老外說「low tea」別翻譯成「低級茶」,真正的意思差遠了!

茶是深受人們喜愛的飲品之一。中國人喜歡茶，英國人也喜歡茶。17世紀，中國茶葉漂洋過海去了英國，在英國大受歡迎。英國人將中式茶葉和牛奶、檸檬、蜂蜜以及西式點心結合起來，發展出了自己的英式茶文化。先來看看英國貴族莊園裡的廚娘會如何衝泡一杯英式紅茶。

提到下午茶，可能很多人都知道英文是「afternoon tea」。

afternoon tea: a small meal eaten in the late afternoon, usually including cake and a cup of tea

下午茶：（通常包括蛋糕和茶的）午後茶點

Afternoon tea on the terrace is also a treat.

露臺上的下午茶也是一種享受。

但是今天小編主要想跟大家說的是「low tea」。看到這個「low tea」你的第一反應是什麼？低級茶？低茶？其實，這個「low tea」是「afternoon tea」的另一種說法，我們也可以直接翻譯成「下午茶」。

什麼是low tea？

A selection of tea cakes sandwiches and scones is a true delight to any brit and many visitors to the rainy isle.

精選的茶點、蛋糕、三明治和烤餅是所有英國人和許多來這個多雨小島的遊客的真正樂趣。

Tea was brought into the living room and served on a low table. Plates of scones with jam and whipped cream, cupcakes and cookies were all set out. This experience of afternoon tea is synonymous with 『low tea.』 『Low』 referring to the fact it was served on a low table and at early afternoon. So low tea is just another name Afternoon Tea.

茶水被端進客廳，放在一張低矮的桌子上。上面已經擺好一盤盤的果醬、生奶油烤餅、紙杯蛋糕和餅乾。這種下午茶的體驗就是「low tea」的代名詞。Low（低）指的是它是在一張低矮的桌子上端上來的，享用的時間是下午早些時候。所以「low tea」是「afternoon tea」的另一種說法。

While drinking tea in Britain dates back to the 1600s when tea first arrived from China, the custom of afternoon tea is relatively new by comparison. The origin of low tea in England is attributed to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford in the early 1800s. It was common for the upper classes to dine late in the evening around 8 pm, so it was a long time from the midday meal until then. Anna, experiencing that 『sinking feeling』 that comes from mid-afternoon hunger, decided to be served with a light snack to carry her through the afternoon.

英國人喝茶的歷史可以追溯到17世紀，當時茶剛從中國傳入英國。相比之下，下午茶的習俗則相對較新。據傳，英國的下午茶起源於19世紀早期，與第七任貝德福德公爵夫人Anna有關。當時，上層階級在晚上8點左右吃飯是很常見的，所以午飯到晚飯中間有很長一段時間。下午三點左右的飢餓給安娜夫人帶來了很難受的感覺，她決定吃點小點心，撐過一個下午。

Not wanting to spend this time alone, she quickly invited friends to join her and so began the tradition of afternoon tea. When she moved to London, she continued the practice, and the trend soon caught on. Tea was served at around 4 pm, just before the fashionable Hyde Park promenade, which made it a highly social event.

安娜不想獨自度過這段時間，於是很快邀請朋友們一起喝下午茶。搬到倫敦後，她依然繼續這種做法，於是這種趨勢很快就流行起來。下午4點左右，就在時尚的海德公園長廊前，提供茶點，這使它成為一個高度社交活動。

除了「low tea」之外，還有「high tea」這種說法。「high tea」並不是下午茶。雖然有high這個詞，但是和高級也沒有關係。

Originally it was the tea time taken later in the day by the working class upon the arrival home from work, at around 5–6pm, since they did not have the luxury to stop at mid-afternoon. Virtually a main meal, it was the equivalent to what most of us would term 『dinner』 and included meat and vegetables.

「high tea」最初是工人階級下班回家後，下午5-6點左右的下午茶休息時間，因為他們無法在下午三點左右休息。但這幾乎是一頓主餐，相當於我們大多數人所說的「晚餐」，包括肉類和蔬菜。

Contrary to popular belief and the aristocratic sounding name, High Tea did not originate amongst upper classes. In fact, the opposite is true; High Tea is a predominantly working class meal that was traditionally taken between 5 and 7pm – the time that labourers would arrive home from their physically demanding jobs. It was called High Tea because, in contrast to the cakes and tea at low coffee tables of the upper class Low Tea, High Tea was enjoyed at a high table – the dining table.

與流行的看法和聽起來貴族的名字相反，「high tea」並不是起源於上層階級。事實上，正好相反；「high tea」是一種以工人階級為主的晚餐，通常在下午5點至7點之間享用，這段時間是工人們從體力勞動中下班回家的時間。它之所以被稱為「High Tea」，是因為與上層階級在低矮的咖啡桌上享用蛋糕和茶不同，「High Tea」是在一張高一點的桌子——餐桌上享用的。

The foods enjoyed at High Tea were diametrically opposite to those at Low Tea. Instead of crustless cucumber sandwiches and petit fours, workers would dig in to meat pies, pickled salmon, cold cuts, bread and butter and jam. Tea, the beverage, was also drunk in copious quantities.

「High Tea」時享受的食物與下午茶（Low Tea）時所享受的食物完全相反。工人們不再吃無皮的黃瓜三明治和小蛋糕，而是吃肉餅、醃鮭魚、冷切盤、麵包、黃油和果醬。也大量地喝茶和飲料。

Low Tea - the high class and quintessentially British tradition that is also known as Afternoon Tea. It couldn’t sustain a working class labourer, but was enough to tide over the leisure-loving ladies of the upper classes until their evening meal.

「Low Tea」是貴族和經典的英國傳統，也被稱為下午茶。它不能讓一個工人階級的工人吃飽，但足以讓那些愛好休閒的上流社會女士們撐到吃晚飯的時候。

The differences between High Tea and Low Tea reflect some of the differences between the classes. Working people didn’t have time to take leisurely afternoon meals, in the same way the non-working classes couldn’t face a heavy meal at five o』clock when dinner was served at eight. Even today, modern workers tend to have 『tea』 at around 6pm after work, with a biscuit and a cup of coffee to get them through the afternoon.

「high tea」和「low tea」的區別也反映了不同階級之間的區別。工作的人沒有時間悠閒地吃下午飯。同樣，如果晚上8點吃晚飯，不工作的人也不能5點的時候吃一頓大餐。即使在今天，現代工作族也傾向於在下午6點左右下班後喝「茶」，外加一塊餅乾和一杯咖啡，讓自己度過整個下午。

These days, Afternoon (Low) Tea is the preserve of smart hotels for birthday treats, whereas High Tea (minus the actual tea) is still an everyday meal taken by millions of people.

如今,下午茶（low tea）是高檔酒店為生日招待而專門提供的，而實際不含茶的「high tea」仍然是數百萬人每天享用的一頓飯。

簡單來說，「low tea」是用來消遣的甜點下午茶時光。而「high tea」則是類似於正餐，讓人吃飽的食物。

最後，小編再來和大家介紹一些相關的表達。

輕茶(lightTea)：包括茶、烤鬆餅和小甜點，什麼時候都可以享用。

奶油茶(CreamTea)：基本和輕茶一樣，有茶和甜品。

皇家茶(RoyalTea)：在普通的下午茶的基礎上另加香檳酒。

全席茶(FullTea)：在英國，傳統上這種喝茶方式通常在下午16點到17點左右，不會超過晚上19點，包括茶、麵包、黃油和蛋糕。

brew tea 泡茶；沏茶

They also use it to brew tea.

他們還用它來泡茶。

tea set 茶具

A tea set is a nice wedding gift.

一套茶具是個很好的結婚禮物。