Introduction

Tipping at a restaurant or cafe is a complicated issue. Should you leave a cash tip or is a card just as good? Do you prefer to pay a fixed service charge or do you think the whole thing is unnecessary? In 6 Minute English we discuss this tricky subject and discover some regional variations. Plus we serve up some useful vocabulary.

This week's question

What is the biggest tip that we know somebody gave? Is it…

A: $10,000

B: $250,000

C: $3,000,000

The answer is at the end of the programme.

Transcript

Note: This is not a word for word transcript  

Catherine

Hello. This is 6 Minute English and I'm Catherine.

Sam

And I'm Sam.

Catherine

Sam, how do you feel about tipping?

Sam

Tipping? You mean giving extra money to people in certain jobs for doing their jobs?

Catherine

Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that. But yes, it’s giving money to waiters and waitresses, hairdressers, taxi drivers - money that is more than the actual bill.

Sam

It’s a nightmare! I never know who to tip, how to tip, by cash or by card, how much to tip – is it 10, 12.5, 20 per cent or even if I should tip at all because in some places a service charge is automatically added to the bill.

Catherine

Yes, tipping is a really complicated issue which we will be looking at in this programme. But to start with, a question. What is the biggest tip that we know somebody gave? Is it…

A: $10,000, is it…

B: $250,000, or is it…

C: $3,000,000?

What do you think, Sam?

Sam

I’m going to go for $250,000.

Catherine

OK, we’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. Now, back to the topic of tipping and in particular, tipping people who work in restaurants. William Beckett runs a number of restaurants and he recently appeared on the BBC Food Programme. He was asked about his view of tipping. Now as we hear him, listen out for this information: in how many cities does he say he currently has restaurants?

William Beckett

It is cultural, i.e. it differs from place to place. I mean, we have restaurants in London, we have a restaurant in Manchester, we’re also opening a restaurant in New York and those three cities have quite different attitudes to tipping. In London, the norm is, it’s there, it’s on your bill. That’s not the norm, for example, in Manchester and it’s not the norm in New York where we’re going to open a restaurant later this year.

Catherine

So, first, how many cities does he currently have restaurants in?

Sam

That would be two. London and Manchester. He's going to open one in New York later in the year, but it's not open yet.

Catherine

And what does he say about tipping?

Sam

Well, he says that it is very cultural. What is the norm in one city is not necessarily the norm in another. The norm is an expression that means, as you might guess, what is normal, what is usual.

Catherine

So in London, for example, a service charge is usually added to the bill, but in Manchester it isn’t. So the policy in London and Manchester differs which means, again as you might guess, it's different.

Sam

There's another short expression that he used that I'd like to highlight. Before he talks about how the policies differ, he says i.e. These two letters stand for the Latin phrase 'id est'. Now we never say 'id est' but we do write and say i.e. We use it to show that what comes next is using different words to say what we have just said or written. So he says, about tipping, it's cultural i.e. it differs from place to place. 'It's cultural' is a more general statement and 'it differs from place to place' is a more specific definition of what he means.

Catherine

So, one difference is that in some places people prefer an automatic service charge so that they don't have to think about or try to calculate a tip. But in other places, people hate that - they want to decide who and how much to tip themselves. But do people actually make use of that freedom not to tip? Here’s William Becket again and this he's time talking about New York.

William Beckett

New York exactly the same. There's a tacit pressure to tip. But theoretically you just stand up and walk out. You don't, everybody tips 20% or, there is a theory of an option. But people like that.

Catherine

So he says there is a tacit pressure to tip. What does he mean by that?

Sam

Something that is tacit is not spoken, not said, yet it is still understood. So in New York no one tells you that you have to tip, but everyone knows that you have to.

Catherine

And because there is no service charge on the bill and no one tells you what to tip, you could just walk out after paying. He says that's theoretically possible. That means although it may be possible it's actually very unlikely because of the tacit pressure and the way we behave.

Sam

But he does say people like that freedom not to tip, even if they don't actually use that freedom.

Catherine

Right, nearly vocabulary time, but first, let's have the answer to our question. Now Sam what is the biggest tip we know someone gave?

Sam

I thought $250,000.

Catherine

Wellit was actually, believe it or not, a whopping $3,000,000. Yes! Now, on with today's vocabulary review.

Sam

Right. So we've been talking about tipping, the practice of giving extra money to, for example, waitresses and waiters.

Catherine

To differ from is a verb which means to be different from.

Sam

The norm is what is usual or normal.

Catherine

i.e. is a short form of a Latin expression and it means 'in other words'.

Sam

Something that is tacit is not said but is nevertheless understood.

Catherine

And if something is theoretically possible it can be done but for different reasons it probably won't be. And that is where we must leave it today. Goodbye!

Sam

Bye everyone!

Vocabulary

tipping

giving someone extra money as a 'thank you' for good service

i.e.

Short for the Latin phrase 'id est' and means 'in other words' or 'that is'. It's used to indicate that what comes next is a clear definition of what was just said or written.

differs

is different

the norm

normal or usual

tacit

not spoken or written but still understood

theoretically

adverb used to describe something that can be done but probably won't be

双语版Transcript

Catherine

Hello. This is 6 Minute English and I'm Catherine.

大家好，这里是六分钟英语，我是凯瑟琳。

 

Sam

And I'm Sam.

我是萨姆。

 

Catherine

Sam, how do you feel about tipping?

萨姆，对于给小费你有什么感觉？

 

Sam

Tipping? You mean giving extra money to people in certain jobs for doing their jobs?

给小费？你是指给从事特定工作的人额外的钱？

 

Catherine

Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that. But yes, it’s giving money to waiters and waitresses, hairdressers, taxi drivers - money that is more than the actual bill.

好吧，我不会像你这么说。但是，是的，给服务员、理发师、出租车司机的钱——那笔钱要比实际需要付的多。

 

Sam

It’s a nightmare! I never know who to tip, how to tip, by cash or by card, how much to tip – is it 10, 12.5, 20 per cent or even if I should tip at all because in some places a service charge is automatically added to the bill.

它就是一场噩梦啊！我从不知道该给谁小费，如何给小费，是付现金还是信用卡，也不知道应该给多少——是消费的10%，12.5%还是20%？或者说我是否应该给小费，因为在一些地方服务费是自动加到账单上的。

 

Catherine

Yes, tipping is a really complicated issue which we will be looking at in this programme. But to start with, a question. What is the biggest tip that we know somebody gave? Is it…

是的，给小费是一个非常复杂的问题，我们将在本期节目中探讨这个问题。但是首先有一个问题，我们知道的别人所给的最大金额的小费是多少？

 

A: $10,000, B:$250,000,  C: $3,000,000

What do you think, Sam?

你觉得呢，萨姆？

 

Sam

I’m going to go for $250,000.

我选25万美元。

Catherine

OK, we’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. Now, back to the topic of tipping and in particular, tipping people who work in restaurants. William Beckett runs a number of restaurants and he recently appeared on the BBC Food Programme. He was asked about his view of tipping. Now as we hear him, listen out for this information: in how many cities does he say he currently has restaurants?

好的，我们将在节目最后揭晓你的答案正确。现在，回到给小费的话题上，尤其是给在餐厅工作的人小费。威廉·贝克特经营多家餐厅，最近还做客BBC美食节目。他被问到关于小费的看法。现在我们来听听他是怎么说的，听一听这个问题：他说他目前在几个城市开了餐厅？

 

William Beckett

It is cultural, i.e. it differs from place to place. We have restaurants in London, we have a restaurant in Manchester, we’re also opening a restaurant in New York and those three cities have quite different attitudes to tipping. In London, the norm is, it’s there, it’s on your bill. That’s not the norm, for example, in Manchester and it’s not the norm in New York where we’re going to open a restaurant later this year.

它是与文化有关的，也就是说，它因地而异。我们在伦敦有餐厅，在曼彻斯特也有餐厅，我们也在纽约开了一家餐厅，这三个城市对于给小费有不同的态度。在伦敦，正常情况下消费会在账单上。但是在曼彻斯特和纽约就不是惯例。我们今年晚些会在纽约开一家餐厅。

 

Catherine

So, first, how many cities does he currently have restaurants in?

所以，首先他目前在几个城市开了餐厅？

 

Sam

That would be two. London and Manchester. He’s going to open one in New York later in the year, but it’s not open yet.

是两个。伦敦和曼彻斯特。

 

Catherine

And what does he say about tipping?

对于小费，他说了什么？

 

Sam

Well, he says that it is very cultural. What is the norm in one city is not necessarily the norm in another. The norm is an expression that means, as you might guess, what is normal, what is usual.

他说那和文化相关。在一个城市是惯例在另一个城市不一定是。“The norm”是一个表达，意思是，你可能猜到了，正常的，平常的。

 

Catherine

So in London, for example, a service charge is usually added to the bill, but in Manchester it isn’t. So the policy in London and Manchester differs which means, again as you might

guess, it’s different.

例如，在伦敦服务费通常加在账单上，但是在曼彻斯特就没有。所以伦敦和曼彻斯特的原则相异，正如你猜到的。

Sam

There’s another short expression that he used that I’d like to highlight. Before he talks about how the policies differ, he says i.e. These two letters stand for the Latin phrase 'id est'. Now we never say ‘id est’ but we do write and say i.e. We use it to show that what comes next is using different words to say what we have just said or written. So he says, about tipping, it’s cultural i.e. it differs from place to place. ‘It’s cultural’ is a more general

statement and ‘it differs from place to place’ is a more specific definition of what he means.

我想强调他使用的另一个简短表达。在谈到这些原则有何不同之前，他说了“i.e.”这两个字母代表了拉丁短语“id est”。现在我们从来不说“id est”，但是我们会写和说“i.e.”。我们用它来表示接下来用不同的单词来表达我们刚刚说过或写过的东西。所以他说给小费是与文化相关的，也就是说因地而异。“它与文化相关”是一个跟通常的说法,“它因地而异”是对他所指的一个更具体的解说。

 

Catherine

So, one difference is that in some places people prefer an automatic service charge so that they don’t have to think about or try to calculate a tip. But in other places, people hate that- they want to decide who and how much to tip themselves. But do people actually make use of that freedom not to tip? Here’s William Becket again and this he's time talking about New York.

所以一个不同之处在于，在一些地方人们更喜欢自动算上服务费，这样他们就不用考虑或计算小费了。但在其它地方，人们讨厌那样—他们想决定给谁以及给多少小费。但人们真的会利用那种自由不给小费吗？这里是威廉·贝克特又谈到的，这次他要谈论的是纽约。

 

William Beckett

New York exactly the same. There’s a tacit pressure to tip. But theoretically you just stand up and walk out. You don’t, everybody tips 20% or, there is a theory of an option. But people like that.

纽约也是一样。给小费的压力是不言而喻的。但理论上你只要站起来走出去。你不用给每个人20%的小费，或者说你可以选择给不给。但人们喜欢那样。

 

Catherine

So he says there is a tacit pressure to tip. What does he mean by that?

所以他说给小费的压力是不言而喻的。他那么说是什么意思？

 

 

Sam

Something that is tacit is not spoken, not said, yet it is still understood. So in New York no one tells you that you have to tip, but everyone knows that you have to.

不言而喻的事物就是不说出来但仍被了解。所以在纽约没有人告诉你要给小费，但每个人都知道你必须给。

 

Catherine

And because there is no service charge on the bill and no one tells you what to tip, you could just walk out after paying. He says that’s theoretically possible. Thatmeans although it may be possible it’s actually very unlikely because of the tacit pressure and the way we behave.

因为账单上没有服务费，而且也没有人告诉你给多少小费，所以你付完钱就可以走。他说理论上这是可能的。这意味着，尽管它是可能的，但实际上是非常不可能的，因为不言而喻的压力以及我们的行为方式。

 

Sam

But he does say people like that freedom not to tip, even if they don’t actually use that freedom.

但是他确实说人们喜欢不给小费的那种自由，即使他们实际上并不利用这种自由。

 

Catherine

Right, nearly vocabulary time, but first, let’s have the answer to our question. Now Sam what is the biggest tip we know someone gave?

好了，快到词汇时间了，但首先，让我们来看看问题的答案。萨姆，我们所知道的最大金额的小费是多少？

 

Sam

I thought $250,000.

我认为是25万美元。

 

Catherine

Well it was actually, believe it or not, a whopping $3,000,000. Yes! Now, on with today’s vocabulary review.

他实际上是数量庞大的300万美元，信不信由你。是的！现在来回顾一下今天的词汇。

 

Sam

So we’ve been talking about tipping, the practice of giving extra money to, for example waitresses and waiters.

所以我们一直在讨论给小费，给服务员额外的钱的惯常做法。

 

 

Catherine

To differ from is a verb which means to be different from.

“相异”是一个动词，意思是“不同”。

 

Sam

The norm is what is usual or normal

“惯例”就是指通常的或正常的。

 

Catherine

i.e. is a short form of a Latin expression and it means ‘in other words’.

“i.e.”是一个拉丁文表达的缩写形式，意思是“换句话说”。

 

Sam

Something that is tacit is not said but is nevertheless understood.

不言而喻的事物就是不说出来却能被了解。

 

Catherine

And if something is theoretically possible it can be done but for different reasons it probably won’t be. And that is where we must leave it today. Goodbye!

如果某件事在理论上是可能的，那么它可能会被做，但出于不同原因，它可能不会被做。

 

Sam

Bye everyone!

再见各位