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The German "good luck" emblem, making two fists with the thumbs inside and pounding an imaginary table, is unique to that culture.
德国人表示“好运”的象征性动作是双手握拳，把大拇指包在拳头里，敲击想象中的桌子，这也是德国文化特有的。
Finally, multi-meaning emblems have one meaning in one culture and a totally different meaning in another. The thumb inserted between the index and third fingers is an invitation to have sex in Germany, Holland and Denmark, but in Portugal and Brazil it is a wish for good luck or protection.
第三类是多重含义的象征性动作，它们在一种文化中有一种含义，而在另一种文化中却有完全不同的另一种含义。大拇指放在食指和中指之间在德国、荷兰和丹麦是邀请发生性关系的含义，而在葡萄牙和巴西，这个动作是表示祈求好运或希望得到保护。
The number of emblems in use varies considerably among cultures, from fewer than 60 in the United States to more than 250 in Israel. The difference is understandable, since Israel is composed of recent immigrants from many countries, most of which have their own large emblem vocabularies.
正在使用的象征性动作的数量在各种文化中差别颇大，在美国不到60种，而在以色列有250多种。这种差异是可以理解的，毕竟以色列是由来自许多国家的新近移民组成的，而其中大多数国家都拥有自己的大量象征性动作。
In addition, since emblems are helpful in military operations where silence is essential, and all Israelis serve in the armed forces, military service provides both the opportunity and the need to learn new emblems.
此外，由于象征性动作在必须保持肃静的军事行动中很有用，而且所有以色列人都要在武装部队中服兵役，因此可以说服兵役为学习新的象征性动作提供了机会，也使之成为必要。
The kind of emblems used, as well as the number, varies considerably from culture to culture. Some are especially heavy on insults, for instance, while others have a large number of emblems for hunger or sex.
象征性动作使用的种类及数量在不同的文化中差别也很大。例如，有些文化尤其偏重侮辱性的象征性动作，而另一些文化中却有大量表达饥饿或性的象征性动作。
Finally, as Desmond Morris documented in his book, Gestures, there are significant regional variations in modern cultures. The findings we describe in this article apply to people in the major urban areas of each country: London, not England as a whole; Paris, not France. Because of the pervasiveness of travel and television, however, an emblem is often known in the countryside even if it is not used there.
总之，正如德斯蒙德·莫里斯在他的著作《手势语》一书中所引证的那样，手势语在现代文化中存在着重大的地区性差异。我们在本文中描述的研究成果适用于生活在各个国家的大城市中的人：伦敦，而不是整个英格兰；巴黎，而不是整个法国。然而，由于旅游和电视的普及，某种象征性动作在乡下也经常为人所知，尽管该动作并不在那里使用。
