上中学的时候从电视里看到个段子，说有个人去美国旅游，想上厕所了，到处问哪有“WC”，居然没人能懂。主持人评论道，“WC”其实是厕所极其土鳖的译法，现在国外没人知道WC，就连toilet都是过时的翻译，应当用bathroom替代。说完他又摇摇头，北京奥运会要开了，我们基础设施的翻译水平还有待提高，不要在歪果友人面前丢脸呀。屏幕外的我深以为然。高中跟家人去美国玩儿，接受过80年代英语教育的我爸想找厕所，也是拉着人就问哪儿有WC，果然人家一愣。我纠正他是“bathroom.” 这才有人懂了。 从此我深深地认为，在国外你问人WC在哪儿，就如同在中国问：“哪里是茅坑？”是非常诡异的，是脑子不大正常的。后来我去了温哥华念大学，意识到bathroom并不是唯一的上厕所用语，使用restroom，ladies' room, men's room, 特别是加拿大流行的washroom，都能表明你是一个正常的人类。从此我深深地以为，国外的厕所都应该以room结尾，WC是外星人才会这样叫的吧。再后来我去剑桥念研究生，发现英国的厕所上印着“toilet”。嗯？这好像跟我的认知不符……但我依旧深深得认为，就算“toilet”可以凭借腐国人一如既往的特立独行勉强过关，WC还是大逆不道的。再再后来，我去了欧洲玩耍。发现这里几乎每一块厕所的门牌都赫然印着“W.C”。不得不承认这两个字母的冲击是巨大的，数年来我自己构建的世界厕所观轰然倒塌。男女老少在印着“WC”门里进进出出，形容仓促，正常无比，没有一个拥有外星人的特征。

你看，真正的外星人其实是我自己呀。我讲这个故事是想说，我们对世上所有事物总会有一种先入为主的认知。比如那个可能只熟悉美国厕所的电视主持人，比如听了他的话的我。记得知乎里有个答案，大致是说许多国人心中的“国外”统共就一国家——美利坚合众国，美国统共就俩州，西边加州有橘子红酒，好莱坞大波妹，极客和华人黑帮。东边纽约盛产名人名媛大鳄大亨，还有好多钞票。然后这俩州的人民每天幸福地选择着自己的总统，享受着天朝没有的民主自由。我们现在看来，这种一概而论的认知是非常可笑的。但在一个没有阅读，没有近距离接触的前提下，却又是极容易被大众接受的，因为它简单粗暴且暗含某种貌似正义的政治诉求。最可怕的是，也许此时我们正在被类似可笑的认知所禁锢而不自知。轻则天真，重则愚蠢。青蛙至死还以为世界就剩那个扁圆，这是天真，而试图说服天上的燕子相信世界就剩那个扁圆，就是愚蠢。对这一问题唯一的解，是那句俗到不能再俗的话——“世界那么大，我想去看看。”能留就留，能学就学，保持学生心态，能呆久点儿就晚些回去，多看看。自己去看看国外的月亮是扁是圆，让完全陌生的环境打碎你原来的认知，让奇葩点爆你的三观，让美好的际遇搞得你热泪盈眶，让文化的多样性告诉你你原先学来的，读来的，别人教的，都是放屁。不为求得“真理”，只为不再居一隅而自认真理在握。出国留学生活的意义，就是那些豁然开朗的瞬间，当你发现拉美未必那么穷，欧洲未必那么富，美国不是江山民主一片好，大把歪国人数学比你强，厕所有100种不同的叫法，加州没有牛肉面。

When I was in middle school, I saw a joke on TV. It said that a person went to the United States for a trip and wanted to go to the bathroom. He asked everywhere where "WC" was, but no one understood. The host commented that "WC" is actually an extremely clumsy translation of toilet. Now no one in foreign countries knows WC. Even toilet is an outdated translation and should be replaced by bathroom. After he finished speaking, he shook his head again. The Beijing Olympics is about to start, and the translation level of our infrastructure needs to be improved. Don't lose face in front of crooked friends. Off-screen, I take it for granted. I went to the United States with my family in high school. My dad, who had received English education in the 1980s, wanted to find a toilet. He also asked people where there was a WC. Sure enough, he was taken aback. I corrected him to be "bathroom." Only then did someone understand. From then on, I deeply believe that asking people where WC is in foreign countries is like asking in China: "Where is the latrine?" It is very weird and not normal. Later, I went to Vancouver for university and realized that bathroom is not the only word for going to the toilet. Using restroom, ladies' room, men's room, especially the washroom which is popular in Canada, can show that you are a normal human being. From then on, I deeply thought that all toilets in foreign countries should end with room, and WC is called by aliens. Later, when I went to Cambridge to study as a graduate student, I found that toilets in the UK had "toilet" printed on them. Um? This seems to be inconsistent with my cognition... But I still deeply believe that even if the "toilet" can barely pass the test with the usual mavericks of the corrupt people, WC is still outrageous. Later, I went to Europe to play. It was found that "W.C" was printed on almost every door plate of the toilet here. I have to admit that the impact of these two letters is huge, and the world view of toilets that I have built over the years has collapsed. Men, women, children, and children came in and out of the door with "WC" printed on it, describing it as hasty and normal, and none of them had the characteristics of aliens.

Author: Wang Nuonuo

Link: https://www.zhihu.com/question/20830287/answer/50806441

Source: Zhihu

Copyright belongs to the author. For commercial reprint, please contact the author for authorization, for non-commercial reprint, please indicate the source.

You see, the real alien is actually myself. I tell this story to say that we always have a preconceived notion about everything in the world. For example, the TV host who may only be familiar with American toilets, such as me who listened to his words. I remember that there is an answer in Zhihu, which roughly says that the "foreign countries" in many Chinese people's minds are only one country-the United States of America. In the east, New York is rich in celebrities, socialites, crocodiles, tycoons, and a lot of banknotes. Then the people of these two states happily choose their own presidents every day, enjoying the freedom of democracy that China does not have. From what we now see, this generalization is ridiculous. But under the premise of no reading and no close contact, it is extremely easy to be accepted by the public, because it is simple and crude and implies some seemingly just political demands. The most frightening thing is that maybe at this time we are being imprisoned by similar ridiculous cognitions without knowing it. At least naive, at worst stupid. It is naive for the frog to think that the oblate is the only thing left in the world, but it is stupid to try to convince the swallows in the sky that the oblate is the only one left in the world. The only solution to this problem is the extremely vulgar saying - "The world is so big, I want to see it." Stay as long as you can, learn as you can, maintain a student mentality, and stay as long as you can. Go back later and see more. Go and see for yourself whether the moon in foreign countries is flat or round, let the completely unfamiliar environment shatter your original cognition, let the strange flowers explode your three views, let the beautiful encounters make your eyes fill with tears, and let the cultural diversity Let me tell you that what you learned, read, and taught by others are all fart. Not to seek the "truth", but to no longer live in a corner and feel confident that the truth is in hand. The meaning of studying abroad is those moments of enlightenment, when you find that Latin America may not be so poor, Europe may not be so rich, the United States is not a country with good democracy, many crooked people are better at mathematics than you, and toilets have 100 different names , there is no beef noodles in California.