You've probably heard a lot of myths and stereotypes¹ about India. Some stereotypes might be true, but many are not. Mariaebinesan3, a blogger from India, tries to dispel² some stereotypes most people assume about India.

或许，你听过很多对于印度的偏见和谬传。有一些可能是对的，有些则是错的。来自印度的博主Mariaebinesan3试图通过此文，消除大多数人对于印度的错误理解。

1. All educated Indians are IT professionals.

1、所有受过教育的印度人都是IT专业人员。

Fact: 1 out of every 200 workers is a software engineer in the US.Indiahas about 2.75 million software developers while theUShas 4.5 million. So do the math.

事实上：在美国，每200个人中，有1个人是软件工程师。在印度有将近275万软件开发人员，而在美国，这一数字为450万。你们自己算一算吧。

2. Dowry is prevalent in every part of India.

2、嫁妆在整个印度都盛行。

There's no dowry system in most of the North Eastern states ofIndia. In fact, in Meghalaya, marriages are matriarchal with a matrilineal system where property, names and wealth passes from mother to daughter rather than father to son. You'll find women take center-stage in every aspect of life.

在印度，东北部邦大部分地区都没有送嫁妆的习俗。事实上，在梅加拉亚邦，婚姻为母系婚姻，采用母系传承制，在这一制度之下，姓名、资产和财富都通过母亲传给女儿而不是通过父亲传给儿子。因而在生活各个层面，女性都居于核心地位。

3. All Indians live in extended joint families.

3、所有印度人都是数代同堂，一起生活。

Blame it on the numerous nonsensical Saas-Bahu Serials³, the general conception of a huge Indian joint family living under a single roof is a bit exaggerated and misplaced.

这种谬传要归咎于众多荒谬的“婆婆与媳妇”（印度电视剧名，译者注）系列电视剧，普遍认为的印度人数代同堂生活在同一个屋檐之下其实是有些夸大和误传。

4. Arranged marriages happen overnight with the couple not knowing each other.

4、印度包办婚姻现象严重，夫妻间甚至还未认识就结婚。

Almost every arranged marriage inIndiais preceded by an extended period of informal 'dates' (meetings) between the couple to evaluate each other and their prospective⁴ relationship.

在印度，几乎所有的包办婚姻之前，男女双方都会有数次非正式“约会”（见面），对彼此以及彼此未来的关系进行评估。

5. Indians eat rich, spicy⁵, masala curry⁶ everyday.

5、印度人每天必吃又稠又辣的马莎拉咖喱。

That's untrue. The staple⁷ diet of most Indians consist of dal/sambar, rice, chapatis/rotis with cooked vegetables (mildly spiced/stir fried) or fish/meat. Rich, thick gravies⁸ are either found in restaurants or prepared (rarely) during special occasions.

假的。印度人的主食包括南印度酸豆汤、米饭、印度烙饼、（适当调味或煸炒的）蔬菜以及鱼和肉。在餐馆或在一些特殊场合才会有浓稠的肉汁。

6. Indian cinema is equal to Bollywood.

6、印度电影业等同于宝莱坞。

Be it Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi or even Bhojpuri, the contribution of regional films to Indian cinema is immense. While Bollywood mints money, regional cinema brings accolades⁹.

各地区电影对于印度电影业的影响举足轻重，语言多种多样，包括泰米尔语、泰卢固语、马拉地语、马拉雅拉姆语、孟加拉语、旁遮普语，甚至还包括比哈尔方言。宝莱坞商业味道浓厚，而区域性电影业更受人们的青睐和赞扬。

7. Indians are uncomfortable while interacting with the opposite sex.

7、与异性交往时，印度人会不自在。

This one's a classic: Popular western TV series like The Big Bang Theory stereotypes Indians as people who can't handle a conversation with the opposite gender¹⁰. That's Raj for you.

这一说法来源：《生活大爆炸》这类著名的西方电视剧将印度人的形象描述为无法与异性正常交谈的形象。你才是Raj（生活大爆炸中的人物，来自印度，译者注）呢。

The irony¹¹ is that Raj, in real life, is married to a beautiful former Miss India.

讽刺的是，现实生活中的Raj（扮演者）最后娶了漂亮的前印度小姐。

8. Everyone from Southern India is dark skinned & has curly hair.

8、来自南部的印度人都是肤色黝黑，自然卷发。

The majority of South Indians have a wheatish tone. Not everyone has a mustache and they don't wear lungi all the time. So stop the 'Madrassi' ignorance.

大部分的南印度人肤色为小麦色，并非每个人都留胡子，而且他们也不会时刻戴着头巾。所以，别再愚昧地用Madrassi（西方人对南印度人的歧视用语，译者注）这样的称呼了。