I ran across an article on the internet this afternoon that made me laugh out loud. It’s about an Ettiquette Manual that has been issued for distribution to residents of Guangzhou, a city in southern China. According to this article, the manual includes useful ettiquette tips, such as the importance of removing one’s hat while visiting a museum and appropriate titles for greeting people. My favorite one is this:
People often address a person in the culture and art circle with his family name plus "teacher", and those skillful experts in industrial, business and play fields "master". Knowledgeable women can also be addressed "rabbi". In addition, people must learn to use polite words, such as "I’ve been always longing to meet you" and "Thanks for taking the trouble."
Yup, that’s what it says…."knowledgeable women be addressed ‘rabbi’." It’s that dangerous direct translation thing going on again! Some things are better left un-translated.
Well, thanks for taking the trouble to read this.
Yours sincerely, Rabbi Jo! (I guess I’m presuming to be knowledgeable!)