大学生跨文化交际 Different Attitude to Time2014定稿

Different Attitude to Time

1.Time is one of the most central differences that separate cultural ways of doing things. In the west, time tends to be seen as quantitative, measured in units that reflect the march of progress. It is logical, sequential, and present-focused, moving toward a future the ego cannot touch and a past that is not a part of now. To them the expression "time is money" is frequently heard. This approach to time is called monochronic time --------it is an approach that favors linear structure and focus on one event or interaction at a time.

对待时间的态度是区分不同文化及其处事方式的最主要的差异因素之一。在西方,时间往往以一定的单位被量化,这种单位反映了时间的向前流逝（如时、分、秒）。时间是有逻辑性的,连续的,立足现时的。它朝着自我现在不能触碰到的未来流逝，告别了不属于现在的过去。对西方人而言，“时间就是金钱”之类的表达是经常听到的。这种处理时间的方法称为单向计时制（单维度时间取向，一元时间制）- - - - -这是一个倾向于线性结构，注重于一次只处理一个事情或只进行一次互动的方法。

2.In the East, it seems that time has unlimited continuity with no strict boundary. Birth and death are not such absolute ends since the universe continues and humans, though changing form, continue as part of it. People may attend to many things happening at once in this approach to time, called polychronic time. This may mean many conversations in a moment, such as a meeting in which people speak simultaneously, "talking over" each other as they discuss their subjects.

在东方，时间似乎是无限的、连续的，没有严格的边界的。自从宇宙诞生以来，生与死就不是绝对对立的。尽管在生与死之间，人类不断变化着形式，但人类始终是宇宙的一部分。在多向计时制（多维度时间取向，多元时间制）的计时方法中，人们可能会一次同时参于很多事情。这可能意味着许多对话会发生在同一时刻,比如一次会议中，在讨论话题时，人们会同时彼此交谈。

3.Monochronic culture typically emphasize doing one thing at a time during a specified time-period, working on a single task until it is finished. Monochronic

people see time as being divided into fixed elements (seconds, minutes, hours, etc.), sequential blocks that can be organized, quantified, and scheduled. They love to plan in detail, make lists, keep tracks of activities, and organize time into a daily routine. Only after one task is completed are they comfortable moving to another, and switching back and forth from one task to another is not only wasteful and distracting, it is also uncomfortable.

单维时间取向的文化非常典型地强调，在指定的时间内，每次只单独做一件的事，直到完成。单维时间取向的人会把时间分成固定的单位（例如秒，分，小时等）。在他们看来，时间就是能够组织起来的连续的时间组块，是可以量化的，是可以预先排好进度的。他们喜欢详细地计划，列出清单，记录活动，把一天的时间进程分配好。只有当一件任务完成后他们才会心里舒坦，才会去做另外一件事，如果同时在两件事情间来回切换，不仅浪费时间，分散注意力，而且也会让人不舒服。

4. In contrast, polychronic culture are involved with many things at once, usually with varying levels of attention paid to each. Polychronic people prefer not to have detailed plans imposed on them but want to make their own plans and meet deadlines in their own way. Switching from one activity to another is both stimulating and productive and the most desirable way to work.

相比之下，多维时间取向的人会一次参与很多事情，但他们通常区分每件事的轻重程度，给予不同的关注度。多维时间取向的人不喜欢强加于他们身上的详细计划，喜欢以自己的方式，制定自己的计划，并按时完成。从一个活动切换到另一个，是既刺激又富有成效且最理想的工作方式。

5.P-time cultures deal with time holistically. People in such kind of cultures do not emphasize scheduling by separating time into discrete , fixed segments. They treat time as a less tangible medium so that they can interact with more than one person or do more than one thing at a time. They do not perceive appointments as iron-clad commitments, therefore, in these cultures, personal interaction and relationship development are far more important than making appointments or meeting

deadlines. In this respect, polychronic cultures are by their nature oriented to people. If you value people, you must hear them out and cannot cut them off simply because of a schedule. For them, feelings of wasted time are not as prevalent or serious as M-time cultures.

多维时间取向的文化整体性地安排时间。在这种文化中的人不强调通过将时间分离成离散的，固定的区段来安排时间。他们把时间作为一个无形的介质,以便他们可以与一个以上的人相处或做更多的事。他们不认为约会是一成不变的承诺,所以,在这些文化中，人与人交流和关系发展比约会或按期完成重要得多。在这方面，多维时间取向的文化则以人性为本。如果你重视一个人，你一定会听他们说完，并不会仅仅因为有一个时间安排而打断他们。对多元文化的人来说,浪费时间的感觉并不像一元文化那样普遍或严重。

6.Polychronic individuals are oriented toward people, human relationships, and the family, which is the core of their existence. Family takes precedence over everything else. Close friends come next. In the absence of schedules, when there is a crisis the family always comes first . If a monochromic woman has a polychromic hairdresser, there will inevitable be problem, even if she has a regular appointment and is scheduled at the same time each week. In circumstance like these, the hairdresser (following his or her own pattern) will inevitably feel compelled to “squeeze people in.” As a consequence,the regular customer, who has scheduled her time very carefully (which is why she has a standing appointment in the first place), is kept waiting and feels put down, angry, and frustrated.

多元时间的人以人为本，以人际关系为本，以家庭为本。家庭，是他们存在的核心。家庭占据优先的地位，其次是好朋友。在没有计划安排的情况下，当出现危机时，家庭永远是第一位的。如果一个一元文化生活背景的女士遇上一个多元文化背景的理发师，即使她的定期预约是安排在每个星期的同一时间，他们之间也将不可避免地产生问题。在这种情况下，理发师（根据他或者她个人的时间模式）将不可避免地被迫“挤人”。因此，这个非常重视自己的计划安排的常客（这就是为什么她从一开始就坚持固定预约时间的原因），会一直等待，同时觉得失落，生气，沮丧。

7.By contrast, M-time is oriented to tasks, schedules, and procedures. Schedules and procedures take on a life of their own without reference to either logic or human needs. And it is this set of written and unwritten rules-and the consequences of these rules -that is at last partially responsible for the reputation of American business being cut off from human beings and unwilling to recognize the importance of employees morale.

相比之下，单一时间是以任务，时间规划和进程为本的。制定规划和进程，不考虑不顾及任何理性的或人文的需求，这是一套成文或不成文的规则。这套规则的后果就是要为美国商界的声誉负部分责任（美国商界一向被认为是缺乏人文关怀的，不愿意承认员工士气的重要性的）。

8.Therefore, appointments and schedules are very important to them. Unlike Chinese people, people on M-time culture tend to follow precise scheduling. Once the time is set, it is rarely changed, and people should take it seriously. Usually everyone is supposed to arrive on time when attending a formal banquet or meeting appointments. Sometimes, it is acceptable that people can be a little late, but no more than 10 minutes; otherwise his behavior will be regarded as inappropriate or insulting to both the host and other guests. In America, if someone is late for 20 minutes, he has to mumble some apologies .And if he is late more than 30 minutes, he is thought to be impolite or to have met some emergencies. In a word, in M-time culture one who violates the rule of punctuality shall be punished seriously.

因此,对单向计时的人而言约会和时间表是非常重要的。不像中国人那样,单向计时的人倾向于遵循精确的时间安排。时间一旦设定，就很少改变，人们会认真对待它。通常,在出席正式宴会或见面约会时，每个人都应该准时到达。有时，人们可以稍微晚了一点，这是可以接受的，但不能超过10分钟，否则他的行为将被视为不当的或是对主人和其他客人的侮辱。在美国,如果有人迟到了20分钟,他必须不断地道歉。如果他迟到了30多分钟,他会被认为是不礼貌的或遇到一些紧急情况。总之一句话，在单一文化中，违反了守时规则的人应受到严重惩罚。

9.What makes the American distressed is the way in which appointments are handled

by polychronic people. Being on time simply doesn't mean the same thing as it does in the United States. Matters in a polychronic culture seem to be in a constant state of flux. Nothing is solid or firm, particularly plans for the future; even important plans may be changed right up to the minute of execution. Lateness in Chinese food culture and punctuality in Western food culture are the commonest examples to show the sharp contrast between P-time and M-time.

让美国人苦恼的是多元背景的的人处理事物安排的方式。多维时间取向背景的人眼里的“准时”根本不意味着会像在美国一样发生同样的事情。在多维时间取向的文化中，事情似乎是在不断变化的状态中。没有什么事情是固定不变的，尤其是未来的计划，甚至是重要的计划也可能会在执行的那一刻有所变动。中国的饮食文化中的迟到现象和西方饮食文化中的准时就是用来显示多元时间和单一时间之间鲜明对比的最常见例子。

China is a country with P-time. Chinese people are usually a little later than what is scheduled when participating in some activities like banquets. Normally, they would be half an hour late. The host will arrange some entertainments, such as playing cards or chatting. Tea and various desserts like candy, cakes etc. are served for the guests who have arrived on time to kill time. Both the host and guests get used to that and would not interpret this kind of lateness as an impolite behavior.

Unlike Chinese people, people in M-time cultures tend to follow precise scheduling. Once the time is set, it is rarely changed, and people should take it seriously. Usually, everyone is suppoesd to arrive on time when attending a formal meeting or banquet. It is also acceptable that people can be a little late sometimes, but no more than 10 minutes, otherwise this behavior will be regarded as imappropriate by both the host and other guests, and one will have to give a proper explanation. The one who violateds the rule of punctuality shall be punished seriously in M-time culture.