Politeness at Table
When men and women are eating together, in the home or out of it, the men should pull out the chairs for the women and they can’t take their places until all the ladies are seated. In many Christian homes it is customary to say grace before the meal begins. Guests should watch the host or hostess and join them if they bow their heads. As soon as grace is finished, or if grace is not said, when the hostess takes her napkin, each one at the table opens his napkin in half and lays it across his lap. When you use the silverware, one should begin from the outside piece, then the next knife and fork for the second course and so on. The pieces closest to the plate are for the last course.
In having soup, the spoon should move away from you as it passes through the soup. When soup gets short you may slightly raise the side close to you. In having food, don’t cut steak or chops into small pieces all at one time. Cut only one or two bites as you eat. Some people find it difficult to cut meat. T hat is because they don’t use their knives close to the forks. According to the European custom, you put some solid pieces of food at the edge of the fork and pile soft food on it. After eating something, you’d better put the knife and fork diagonally on the further side of your plate. Don’t place them leaning on the plate. Always place the knife with the sharp edge in.
餐桌礼仪
男士和女士在一块吃饭时，无论在家里还是在外面，男士都应为女士拉开椅子，且应等所有女士坐好后才就座。坐下后，应当拉拢椅子靠近桌子。在许多基督教家庭里，就餐前通常要做感恩祷告。客人应当观察主人，如果他们低头祷告，客人也应加入。祷告之后，或是不做祷告，当女主人拿餐巾时，桌旁的人都应打开餐巾，对折放于膝盖上。使用银质餐具时，应从外围开始，然后用第二套刀叉食用第二道菜，以此类推。最靠近盘子的一套用来吃最后一道菜。
用汤时，汤匙应由里向外舀汤。汤快见底时，就餐者可将汤盘靠近自己的一边略微抬起。享用食物时，就餐者不能一次性把牛排或猪排都切成小块。要吃的时侯，每次切一两口即可。有人发现切肉很难，那是因为他们切时刀离叉子不够近。根据欧洲习俗，应先用叉子叉上一些硬质食物，然后在上面放上一些软质食物吃。吃完某道菜后，应将刀叉对角放在盘子远端边上，勿将刀叉斜靠在盘子上。放置刀时，刀口总是朝向内侧。
译者语：翻译有多种标准，但国内最盛行的还是准确、晓畅标准，也就是说紧扣原意，行文流畅，没有翻译腔。但说来容易做起来难。深受网络语言及外语影响、追求速度和效益的当今年轻人的译文中很难见到精彩译文，很多译文打眼一看就是明显的洋泾浜语言。
并非想打击一大片，只是希望这种不良风气能稍有改变。少些功利心，多点求真的精神。
本人也绝不敢说自己的译文一定精彩，但我敢说自己对翻译有一颗虔诚的心和务实的态度。以上只是一篇布置给大三学生的课后练习作业而已，且为说明性的，并非什么高难任务。至于具体的译点问题，见仁见智，有心者可自己发掘，本次暂不赘言。
