March 25
【Text】
Cross-cultural conflicts
Not understanding these different ideas about time can create conflicts between people of different cultures. For example, American students often quickly exchange "how are you?" and "fine" as they rush to make class on time. But event-oriented students see this exchange as impersonal. Before they can say anything more than "fine", the Amerian student has already hurried past them.
Time-oriented people doing business in event-oriented lands may cut to the chase too quickly. This offends event-oriented people, who prefer getting to know their associates before discussing the details of a business deal.
For those who believe "time is money", the slow pace of life in event-oriented lands can be frustrating. Since time-oriented people value productivity, they might view event-oriented people as lazy or inefficient.
Not having specific times for events also causes problems. Some Americans in Mexico were told a meeting would start "after dinner". They rushed through dinner so they could be on time, only to end up waiting for everybody else.
What can the world traveler do to avoid these time-related conflicts? Follow the age-old rule: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
【Word Bank】
impersonal (adj.)
没人情味的
Whenever I call this company, I only get a recorded message. It feels very impersonal.
associate (n.)
合伙人
Ben is a sales associate at this company.
productivity (n.)
生产力；生产率
Studies show that if workers are happy, their productivity is higher.
inefficient (adj.)
没有效率的；效能差的
Jocelyn isn't lazy; she's just inefficient. She needs to work smarter, not harder.
【More Information】
cut to the chase (idiom)
开门见山
Let's cut to the chase and discuss exactly how much this project will cost.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do (idiom)
入境随俗
You should try the local food! After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!
【译文】
跨文化冲突
不明了这些关于时间的相异概念，会导致不同文化居民的冲突。举例而言，美国学生经常在赶着准时上课时很快地相互寒暄「你好吗？」与「还好」。但是以事件为导向的学生认为这种招呼很没人情味。在这些学生想多说一些除了「还好」之外的问候语时，美国学生早己匆匆擦身而去。
当以时间为导向的人们在以事件为导向的地区洽公时，或许会过于匆促地开门见山。这种态度会冒犯以事件为导向的人，他们偏好在讨论商业交易的细节之前多认识自己的合伙人。
对相信「时间就是金钱」的人来说，那些以事件为导向国家的缓慢生活步调，可能很令人气馁。由于以时间为导向的人重视生产力，他们或许会认为那些以事件为导向的人很懒散或没有效率。
没有为事件设下待定时间也会引发问题。有些在墨西哥的美国人被告知要在「晚餐之后」开会。他们仓皇用完晚餐好准时到达，结果只能眼巴巴等着每个人出现。
世界旅人们能做什么来避免这些与时间有关的冲突呢？遵守亘古不变的规则：入境随俗吧。