To Americans, punctuality is a way of showing respect for other people’s time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the delay. Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example, people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time. But they usually don’t try that at work.
对美国人来说，守时是一种尊重他人时间的表现。通常若约会迟到超过10分钟，就应该向对方道歉或解释原因。知道自己会迟到的人往往会先打个电话，让对方知道自己会晚一点到。当然，会面场合愈不正式，精确准时的重要性就愈小。举例来说，在非正式的聚会中，人们往往会在约定时间过后30分钟才到，不过，他们上班通常就不会这样做。