第1658期:When neighbours go wrong

Do you know the names of the people who live next door? Chances are you live next to someone, but do you actually know them? Sadly, the only time we do seem to hear about people’s neighbours is when things go wrong – hearing people say things like they have the neighbours from hell! So, what does go wrong?

你知道住在隔壁的人的名字吗？你可能住在某人旁边，但你真的认识他们吗？可悲的是，我们似乎唯一一次听到人们的邻居是在事情出错的时候——听到人们说他们有来自地狱的邻居！那么，出了什么问题呢？

When talking about famous feuds with people who live in proximity, you only need to think of the Montagues and Capulets in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Thankfully, most real-life quarrels don’t go that far. These days, especially in cities, many people live in condominiums, tightly packed into apartment blocks. Our neighbours are all around us – so what issues can come from that?

当谈论与住在附近的人的著名世仇时，您只需要想到莎士比亚的罗密欧与朱丽叶中的蒙太古和凯普莱特。值得庆幸的是，大多数现实生活中的争吵都没有那么严重。如今，尤其是在城市里，许多人住在公寓里，密密麻麻地挤在公寓楼里。我们的邻居就在我们身边——那么这会带来什么问题呢？

The first obvious cause of dispute is noise pollution. Loud bass pumping through the walls, construction, or people arguing next door can disrupt the harmony of your living space. Asking someone directly to turn the music down can cause you to feel anxious. However, getting someone like a building manager involved to speak to your neighbour and making complaints official can make things more awkward down the line as you didn’t speak to your neighbour directly.

第一个明显的争议原因是噪音污染。穿过墙壁、建筑或隔壁争吵的人的响亮低音会破坏您生活空间的和谐。直接要求某人将音乐音量调低可能会让您感到焦虑。但是，让大楼经理等人参与与您的邻居交谈并正式投诉可能会使事情变得更加尴尬，因为您没有直接与邻居交谈。

And then what about smells? If your neighbour likes eating especially pungent food, something that offends your nostrils, and that smell drifts through your window, what can you do? Some other common issues include water leaking through the ceiling, pets making noise, and littering from the balcony above you.

那么气味呢？如果你的邻居特别喜欢吃刺激性的食物，会刺激你的鼻孔，而且气味会从你的窗户飘进来，你能怎么办？其他一些常见问题包括天花板漏水、宠物发出噪音以及在您上方的阳台上乱扔垃圾。

And then, if you’re lucky enough to own a garden, that can present even more issues to fight with your neighbour about! This could include hedges and fences that are too high, balls and toys invading your garden or hitting your windows, and boundary disputes over where your neighbours’ land ends. All these can create animosity over time.

然后，如果你足够幸运拥有一个花园，那可能会出现更多问题需要与你的邻居争吵！这可能包括树篱和栅栏太高，球和玩具侵入您的花园或撞击您的窗户，以及关于邻居土地边界的边界纠纷。随着时间的推移，所有这些都会产生敌意。

It’s not easy living next door to someone, especially if they’re noisy. But having a clear and honest line of dialogue might help. Also, try considering if the things you are doing could upset your neighbours. If it’s something that would upset you, maybe think again.

住在某人的隔壁并不容易，尤其是当他们很吵的时候。但是，进行清晰和诚实的对话可能会有所帮助。此外，请尝试考虑您正在做的事情是否会让您的邻居不高兴。如果这会让你不高兴，也许再考虑一下。

词汇表

next door 隔壁
neighbour from hell 非常糟糕的邻居
feud 争吵不休，长期不和
proximity 邻近
quarrel 争吵
condominium 公寓住房
apartment block 公寓楼
dispute 纠纷
noise pollution 噪音污染
bass 低音
argue 争吵
harmony 和谐，融洽
living space 生活空间
building manager 物业经理
hedge 树篱
fence 围栏，篱笆
boundary 分界，此处指两家之间的界线
animosity 敌意，憎恶
dialogue 对话