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In less blatant cases, there's still a kind of negotiation that often goes on.
在不那么明显的例子中，还是有一种磋商在进行着
In the workplace, for example,
比如说在工作场所
there's often a tension over whether an employee can socialize with the boss,
在员工是否能和老板套近乎这一点上都有一点紧张不安
or refer to him or her on a first-name basis.
或者是称呼他或她首名（而不是叫XX先生或女士）
If two friends have a reciprocal transaction, like selling a car,
如果两个朋友进行一笔交易，比如卖一辆车
it's well known that this can be a source of tension or awkwardness.
大家都知道这可能是紧张和尴尬的来源
In dating, the transition from friendship to sex
比如约会中从友谊到性关系的过度
can lead to, notoriously, various forms of awkwardness, and as can sex in the workplace,
众所周知，可能导致各种各样的尴尬局面，工作场所的性也是
in which we call the conflict between a dominant and a sexual relationship "sexual harassment."
我们把两种关系类型--支配关系和性关系--间的冲突叫做“性骚扰”
Well, what does this have to do with language?
这个和语言有什么关系呢？
Well, language, as a social interaction, has to satisfy two conditions.
语言作为一种社会相互作用，必须满足两个条件
You have to convey the actual content -- here we get back to the container metaphor.
你得传达内容--这里我们又回到容器的隐喻
You want to express the bribe, the command, the promise, the solicitation and so on,
你想表达贿赂、命令、许诺的意思，恳请以及其他
but you also have to negotiate and maintain the kind of relationship you have with the other person.
但是你还得磋商，并保持你和那个人的关系
The solution, I think, is that we use language at two levels:
我认为解决的答案是我们在两个层面上使用语言
the literal form signals the safest relationship with the listener,
字面意思表达的是与听者的最安全的关系
whereas the implicated content -- the reading between the lines that we count on the listener to perform
而引伸义，我们留给听者自己去领会的言外之意
allows the listener to derive the interpretation which is most relevant in context,
则使他发掘出这个语境中最恰当的解释
which possibly initiates a changed relationship.
而这有可能促成一种新的人际关系
