Cubicle Decor

隔间装饰

陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。他中午去吃饭，正好遇到美国同事Amy。

(Office ambience)

C:Amy, 你去吃饭吗？

A:As a matter of fact, I am.

C:我准备到楼下的商店去随便买个汉堡。一起去吧？

A:OK. I am looking for a quick bite myself. I would be delighted to join you.

C:我刚好有个问题要请教你。

A:What is it?

C:现在很多人都在格间里工作，我还记得你告诉过我，工作时应该尽量设法不要影响到别人。

A:Right. We have discussed keeping your voice down in your cubicle, not using a speaker phone or holding a meeting in your cube.

C:对，除了声音不要太大以外，还有不要吃味道特别重的食物。不过Amy，我最近还注意到了另外一个问题。

A:I'm interested to hear what it is.

C:主要是个人对工作格间的装饰。I call it "cubicle decor."

A:Here we are at the sandwich shop. Let's get seated and then continue our conversation.

陈豪和Amy坐下吃饭。

A:You were talking about cubicle décor. What do you mean?

C:有人的格间很整齐，没有任何私人物品，但有的人却好像是把家都搬来了。

A:Can you be more specific?

C:他们的工作间里到处是家人的照片、小装饰品、孩子的手工作品、出去玩买的纪念品，还有各种奖状。

A:That bothers you?

C:我确实觉得有点儿过份。

A:Well, I agree with you. People need to add a personal touch to their office or cubicle without overdoing it.

C:我觉得应该定个规矩，一律不许用私人物品来装饰办公室？

A:I disagree. Putting personal touches around your desk reveals a dimension of your personality to your co-workers and associates. It's as important as small talk in the office.

C:这么说也有道理，其实我就挺喜欢看同事们桌子上的照片的。但是你不觉得应该适当控制一下吗？

A:People need to understand the limits of how much memorabilia to display as well as what is appropriate.

C:那你觉得什么样的限制比较合理呢？

A:Keep the number of family photos to one or two, no more than 5x7 inches each. Display a favorite art piece, knick-knack or a plague that expresses a personal philosophy, but not a collection.

C:你的意思是可以放一、两张5x7的照片，外加一件小装饰品。还有些同事喜欢在办公室里养花，你觉得合适吗？

A:It's OK to add a live plant or two. The bottom line is to make your work area represent you without diminishing your professionalism.