Communication is words. Spoken. Written. Emails. Telephone. Video calls. Meetings. Reports. Presentations. Here are some key aspects about how Germans communicate:
沟通就是语言。说出来的。书面的。电子邮件。电话。视频通话。会议。报告。演讲。以下是关于德国人如何沟通的一些关键方面：
Directness
Germans are direct. They say what they mean. And they mean what they say. Germans do not use euphemisms to soften a message. They believe in using unambiguous language and getting to the point. For Germans direct communication is honest, transparent, efficient. Being direct reduces the risk that people will not understand each other.
直接性
德国人很直接。他们说他们的意思。而且他们说的都是真的。德国人不使用委婉语来软化信息。他们相信使用毫不含糊的语言并直奔主题。对德国人来说，直接沟通是诚实、透明、有效的。直接的方式减少了人们不理解对方的风险。
Work vs. Person
Germans separate the professional from the personal. Work colleagues can disagree, even argue, about the substance of an issue. This, however, does not have a negative affect on their working relationship.
Critical thinking, stating one‘s opinions in a straightforward manner, debating the strengths and weaknesses of a given point, are in the German culture signs of professionalism. And a sign of respect for the other person.
工作与个人
德国人把职业和个人分开。工作上的同事可以对某一问题的实质持不同意见，甚至争论。然而，这并不对他们的工作关系产生负面影响。
批判性思维，以直截了当的方式陈述自己的观点，就某一观点的优点和缺点进行辩论，在德国文化中是专业的标志。也是对对方的尊重的一种表现。
Small Talk
In the German business context small talk is small, meaning short in duration. The Germans prefer to transition quickly to issues of substance, from small talk to big talk. They see little value in talking about the weather, sports or what they did in their most recent vacation. Germans get personal in non-business settings.
小谈话
在德国的商业环境中，小规模的谈话是指持续时间短。德国人更喜欢快速过渡到实质性的问题，从小谈到大谈。他们认为谈论天气、体育或他们最近的假期做了什么没什么价值。德国人在非商务场合下会变得很有个性。
Controversial Topics
When Germans engage in discussions they seek out topics which lead to lively discussions. Germans are intelligent and well-informed. They enjoy intellectual give and take. And since this means a difference of opinions, Germans purposely choose controversial topics.
And they are critically-minded. Germans look for weak points in an argument, for things that do not work, which are suboptimal or just plain wrong. So the discussion inevitably involves Germans stating their critical opinion about some thing, person or people.
有争议的话题
当德国人参与讨论时，他们寻找能引起热烈讨论的话题。德国人很聪明，信息量大。他们喜欢智力上的付出和收获。由于这意味着意见分歧，德国人故意选择有争议的话题。
他们具有批判性思维。德国人寻找论点中的弱点，寻找不起作用的东西，这些东西是次优的，或者只是纯粹的错误。因此，在讨论中，德国人不可避免地要陈述他们对某些事情、人或人的批评意见。
Unsolicited Advice
Unsolicited means not requested. Germans give unsolicited advice. Usually it is criticism. However, in most cases the criticism is accurate and helpful. In some cases Germans simply want to show that they know better. Mostly Germans give unsolicited advice because they sincerely want to be helpful. And they are.
不请自来的建议
不请自来的意思是没有要求。德国人不请自来地给出建议。通常，它是批评。然而，在大多数情况下，批评是准确和有帮助的。在某些情况下，德国人只是想表明他们更了解情况。大多数情况下，德国人提供不请自来的建议是因为他们真诚地想提供帮助。而且他们确实如此。
