Hi. If you replied hi back, then you’re already well on your way to becoming a naturalized Canadian citizen.

　　在加拿大，如果有人對你說“Hi”，你也自然地回了句“Hi”，好了!你可正奔馳在成為當地公民的“康莊大道”上呢!

　　I’m not kidding. Don’t let the hoopla about social norms and customs, so often important in places of rich history and beliefs, fool you. There are no weird mating dances here, nor intricatepheromones that have to be released when meeting someone.

　　我可沒逗人玩。千萬別到了歷史悠久、信仰多元的國家，聽了有關社會規(guī)范、信仰習俗的種種宣揚就被唬住。見面是正常自然的事，沒有人期待你跳求偶舞或釋放復雜的信息素。

　　Instead, Canada’s relaxed, and our handshakes are even more so. Though globalization has given rise to the slow absorption of American hardline business-speak and the tailored, meaningless responses shelved for efficiency sake (how are you? Good and you? Good), Canadian greetings have evaded pageantry and elegance.

　　相反，加拿大骨子里的輕松感也彰顯在見面問候的閑適中。雖說全球化的浪潮讓加拿大人漸漸浸染了美式高冷的商業(yè)辭令和簡潔蒼白的回應(How are you? Good and you? Good)，本來加式問候也從未附庸風雅。

　　THE BASIC HANDSHAKE

　　握手的基本法則

　　The universal formula is this: smile, handshake, say hi, and smile again.

　　通用的問候方式有以下幾步：微笑、握手、來一句hi，再回以微笑。

　　It feels almost robotic distilling down such a simple introduction, but it’s necessary to avoid any awkward shuffling or unsolicited backrubs. Of course, there are nuances to the actual shake itself that a robot could never master – you don’t want to grip too hard, but then there’s nothing worse than a limp greeting either. Two hands can be a bit overwhelming; a clammy hand is never fun. Stick to these simple rules, and you’ll be fine.

　　把問候提煉成這么簡單的幾步，乍一聽，你以為是機器人在打招呼吧，但把問候演繹成繁文縟節(jié)也大可不必。不同場合的握手會有細微差別，這些微妙之處機器人可做不來——握得像大力水手太過分，握得像海綿寶寶嚇到人。雙手齊上陣未免夸張;濕漉漉的手握起來讓對方捏一把汗。記住這些基本規(guī)則，大家肯定出不了錯。

　　MULTICULTURAL GREETINGS

　　多元文化，多樣問候

　　But beyond such simplicity – especially once you take into account Canada’s multiculturalism – there can be great flexibility. In distinct communities, almost anything goes during a welcome. Migrants in Ukrainian hubs will greet you with three alternating kisses on your cheeks. Same with Persians. Polish immigrants might just wave to you. Others will hug. And yet others will hold you so tight that you aren’t sure if you are merging with their flesh.

　　但考慮到加拿大的多元文化，在簡潔的問候方式外，更是百花齊放。每個群體都有自己獨特的迎賓禮節(jié)。來自烏克蘭和伊朗的親會行三次貼面禮。波蘭親可能只是揮手致意。有些親把擁抱當成“見面禮”。還有些親的擁抱太過猛烈，別人怕是魂都被他擠出來了。

　　This is part of Canada’s inherent multiculturalism where individual nuances and cultural traditions blend in messy, blossoming ways. But one need not worry about the complexity. The expectation for knowing such intricate greetings is lax at best. Like a good math proof, the formula still applies. It’s the E=Mc2 of Canadianisms.

　　由此可以窺見加拿大多元文化的特點，個人習慣的點滴融會于文化傳統(tǒng)中，二者混合交織，發(fā)展繁盛。你不用擔心它的復雜性。還真沒人期盼對方把這套精細的禮節(jié)背成小九九。只要遵循交往的基本原則，你仍然可以“四海為友”。這也是加拿大精神不變的準則。

　　LOOK OUT FOR QUEBEC

　　魁北克問候方式一瞥

　　Admittedly, there are some differences in Quebec. Like its European counterparts where kisses flow like air, Quebecois differentiates their introductions to people. “Tu” is used as an identifying-noun when the person in question is a friend, whereas “vous” is used for people to signify respect and authority.

　　誠然，魁北克飄滿了異域風情。同見面吻如家常便飯一般的法國一樣，這里對不同人的稱謂也有所區(qū)別。“Tu”(“你”)用于指代朋友，而“vous”(“您”)用來體現對方的威望，表達尊敬之意。

　　But these are details, and in time, you’ll pick them up. Until then, let me extend another electronic handshake your way. I’m also smiling. I hope you are too.

　　假以時日，你就能輕松掌握這些細節(jié)。到時候，讓我再和你隔空握個手吧!我可正咧嘴笑呢，希望你也笑靨如花呀!