
今天的节目中，我们讨论的是“mind your Ps and Qs”这个短语。
So Neil, finished practising your speech?
尼尔，练习完你的演讲了吗？
Not yet.
还没。
I’ve been distracted by today’s phrase.
今天的短语让我分心了。
I’ve been looking it up online.
我在网上查过了。
And?
然后呢？
Nobody agrees where it comes from.
关于它的出处没有统一的说法。
There are so many theories.
理论太多了。
One is that printers back in the 19th Century used to get confused between the small letters p and q.
其一，早在19世纪，打印机就会混淆小写字母p和q。
They do look similar!
他们看起来确实很像！
So they had to mind their Ps and Qs.
所以他们不得不注意他们的“Ps和Qs”。
Makes sense.
有道理。
And there’s another about bartenders in 17th Century England.
在17世纪的英国，还有另外一个关于调酒师的事。
They used to serve beer in measures called pints and quarts.
他们过去用品脱和夸脱来供应啤酒。
Pints with a ’P’ and quarts with a ’Q’.
品脱缩写为‘P’，夸脱缩写为‘Q’。
When a customer was drinking too much…
当一个顾客喝多了……
… They told them to mind their pints and quarts.
……他们就会告诉他要注意品脱和夸脱。
Their Ps and Qs.
他们的“Ps和Qs”。
Yes, makes sense too.
是的，也有道理。
And there’s another…
还有另一个……
Neil?
尼尔？
Yes?
是?
Your speech is in one hour.
你的演讲一小时后就要开始了。
Shouldn’t you be practising?
你不应该练习吗？
Oh! So it is.
噢！的确如此。
And… Mind your Ps and Qs!
而且……注意你的言行！
OK. Bye.
好的。再见。
Bye.
再见。