正如爱因斯坦所说，时间是相对的。在某些国家迟到一会儿就不可饶恕，但在另外一些国家看来却习以为常。那每个国家对准时的理解究竟有什么不同呢？
- Hideous /ˈhɪdiəs/：令人厌恶的
- Faux pas /ˌfoʊ ˈpɑː/：失礼
As the great Albert Einstein said, time is relative. Turning up a few minutes late to a meeting might be considered as a hideous social faux pas in one country, but a perfectly normal and acceptable behavior in another.
01. 韩国：绝对不能迟到，说几点就几点
在韩国，孔子的思想已经深入了人们生活的方方面面，这导致了韩国人非常注重面子。为了避免人与人之间的冲突和不愉快，他们非常注重准时。如果一个人常常迟到，他会被认为是缺德的人。
- At all costs：不惜任何代价
- Lax：不严格的；马虎的
- Cad：无耻之徒
- Bounder：缺德的人
In many respects, South Korea is a very ordered society. The influence of Confucian principles runs through every aspect of day-to-day living. Well, in theory, at least. Central to this is Kibun*(Korean), the concept of saving face. As a result, confrontation is to be avoided at all costs and one way to avoid any unpleasantness is to be on time, all the time. And to be lax in this regard is to mark oneself out as a cad and a bounder.
02. 日本：火车晚点一分钟就算迟到
日本这个国家除了干净以外，守时也是出了名的。迟到往往意味着要低声下气地道歉和深深地忏悔。
- Gamble with：以...作赌注
- Tardiness：延误
- Groveling：低声下气的
Despite being famous for their high-rolling gamblers the Japanese just don't gamble with time, where tardiness generally results in groveling and sincere expressions of deep regret.
03. 德国：提早10分钟到才是准时
德国以前是一个工业社会，崇尚守时，至少提前十分钟到达是大家默认的行为准则。在德国，踩点到也是有风险的，因为你会发现主人已经早早的在那里等你，觉得你办事非常不周到。
- On earth：究竟
- Unforeseen circumstances：未预料到的情况
In the case of Germany, however, being on-time is a risky enough tactic as your hosts will probably already be there waiting, wondering how on earth you could be so foolish as to allow the possibility of some unforeseen circumstances delay you by so much as a second.
04. 沙特阿拉伯：守时是什么？
在沙特阿拉伯，根本就没有守时这一说。这可能跟他们长期生活在沙漠有关，毕竟那里实在是太热了，不能按照一定的节奏做事情。还有千万不能在活动上看手表，这被视为一种极其失礼的行为。
- Priority /praɪˈɔːrət/i：优先事项
- Figure：是重要部分
Some countries don't give timeliness a priority in their societies and Saudi Arabia appears to be one of them. It could be that the lack of importance attached to timeliness is as a result of their long history of desert living where punctuality doesn't figure highly on the list of everyday priorities. It could be that it's too damn hot to do anything at pace.
05. 加纳：所有人都迟到，就不算迟到
对加纳人来说，会议的时间非常灵活，即使有确切的时间，你也可以在一天当中的任何时间出现。这和当地人随和的性格有关，他们认为如果所有人都迟到了，那就没有人迟到了。
- By all accounts：根据各种说法
- Accommodating：随和的
- Reckon：认为
- Sit back：置身事外
By all accounts, Ghanaians are a very relaxed and accommodating people who reckon that if everyone is late then no one is late. After all, what can't be done today can get done tomorrow. If you find that kind of attitude difficult to deal with, prepare to be annoyed. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the ride.
06. 希腊：迟到半小时很正常
对于希腊人来说，时间是用来享受的，所以在日常晚宴中迟到30分钟很正常。但是他们对待商业会议可不是这样的态度，他们希望与会者能够准时参加。然而，如果主办人是希腊人，那就另当别论啦。
- Fret over：焦虑
- Extend to：引申；涉及
- Apply to：适用于
When in Greece it is worth remembering that Greeks ‘pass’ the time as opposed to ‘use’ it. In other words, time is something to be enjoyed rather than fretted over. As such, it is not unusual to arrive 30 minutes later for a dinner party. However, this laxity does not extend to business meetings where visitors are expected to be on time. As you might have guessed, the same rule doesn't always apply to your Greek hosts.
07. 马来西亚：永远不要相信他们说的时间
如果你有马来西亚的朋友，千万不要相信他们说的迟到五分钟，因为你可能一等就是一个小时。无论是在职场还是私生活中，马来西亚人都不守时，当然这跟当地混乱的交通和经常故障的公共交通系统很有关系。
- Expat：侨民
- Grumble：发牢骚
- Overlook：（对不良现象）不予理会
- Chaotic /keɪˈɑːtɪk/：混乱的
- Malfunctioning：故障的
It is often said that Malaysia has a very loose attitude toward punctuality in both the personal and professional sphere. Talk to any expat who has spent time there and they might grumble in agreement. However, this is to overlook the oft-times chaotic traffic and malfunctioning public transport that many Malaysians have to deal with on a daily basis.
08. 巴西：准时不礼貌
都说巴西人对迟到有非常大的容忍度。举个例子来说吧，在当地参加社交活动，准时到达反而是一种没有礼貌的行为，因为主人可能还没准备好迎接客人呢。话虽如此，如果你作为外来人在巴西参加国际会议，你可不能效仿巴西人的作风，因为你没有权利迟到！
- Tolerance：容忍度
- Having said that：话虽如此
It has been said that in Brazil, there is a widespread tolerance for delays. For example, it is considered impolite to arrive on time for a social occasion. That is probably due to the fact that it is unlikely the hosts would even be ready to receive their guests! Having said that, if you are a visitor to the country and have an important business meeting, it's probably best not to do as they do because, not being Brazilian, you haven't earned the right to be on anything other than ‘English time’.
