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【推薦】📝 賴世雄獨門英文法心法＋圖表＋練習一次搞懂
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年齡、薪水、婚姻、體重——這些台灣人拿來「拉近距離」的問題，在英文世界全是社交地雷。
不是英文講錯，是**問錯問題**。麻煩的是，沒人會當面糾正你，只會默默把你歸類成「沒分寸的人」。

情境對話 Dialogue
場景：Vivian 剛到美國分公司上班，午餐時想跟同事 Jack 拉近距離，結果一連串台灣式問題全踩雷。Jack 一邊尷尬一邊偷偷教她哪些不能問。

Vivian
Jack, can I ask — how old are you? You look really young to be a manager.
Jack，我可以問一下——你幾歲啊？你看起來很年輕，不像當主管的。

Jack
Ha, thanks. Honestly though, age is one of those things people here don’t ask straight out — it can come across as a little personal.
哈，謝啦。不過老實說，年齡是這裡的人不會直接問的事——這樣問會給人有點太私人的感覺（come across as personal）。

Vivian
Really? In Taiwan it’s totally normal — it’s how we figure out how to address someone politely.
真的嗎？在台灣這超正常的——我們靠這個才知道該怎麼禮貌稱呼對方。

Jack
That makes sense over there. Here it’s a bit of a touchy subject, especially at work. People just guess and never say it out loud.
在你們那邊很合理。這裡它算是個敏感話題（touchy subject），尤其在職場。大家就默默猜，從不講出來。

Vivian
Got it. Okay, different question — do you mind me asking what you make? The pay here seems great.
懂了。好，換個問題——你介意我問你薪水多少嗎（what you make）？這裡待遇好像很好。

Jack
Oof, that’s an even bigger one. Salary is pretty much taboo in American offices. Asking what someone makes really puts them on the spot.
噢，那個更嚴重。薪水在美國職場幾乎是禁忌（taboo）。問別人賺多少會讓人很難堪、下不了台（put them on the spot）。

Vivian
Wow, I had no idea. We compare salaries all the time back home. What about family — are you married? Any kids?
哇，我完全不知道。我們在台灣超愛比薪水的。那家庭呢——你結婚了嗎？有小孩嗎？

Jack
See, those feel personal too. Some people are fine with it, but others find it intrusive — you never know who’s going through something.
你看，那些也很私人。有些人不介意，但有些人會覺得被冒犯（intrusive）——你永遠不知道誰正在經歷什麼難關（going through something）。

Vivian
Oh no. I think I asked Megan all of that this morning. And I told her she’d lost weight!
糟糕。我今天早上好像把這些全問了 Megan。我還跟她說她瘦了！

Jack
Yeah… even compliments about weight can backfire here. “You’ve lost weight” can sound like “you used to look worse.” Safer to just say she looks great.
嗯……連稱讚體重在這裡都可能適得其反（backfire）。「你瘦了」聽起來像「你以前比較難看」。比較安全的是直接說她氣色很好。

Vivian
So what CAN I ask? I feel like every topic is a landmine!
那我到底能問什麼？我覺得每個話題都是地雷（landmine）！

Jack
Stick to the safe zone — weekends, food, travel, shows, pets. Ask what people do, not what they are. “Any fun plans this weekend?” never fails.
守住安全區就好——週末、美食、旅遊、追劇、寵物。問對方「做什麼」，別問對方「是什麼」。「這週末有什麼好玩的計畫？」永遠不會錯。

Vivian
Okay — skip age, money, marriage, weight. When in doubt, ask about their dog. Got it.
好——跳過年齡、錢、婚姻、體重。拿不定主意時（when in doubt），就問對方的狗。懂了。

重點單字 Vocabulary Boost
come across as/ kʌm əˈkrɔːs æz / phr.v.
給人…的感覺、被別人看成…（指你「無意間」留下的印象）。後面接形容詞或名詞：come across as rude（顯得沒禮貌）、come across as nosy（顯得愛打聽）。重點在「你不一定是那樣，但聽起來像」——談社交分寸的核心字。
It can come across as a little personal. （這樣問會給人有點太私人的感覺。）

touchy subject/ ˈtʌtʃi ˈsʌbdʒɪkt / n.
敏感話題（一講就可能讓人不舒服的題目）。touchy 本意「一碰就痛」，引申為「敏感、易怒」。a touchy subject、a sensitive subject 同義。年齡、薪水、政治、宗教都是經典 touchy subjects。
Here it’s a bit of a