陳豪在北京的ABC美國公司工作,他在走廊上遇到了美國同事Amy。
(Office ambience)
C:Amy, 你有兩分鐘時間嗎?我有點事兒想請教你。
A:Yes, but let's step into my office so we don't disturb anyone else. What is it?
C:今天,信息技術部的一個同事被老板叫去訓了一頓,說他整天聊天兒。老板還說,你是來工作的,不是來社交的。
A:I agree. After all, that is what we are paid for and people who misuse company time are wasting company money.
C:可是,我記得你告訴過我,應該跟同事搞好關系。
A:I did. And one of the ways to do that is to engage in small talk or "chit-chat," as we say. You need to talk to your colleagues about things other than work.
C:聊工作以外的事兒?那我就更糊涂了??衫习逭f這是浪費工作時間啊。
A:It's not wasting time if you do it at the appropriate times.
C:那什么才是合適的時間呢?
A:Basically, at the beginning of the day when everyone is getting their tea or coffee and starting to settle in; during breaks and at lunch. The end of the day is another good time to chat.
C:早上上班和中午吃飯的時候還好,可下班前大家都趕著回家,根本沒人理我啊。
A:Chen Hao, I know this is important, but can we talk after work? I have a project to complete before the end of the day.
C:那好,一會兒見。
******
MC:陳豪跟Amy同路回家。
C:今天我特別注意了一下,發(fā)現(xiàn)很多人上班時間都在聊天。
A:Often people who have just competed a project or an assignment, need a break. They don't always consider that their colleague may be in the middle of something and doesn't have time to talk.
C:在這一點上,我自我感覺做得還不錯。每次來找你,我都會先問你有沒有時間。還有其他什么要注意的嗎?
A:Location is important. Pay attention to where you are so that you don't disturb the people who are working.
C:什么地方才不會干擾到別人呢?
A:A place like the break room or an office with a door will give you privacy as well as prevent others from being distracted by your conversation.
C:還有其他注意事項嗎?
A:Yes. We haven't talked about one of the most important - what you talk about.
C:聊天的內容還有規(guī)矩啊!
A:Small talk should not be viewed as a time to get personal and pry into people's private lives. Nor should it be a time to spread gossip.
C:所以一是不能打聽別人的隱私,二是不要散布小道消息。好,我知道了。謝謝你,Amy.