“I'm new here and would appreciate your guidance”

Question

I'm a Hong Kong English learner. There's a Chinese phrase usually used when introducing yourself to a new group, that means "I'm new here and would appreciate your guidance." Would it sound strange to your ears? Thank you!

Answer 1

You might be asking about this greeting:

请多关照 Trad. 請多關照
qǐng duō guān zhào
please treat me kindly (conventional greeting on first meeting)
- yabla

English greetings don't normally carry such formalities / courtesies, and asking for open-ended guidance from newly introduced strangers might be considered self-deprecating. For the host, having a visitor ask to be treated kindly might prompt them (the host) to ask when they acquired a reputation for not being kind.

Idiomatic greetings sometimes sound odd in translation. For example, the Chinese sometimes use "Have you eaten?" as a greeting; that might elicit the reply "No, are you offering (lunch)?". I suppose the formal English greeting, "How do you do?" sounds just as odd in other languages, especially when the expected answer is to repeat the same phrase. (Then again, the Chinese "ni hao" follows a similar protocol.)

Another point to note is that while English might be a common language, each cultural group can have its own idiosyncracies. In Australia, it's common to greet each other with "How's it goin' (going)?", where "it" is left unspecified, not to mention where or even how "it" went. It's very easy to commit a faux pas when crossing cultures.

If you're joining a group for the first time, it's quite safe to just say "Hi, I'm Omega (assuming that's your name). This is my first time here."