Couple in love with Chinese culture
迷恋中国文化的美国夫妇
Slater and Emma are an American couple that have lived in China for four years. They are both English teachers. Slater is thin and has short-hair. He is quiet but amiable. Emma, on the other hand, is talkative and likes to laugh. Blonde and brown-eyed, Emma looks like the typical American girl next door you see in the movies.
斯莱特（Slater）和爱玛（Emma）这对美国夫妇
Emma begun studying Chinese a year ago; however, she has made amazing progress. Aside from her excellent pronunciation, she has mastered nearly 1,000 Chinese words. She says she finds the best way to improve her spoken Chinese is to communicate with strangers. She often goes to squares or parks and starts up conversations. For instance, if she sees an older woman with her grandchild, Emma will start with saying how cute the kid is. She says that Chinese people, although usually a bit shy at first, are very easy to talk with.
尽管爱玛去年才开始学习中文，但她的中文水平已有了惊人
Although Slater speaks only a little Chinese, he is more knowledgeable about Chinese customs and culture, including the unspoken rules of interpersonal exchanges. When having conversations with Chinese people, Slater will interpret a person's meaning and tell Emma, who will then respond accordingly.
相对爱玛来说，斯莱特会说的中文就很少了，但他对中国的
Emma studied medicine in college, while Slater’s major was graphic design. Due to the economic recession, he could not find a suitable job after graduation, so after graduating he worked as a cashier in a grocery store. This must have been pretty boring for a young, educated man. Thus, when one of his friends asked him if he was willing to take on a teaching position in China, Slater jumped at the chance.
爱玛在大学念的是医学，斯莱特则是平面设计。由于经济不
At the crossroads of life, shy Slater proclaimed to Emma: “Marry me, and we can go to China together, or I will go by myself!” Emma replied: “Alright!” When her mother heard of this she was not happy. But Emma eventually talked her round. “When we grow up, our parents become more our friends rather than our parents,” she said.
在这个人生的十字路口，羞涩腼腆的斯莱特向爱玛求婚了：
Although, Slater and Emma were born and grew up in the United States, they don’t come across as typical Americans. To begin with, they are both vegetarian, they like Chinese vegetable dishes, but are particularly keen on Chinese tofu. Each time they return to the States, they said they miss tofu very much.
尽管斯莱特和爱玛生在美国、长在美国，但他们给人的印象
“What a pity my mother has never tasted authentic Xi’an tofu.” Emma said.
“我妈妈还没有尝过正宗的‘西安豆腐’，真是遗憾。”爱
They said that although they found it easy thing to make friends back home, in China it is much easier and friends stay in touch, unlike in the US friends might not be in contact for years.
他们还说，尽管回到美国要交到新朋友也很容易，但在中国
“Say I'm pregnant. In certain cases I might need help. In America, I could maybe call just two or three friends to help me. But in China, I could easily find thirty! That’s one of reasons that I like China,” Emma said.
“拿我怀孕来说吧。有些时候我可能就需要帮助。在美国我
And unlike many Americans, they save money. Emma says that her generation emphasizes saving money. Their modes of consuming are different compared to their fathers. One of the reasons is the heavy burden of repaying a student loan. After the age of eighteen, most Americans start living independently. The majority of college students take out loans in order to pay their tuition and fees. On average, it takes graduates fifteen years to pay off debt. Emma proudly says that Slater has already paid back half of his loan in just four years.
另外斯莱特夫妇和其他美国人不一样的地方就是他们还会省
While her Chinese counterparts save money to buy their own homes, Emma says that many Americans her age don’t save money for a home.
看着中国同事们都在为买房勒紧裤腰带生活，爱玛说她这个
“We are not willing to buy houses,” she says. “Consider my parents: They bought their large house on a bank loan. Now, the value of their house has slumped so much that it's below the sum of their loan.”
“我们不想买房，”她说，“想想我的父母跟银行贷款买了
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