Abstract: With the development of globalization, communications between people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds have increased. It is self-evident that intercultural communication is inevitable. Time has great influence on the communication. So people’s different attitudes to time are one of the most important aspects in intercultural communication.
China and the United States differ considerably on time orientations. By comparison, the author tries to define the various characteristics involved in the interaction. In the preliminary stage, the author concentrates on cause of these differences. Then with regard to underlying roots, the paper dedicates to make a comparative study on people’s different time orientations between Chinese and Americans. The purpose of this thesis is to figure out effective communication skills in intercultural setting, and therefore overcome the conflicts and misunderstandings successfully in course of overseas exchange.
This paper discusses the definitions of culture and time orientation, and the importance of time-orientation in intercultural communication. It discusses the manifestation of these different time orientations in terms of intercultural communication. The author specifically outlines the causes behind these different time orientations, as well as communicative failures arising from these differences.     With the problems existing in the intercultural communication being analyzed, strategies are put forward for bridging cultural barriers resulting from different time orientations.
Key words: intercultural communication; time orientation; cultural barrier; cultural root

摘  要：随着全球一体化的发展，具有不同语言和文化背景的人之间的相互联系日益增多。跨文化交际已经成为不可回避的事实。时间对人类的交际有着潜移默化的影响。所以人们不同的时间取向是跨文化交际的一个重要方面。
    中美两国在时间取向上具有鲜明的特点。通过比较，作者对中美两国人民不同的时间观念和行为，以及形成两种不同时间取向的文化根源的分析。研究中美时间取向差异，在于帮助在跨文化交际中的人们有效掌握有关时间取向方面的沟通技巧,从而克服在时间取向方面的差异而引发的冲突和烦恼，达到成功交际的目的。
    文章阐述了时间取向的定义以及它在跨文化交际中的重要作用，讨论了不同的时间取向在中美跨文化交际中的具体表现。作者分析了中美不同时间取向形成的原因以及对跨文化交际所带来的影响，并提出了在中美跨文化交际中如何克服不同时间取向所造成的交际障碍的策略。
关键词：跨文化交际； 时间取向；文化障碍； 文化根源