If you struggle to know when it is appropriate to give someone a hug or even simply pat them on the arm, help is at hand. Oxford University scientists have created a series of body maps that show just where we are comfortable to be touched.
是给对方一个拥抱合乎时宜,还是轻拍肩膀就好,如果你还在为此痛苦挣扎,那么现在有救了。牛津大学的科学家创制了一系列身体地图,展示了人们哪些地方可以接受触碰。

The 'touchability index' provides colour-coded information for everyone from our nearest and dearest to extended family, casual acquaintances and complete strangers.
“触摸指数”提供了色彩编码信息,从我们最亲最近的家人到大家庭、及至点头之交到与我们素昧平生的每一个人。

Almost 1,500 men and women from Britain, Finland, France, Italy and Russia were given a series of outlines of the human body and asked to colour in which parts they would allow someone to touch, front and back. Each person created touchability maps for 13 members of their social network, including their partner, their parents, their siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and acquaintances. They also coloured in two more shapes, one for a stranger of each sex.
来自英国、芬兰、法国、意大利还有俄罗斯的1500名男女,(我们)给了每个人一系列人体外形轮廓,要求他们在正面和背面都上色,哪些部位他们允许别人触碰。每个人都给来自他们社交圈子里的13个成员创制了触碰地图,有其伴侣、父母、亲兄弟、叔叔阿姨、堂兄弟和一些熟识。他们还另外给两个人形上色,陌生的同性和异性。

Not surprisingly, the study of five European countries found that buttoned-up Britons were the least touchy-feely. It also showed that the less we know someone, the less comfortable we are to be touched by them.
不出所料,研究发现五大欧洲国家里,缄默少语的英国人最不能接受碰触。研究同样发现,我们对一个人了解越少,我们也越不愿意被他们触碰。

Despite the tactile reputation, the Italians were only slightly more comfortable with touching than the British. The Finns were the most relaxed about being touched. However, the differences were small and the results were broadly similar across all the countries studied.
尽管意大利人以爱身体接触著称,他们对触碰接受度也不过比英国人稍大一点。芬兰人最不介意触碰。然而,差异并不大,参与调查的各国研究结果大抵相似。

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