你也许听说过“better late than never 晚来总比不来强”这个说法。那么，到底多晚算太晚？生活在不同文化背景中的人，对时间的概念、对“迟到”的定义大相径庭。

 

Time flies, or so they say. No matter where you are, humans are constantly measuring and checking time. Some of us are good at it – planning and doing things way ahead of time - while others are always trying to beat the clock and do things at the eleventh hour. And that's only if you're on time. What about if you are behind time?

 

Tardiness¹ can be serious. If you were one minute late for work, would you resign? It may sound extreme to many of us, but that is exactly what occurred in the UK upper chamber² of parliament, the House of Lords, in January 2018. International development minister Lord Bates arrived one minute late, and, as a result, was unable to answer a scheduled question. Instead of trying to make up for lost time, as many might do, he resigned on the spot. He apologised for his discourtesy and stated that he was ashamed. His resignation, though, was not accepted by the UK prime minister.

 

So, how late is too late? Many cultures take punctuality very seriously, whereas others seem to accept lagging behind as just the normal way of things. Members of the BBC from various different cultures were asked about the concept of timekeeping in their native countries and responded with a raft of answers.

 

BBC employees from Latin America, Rwanda and Sri Lanka said that there are more flexible attitudes to timekeeping in their cultures. In Latin America, things may happen five minutes, 20 minutes, an hour or even two after they were planned. Whereas, in Sri Lanka, lateness is a part of the daily routine. This is because of poor infrastructure³ and heavy traffic conditions. In Rwanda, those who attend to deadlines with rigid⁴ timekeeping are said to be ‘like a typical European'. This is in a place where it is not unusual to arrive at 11am for a meeting which started at nine.

 

On the other hand, German and Japanese employees mentioned a stricter adherence⁵ to time. In Japan, it is common to make an effort to arrive with time to spare for an appointment. Those who arrived at the stroke of nine to a meeting starting at nine a.m. would be considered late. In Germany, however, if a dinner party were to begin at eight, a person who had arrived five minutes prior, may walk around the block to ensure that they arrive at eight on the dot.

 

It seems that the answer is subjective⁶, and what is considered acceptable is based on culture. That said, if you don't mind waiting, it might be best to attend your appointments in good time. And if the worst comes to the worst, remember the old English proverb. Better late than never.

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