老美告诉你：会“说”英语远远不够

Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar. To use English effectively, you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken. Here are a number of important tips to remember when speaking English in the United States.
说英语不仅仅在于语法正确，想要得心应手地使用英语，你还得了解语言的文化背景。如果你在美国说英语，那么接下来的小贴士能够提醒你需要注意的地方。

General Points to Remember
你需要记住的是：

Most Americans only speak English1: While it is true that more and more Americans speak Spanish, most Americans only speak English. Don't expect them to understand your native language.
大多数美国人只说英语：虽然现在越来越多美国人说西班牙语，但是大部分美国人仍然只说英语。所以就别太期望他们能理解你的母语。

Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents: Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you!
美国人理解外国口音有困难：很多美国人并不习惯外国口音，因此需要你们之间的耐心交流。

Conversation Tips
对话贴士

Speak about location: Americans love to talk about location. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they are from and then make a connection with that place. For example: "Oh, I have a friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says it's a beautiful place to live." Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.
谈论地点：美国人很喜欢聊关于地点的话题，当你与一位外国人初次交谈的时候，可以询问他们的家乡以及与该地方相关的问题。比如说，“啊，我有一个在洛杉矶读书的朋友，他觉得那里很漂亮。”接着，大多数美国人都会很乐意与你交谈他们在那个地方生活或观光的经历。

Talk about work: Americans commonly ask "What do you do?". It's not considered impolite (as in some countries) and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
谈论工作：美国人通常会问 “What do you do?” 虽然在某些国家这是无礼的问题，但在美国不是的，这只是一个陌生人之间的流行话题。

Talk about sports: Americans love sports! However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most Americans understand "American Football", not soccer.
谈论体育：美国人太热爱体育运动了！不过，他们热爱的是美国体育。当聊到football的时候，绝大多数美国人想到的是橄榄球而不是英式足球。

Be careful when expressing ideas about race, religion or other sensitive topics: The United States is a multi-cultural society. Especially in the last few years, Americans are trying very hard to be sensitive to other cultures and ideas. Talking about sensitive topics like religion or beliefs is often avoided in order to be sure not to offend someone of a different belief system. This is often referred to as being "politically correct".
当谈到关于种族，宗教或其他敏感话题的时候要注意：美国是一个多元文化的社会，特别是在这几年，美国人对不同的文化和观点特别敏感。在美国，像宗教或个人信仰的敏感话题通常是避免在交谈中提到的，以免对别人造成冒犯。这就是通常所说的“政治正确”。