Please, no small talk
請(qǐng)不要再聊天了

Where: Finland, Sweden
國(guó)家：芬蘭，瑞典

While chitchat about everything from the weather to the latest sport scores can be good way to ease into more serious meeting discussions in North America, this type of warm-up exercise isn't acceptable in places like Finland and Sweden where non-meeting related discussions can be perceived as a way to veer away from a formally-set agenda and as a waste of other people's time.
在北美，聊一聊天氣、最新的運(yùn)動(dòng)賽事比分等所有事情都是輕松過(guò)渡到更嚴(yán)肅的會(huì)議討論的好方法。但這種熱身運(yùn)動(dòng)在芬蘭和瑞典并不為人接受，因?yàn)榕c會(huì)議無(wú)關(guān)的討論都被視作偏離正式議程的行為，會(huì)浪費(fèi)別人的時(shí)間。

In some countries, including Finland, there are long pauses in the conversation, which can make visitors feel like there's an awkward silence. Don't try to fill it, though, with small talk or anything else. In parts of Northern Europe business people are more comfortable with pauses that can be as long as a minute peppered throughout the conversation, explained Friedman.
在芬蘭以及其它一些國(guó)家，談話(huà)中會(huì)有長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的停頓，來(lái)訪者會(huì)覺(jué)得這樣的沉默很尷尬。但是，不要試圖打破沉默，閑談什么的都不可以。弗里德曼解釋說(shuō)，部分北歐地區(qū)的商人更習(xí)慣談話(huà)中時(shí)不時(shí)地來(lái)段長(zhǎng)達(dá)一分鐘的沉默。

These breaks are used as a way to process what the other person is saying without interrupting. But a clashing of customs can make it easier to distrust the other side during a meeting, so it's crucial to keep this difference in mind.
沉默是因?yàn)樗麄円伎家幌聦?duì)方說(shuō)的是什么，不希望受到打擾。但是在會(huì)議中，習(xí)慣不同很容易導(dǎo)致對(duì)對(duì)方失去信任，因此記住這個(gè)區(qū)別至關(guān)重要。

"The Americans' insistence on breaking the silence causes [the Finnish] to not trust [them]," for instance, said Friedman. "If someone Finnish gets quiet we wonder what excuses they are contemplating."
比如，弗里德曼說(shuō)：“美國(guó)人總是要打破沉默，導(dǎo)致（芬蘭人）不信任（他們）。如果芬蘭人不說(shuō)話(huà)了，我們就會(huì)想他們?cè)谡沂裁唇杩凇！?/p>