5 min Coffee with Uncle Reggie Stories URS: Do Asians not answer questions in public?
曾叔叔讲故事：亚洲人不爱在大庭广众之下回答问题吗？ (Dixia 翻译)
Translation By: Dixia

Coffee Reggiegram: do you think Asians and non-Asians communicate in different ways?
Or is it just the environment?
曾叔叔短短信：你觉得亚裔与非亚裔沟通方式有差别吗？抑或只是环境不同

East is east and west is west?
I love to teach, and I have been teaching for 50 years, in more than 150 cities and towns of the world, to kids aged 5 years to 70 year adults, and I find that though there are Asian differences from westerners, there are really a lot of common features to people in different cultures and even at different ages.

东是东西是西？
我喜欢教书，过去50年间，我在世界各地150多个城市和乡村，教过幼至五岁长至70岁的人们。我发现虽然亚洲人和西方人有些不同，但是实际上他们还是有很多共同点的，哪怕文化不同年龄迥异。

No matter where you are and at what age, questions provide the excitement of finding out answers, and the joy of stimulating your brains. Hence I love to ask questions so I can hear all kinds of interesting answers.
无论你身处何方，年龄多大，被提问总是让人有寻求答案的兴奋，也有刺激大脑以后的喜悦。

Asian kids are different?
People always warn me that Asian kids never respond to questions. However I’ve taught in many schools in China and Thailand, probably 10,000 student-hours worth of teaching, and I’ve never found that the kids do not respond to questions. The key is just how to ask.

亚裔孩子不一样？
人们常常提醒我说，亚洲孩子不爱回答问题，但是我在中国和泰国去过很多学校讲课，估计有10,000个人次学时。但我从来没发现有孩子不回答问题的。关键是你如何问问题。

Threatening environment?
I have indeed found that Asians in general do not like to respond when the question is asked to a general audience, when they are going to be the only person to answer out of a mass of people. If they are the only person to answer, it sounds presumptuous; in Asian culture there is a concept of “don’t pop up, or you can be put down”. Plus it is threatening, since the answer could be “wrong”, depending on the tough teacher, and you could be laughed at, so therefore in that sense it is true that they will not answer such a public question that a Western audience might more likely answer, being a more individualistic culture, and more “thick skinned?” And I think Western teachers are usually more tolerant of a variety of answers even if they’re not that precise….

吓人的场合？
我发现亚洲人一般不愿意回答那些泛泛的问题，如果你是问会众，并不点名问谁，一旦他们觉得这么多人当中只有他回答，那他们就不愿意回答。他们会感到冒昧不妥，因为在亚洲文化当中有一种概念叫枪打出头鸟。另外他们怕答错了，那样可能会被老师严厉批评，或遭其他人嘲笑。在那种情况下确实他们不愿意在大庭广众之下回答问题。西方人就没有这种顾虑，因为西方文化当中更崇尚个人并且“脸皮更厚”。另外在西方老师对各式各样的答案更宽容，而不拘泥于答案的准确性。

The question is how it’s asked?
It’s actually very easy to overcome this hesitation. Asians actually like to answer questions, because it shows that they have “done their homework” (Asians finish their homework), or prove they have “good brains” (they may really like to show off their brains). It’s all in how I ask the question.

问题在于如何提问？
实际上很容易克服这个问题，亚洲人实际上是喜欢回答问题的，因为这样就显示他们做足了功课（亚洲学生是真的做作业的），或者也能证明他们脑子好使（他们确实很喜欢展示他们的聪明才智）。关键在于我如何提问。

So what I do when I give a talk is simply go around the room in some very fair way, so all the kids get a “chance”; and standing right next to the student. I just ask, “Jack, what is….…?” And sure enough, most likely because of Asian-trained respect for the teacher, Jack very quickly answers the question, often to the admiration of his classmates.

所以我是这样做的，讲课的时候我就在课堂里走来走去，使得每个同学都有相同的机会被提问到。当我选定被提问者，我就会站在他身边，然后点名问：“小明，你来回答。” 果不其然，因为亚洲文化尊重师长，他可以马上回答我的问题，引来同学们羡慕的眼光。

Incentives!?
It doesn’t hurt if I actually add a small reward, for any answer, which in my book is always “right,” sort of. That reward could be really small, like a “sticker” which I stick to Jack’s lapel, or a photograph of my family or Cincinnati; or literally any little gift; it’s truly just the thought that counts!

小奖品
当然了，我可能也会准备一个小奖品。因为对我而言没有答案是错的，或多或少总有些道理。这个小奖品，可以是真的很小，比如一个贴纸，我会把它贴在答题者的胸前，或是我的全家福照片或者辛辛那提的照片，或者是任何小小的礼物。最关键的是这是你的一点心意。

It’s contagious!
And once the first person answers the question, especially with an added little gift, the classroom just explodes into a flurry of answers. Then sometimes, even without pointing out any particular person, when I begin to ask my next question, many hands shoot up, in a respectful way at first, and then they are practically fighting to answer the question! So much so that the next door teacher might come by to see why we’re having such a commotion!

热情被感染?
一旦第一个人回答了问题，尤其是拿到一个小礼物，整个课堂就会爆发，人人都要回答。有的时候我都不需要指定谁回答，我的下个问题很多人就先恭恭敬敬地举手，然后争先恐后地回答问题。有时候隔壁班的老师会走过来看看，为什么我们会这么热闹？

Adults are children?
Some people say, “this could happen with children, but maybe not adults.” But actually that’s definitely not true either. I have taught many classes to adults, young and old, and these are mostly serious doctors and research scientists. And it’s really essentially the same response. Asian adults are just grown up versions of this story, and they do like answering questions, as long as it’s safe, for the same reasons as the kids. And a small gift goes a long way also, to my surprise. Smile. Basically we are all kids, I am sure (remember I’m a pediatrician).

成人如孩子？
有的人会说你这是教孩子，教大人就不一样了。其实不然。我教过很多次成人小年轻或者是年纪大点的都一样，他们大多数是严谨的医生或者是科研人员。他们回答问题的情形，也是一样。他们也很喜欢回答问题，跟小孩子一样、只要让他们感觉到这个氛围是安全的就行。同样，小礼物发挥大作用，这一点让我很惊讶。笑一笑，其实我们都是孩子（记得哦，我是儿科医生）。

Small groups?
However I really like it especially when the groups I’m teaching are smaller. I particularly like it when it’s so small that I can literally name each person. In that case, as I name each person to either answer a question, or to ask me a question, then pretty soon everything becomes quite lively. And again, I may get complaints from the next room about how rowdy we are. Next door complaints are an excellent affirmation.

小组？
但是我真的是很喜欢在小组里讲课，小小的没几个人的那种。因为人少，我可以叫出每个人的名字。在那种情况下，我一般都会点名提问或者是让他们问我问题，这样很快我们就熟络起来了。当然了。隔壁班的老师可能会抱怨我们太热闹。其实隔壁班的抱怨是一种很好的认可。

Is this just a visitor effect?
Some people then say this might work in China or Thailand because I was the visiting teacher/professor, and somehow they respect visiting teachers (“foreign teachers are spicy hot, in Chinese Cantonese jargon.”) There might be some truth in that. However, I have tried the same approach in many Asian churches in America, where you might think that the audience/congregation could be particularly “conservative,” and be hesitant to answer a question. But it’s the same.

只因老师是短期来访的？
有人或许会说我在中国和泰国能够这样是因为我是一个从国外来访的老师或者教授。亚洲人特别尊重外来的老师，俗话说外来的和尚会念经。这或许有些道理，但是我在美国的一些亚裔为主的教会里也用过相同的方法。你会以为在这些教会里，这些会众特别保守，很不情愿回答问题。但是实际并非如此，相反，他们跟在亚洲的亚洲人并无不同。

Even at church?
I bring the skills which I have learned internationally, and sometimes at church services, I even take the microphone and walk around during my message, asking questions directly of people sitting in the pews. At first they are a bit intimidated by this, especially when they have never experienced it, but when they realize I mean them no ill, they start joining in the fun. And it is quite amazing that a so-called “conservative” Asian church suddenly becomes as lively as any African-American church.

在教会也一样？
我把我在国外学到的这些技能带回到我在美国的教会。有时候我会拿着麦克风，边讲道边走来走去，直接向台下的人问问题。一开始他们会有感觉尴尬，但当他们意识到我没有恶意，他们就很快的配合。有时候真的是很美妙，这个在一般人看来很保守的亚洲教会突然会变得像非裔教会那样热闹。

I’m also sure that because I’m going around asking questions, that people are really much more awake. It’s very difficult to be dozing off in church when you’re asked a question directly, especially if the questioner is standing right beside you.

我敢肯定，当我在会众中走来走去问问题人们会更不容易睡着。在教会里，如果有人直接向你提问，你肯定不会打盹，尤其是当提问的人就站在你旁边的时候。

Asians do respond to questions in public.

亚洲人是愿意是在大庭广众之下回答问题的。

2000 years ago?
Remember the greatest Teacher taught through using lots of questions. And his audiences were Asian, not Western. If you’re not up on your geography, his audience was located east of Asia Minor, embodying a culture that was definitely more Asian than European.

2000年前？
记住最伟大的教师，就经常通过提问来教导的。他的听众是亚洲人，而不是西方人。如果你对地理不熟悉，他的听众是在小亚细亚的东面，当地的文化更接近亚洲，而不是欧洲。