0921周五Ask树华：美国有带薪休假？父母会帮忙买房子？长胡子有什么传统？

Evelyn Zhang

Hi Josh! I want to know how many days of paid leave do Americans usually have in one year? In which holiday will they have breaks? Also, when they get married, how long will the wedding vacation be?

嗨树华！我想知道，美国人一年以内有几天带薪休假？哪些节日会休假？还有，结婚的时候，婚假要多长？

This is a sore question for lots of Americans, because by law, we only get paid leave for holidays.

这个问题是很多美国人的痛点，因为法律上，我们只有在节日才能有带薪休假。

Some companies might give you more paid leave, but they don’t have to.

有的公司可以给你更多带薪休假，但是这不是必须有的。

In the UK, the law says you must have 28 days of paid leave and 9 holidays.

在英国，法律说你必须有28天带薪休假，然后还有9个可以放假的节日。

In Australia, it’s 20 days of paid leave and 8 holidays.

在澳大利亚，就是28天带薪休假，然后还8个可以放假的节日。

In the USA, it’s 0 days of paid leave, and 10 holidays.

在美国，是0天带薪休假，可是有10个放假节日。

The average amount of paid leave given by American companies is 15 days per year, which is still 13 days less than the UK, and again, the companies don’t have to give you that leave, because it’s not the law. 

美国的公司平均来说会一年内给15天跟节日没关系的带薪休假，这要比英国少13天，而且公司其实没有必要给你这个假，因为不是法律规定的。

The longest holiday is Christmas and New Year’s Day, which goes from the end of December into the beginning of January. There are also a few other smaller holidays, like Thanksgiving.

最长的节日是圣诞节和元旦，就是12月底直到1月初。还有一些小点的节日，比如感恩节。

As for weddings, everyone is different. Some people just get married on the weekend, and maybe take 1 or 2 weeks off from work after that for a honeymoon.

关于婚礼，每个人都不一样。有的人就在周末结婚，然后请1-2周的假，做个蜜月。

Now, I’ll ask you a question – in China, does the law say that you must have some days of paid leave aside from holidays?

那么，我问你个问题 – 在中国，法律规定你能有几天带薪休假呢？

Maiminu

Are there some traditions or habits for when a man starts to grow his beard or mustache in America?

在美国，男孩儿开始有胡子的时候有什么传统或者习惯？

Not really. Usually the father will teach the kid how to shave, which is kind of like a tradition, I guess. I taught myself how to shave before asking my dad, so I guess I skipped that.

不太有。平时父亲会教孩子怎么刮胡子，这就大概算个传统吧。可是我自己学了怎么刮胡子，所以我就跳过了这个。

Also, some schools don’t let their students have any facial hair. It could be because they don’t think it looks professional, or it could be so that the students feel equal. Boys who get their facial hair late won’t feel weaker than boys who get it early.

有的学校不允许学生有胡子。有的是因为他们觉得这样显得不专业，或者因为这样能让学生感觉平等的 – 胡子来得晚一点的男孩儿不会觉得比胡子来得早的男孩儿弱。

Honestly, I’ve never thought about it. Do Chinese boys have traditions for when they start getting facial hair?

说实话，我从来没想过这个问题。中国的男孩子们有什么胡子来了的传统呢？

Maiminu

Josh, will American parents help their children when they’re willing to buy an apartment? You know that most of the Chinese parents and even their relatives are supposed to make the down payments, but they say Americans have much more independence than we Chinese do. 

树华，美国的父母会帮孩子买房子吗？你知道，中国父母（甚至其他家人）应该要给首付，可是有人说美国人比中国人还要独立。

In one of my other shows, I talked about the idea that all Americans are “independent” and parents don’t help their kids financially.

在我另一期节目里，我聊了那个想法，就是关于美国人更“独立”、父母不帮孩子。

One of the things I said in that show was that Americans used to be more independent, but now that the economy is not as good as it was before, parents are giving more money to their kids and being more involved in their lives.

档期节目说的事情之一就是美国人之前更独立，可是经济稍微降落了以后，父母开始把更多钱给到孩子，也会更愿意参与孩子的生活。

Around 2010, only 13 percent of parents helped their kids buy a house. In 2015, that number was already up to 17 percent. I don’t know what the number is now, but I think it’s going up.

大概2010年，才13%的父母会帮孩子买房子。2015年，那个概率已经升了到17%。我不知道现在的概率是什么，但是感觉应该还在往上涨。

That’s because lots of adult millennials lived with their parents instead of buying a new house. Now that the economy is doing a little better, more millennials are moving out – and more parents are probably helping them buy a new place.

那是因为很多成年千禧一代还在跟父母住在器、不早买房子。现在经济好了一些，更多千禧一代要自己买房子 – 而且更多父母应该想帮他们找个新的住的地方。

Usually a parent won’t just buy a house for their kid. They will offer some money to help, but the kid still has to pay for most or a lot of it. It’s hard to know the exact numbers.

平时，父母不会直接买房子给孩子。他们会提供一些财务帮助，可是孩子还是需要承担大部分费用。具体的数据，不太好说。

So fewer American parents help their kids buy houses, but 17% is still much more than 0%. I guess American parents and Chinese parents aren’t so different after all.

所以虽然帮孩子买房子的美国父母相对来说少一点，但是17%怎么着都比0%还要高一些。估计美国的父母跟中国的父母之间的区别原来就没有那么大。