Frequent travelers must be great at charades. When you need to communicate and you don’t have the luxury of a shared language, body language is invaluable.

经常旅游的人必须学会看懂手势语。当你需要和别人交流、却又不懂对方当地语言时，肢体语言就显得非常重要了。

A skilled traveler can negotiate a taxi, buy food in a market, and get directions from a stranger through hand motions alone.

一位经验丰富的旅者只凭打手势就能顺利搭乘出租、在市场采买食物以及向陌生人问路。

Things can get lost in translation, though, when a typical gesture from your country means something completely different in other parts of the world.

然而有时候在你们国家是某种含义的手势，在世界其他地方可能完全不同，所以在不同国家的同一个手势就可能让你感到迷惑了。

Below are 5 common North American gestures that often cause offense abroad.

下面5种常见的北美手势国外容易导致冒犯。

1. V in Australia and England

澳大利亚和英国-“V”字手势

In 1992, George Bush visited Australia and, from the window of his limousine, held up his index and middle fingers in the “V” shape, a la Winston Churchill. With the palm facing outward, this V means victory in England, or peace in North America. Too bad Bush gestured with his palm facing inward, the nonverbal equivalent of “up yours.”

1992年，乔治·布什拜访澳大利的时候，效仿温斯顿·丘吉尔，从豪华的轿车里伸出食指和中指作出“V”字形的手势。手掌朝外摆出“V”字形在英国意味着胜利，在北美意味着和平。然而糟糕的是，布什的手掌朝内，这一手势意味着“见你的鬼去吧”。

2.Thumbs-up in Thailand

泰国-翘拇指

This gesture of agreement or approval is an easy reflex when language barriers are at play. Try to avoid it in Thailand, though, where it’s a sign of condemnation. It’s typically a child’s gesture, the Thai equivalent of sticking out your tongue. People will likely be more bemused than hurt if you slip up. Still, it’s a good one to avoid.

这个手势表示同意和认可，然而在有语言障碍时却可能起到反作用。在泰国尽量不要用这个手势，因为它表示谴责。这个手势是典型的孩子专用手势，在泰语中等同于吐舌头。如果你弄错了这个手势，虽然人们不会感到受伤而只是迷惑不解，但最好还是要尽量避免。

3. Patting on the head in Sri Lanka

斯里兰卡-摸摸头

An open-palmed pat on the head of a child is a gesture of fondness in North America. If you need to get a child’s attention, it’s also the easiest place to tap them. In the Buddhist faith, though, the top of the head is the highest point of the body, and its where the spirit exists. To touch the top of a person’s head is highly invasive, for children and adults alike. Avoid this in any country with a predominant Buddhist population.

在北美，手掌轻拍小孩的头部是一种表示喜欢的手势。如果你需要引起小孩子的注意，最简单的方法就是轻拍他们的头部。不过，在佛教信仰中，头顶是身体的最高点，也是灵魂的所在之处。 触摸一个人的头顶，无论他是小孩还是成人，都是非常不敬的。在以佛教为主的国家尽量避免这个动作。

4. OK in France

法国-“ok”

Making a circle with your thumb and forefinger means “great” or “fine” in North America. It’s also used by scuba divers to communicate that there are no problems. In France, however, this gesture means “zero.” Unless you’re motioning to a French scuba diver, you might be accidentally communicating that something (or someone) is worthless. A bad idea when trying to compliment a chef on your meal.

拇指和食指构成环形在北美意味着“很好的”或“好的”。带水肺的潜水员们也用这个手势交流，表示没有问题。不过，这个手势在法国表示“0”。除非你是在向一个法国带水肺潜水员示意，否则你会不小心传达出某个东西或某个人毫无价值的意思。 用餐时，最好不要用这个手势去向厨师表示你对他的称赞。

5. One-handed giving in Japan

日本-单手递送东西

In the West, people aren’t especially mindful of their hands when they offer objects to others. In Japan, though, it is polite and expected for people to make offerings with both hands. If you give someone a business card, or hand them your camera to take a photo, be sure to pass on the item with both hands. This shows that you are fully attentive and sincere in the offering. A one-handed presentation might be taken as dismissive.

在西方，人们在递给别人东西的时候，通常不会特别注意自己的手。但是，在日本，双手递送东西是对别人的一种礼貌和尊重。如果你要给某人一张商务名片，或递给某人相机帮你拍照，要确保是双手递东西。这样才能显示你在递送过程中的诚意。单手递送会被理解为轻视。