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 5×7 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5×7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.