Motivation: to provide a motive. Ok, so what is it that provides a motive for people to work hard, to perform, to reach their goals? And if there are differences among cultures – for example Germany and the USA – re: motivation, what exactly are those differences?
激励：提供一种动机。好吧，那么是什么为人们提供了努力工作、执行任务、实现目标的动机？如果不同文化之间存在差异–例如德国和美国–那么，这些差异究竟是什么？
Compensation
Although compensation (Gehalt) is important to Germans, it is only one of several factors which motivate them. Nor is it the most important. Germans simply want to be compensated fairly.
补偿
尽管报酬（Gehalt）对德国人很重要，但它只是激励他们的几个因素之一。它也不是最重要的。德国人只是希望得到公平的报酬。
Advancement
Most, but not all, Germans hope to advance within the hierarchies of their organisations. But only if it is line with their area of expertise and work experience. And allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
晋升
大多数（但不是全部）德国人都希望在他们的组织结构中获得晋升。但前提是这与他们的专业领域和工作经验相符。并且允许他们保持健康的工作和生活平衡。
Job Security
Job security is for Germans the most important motivating factor. Germans strive for stability, predictability, security. Ideally they’ll work for one employer, in one location, over their entire career.
工作安全
对德国人来说，工作安全是最重要的激励因素。德国人追求稳定、可预测性和安全性。理想情况下，他们会在整个职业生涯中为一个雇主，在一个地方工作。
Subject Matter
Germans want to work in subject matter areas in line with their education, training and job experience. The goal is to deepen subject matter expertise. The German economy, therefore German companies, value the specialist more than the generalist.
主题事项
德国人希望在与他们的教育、培训和工作经验相符的主题领域工作。其目的是为了深化主题领域的专业知识。德国的经济，因此德国的公司，更重视专家，而不是通才。
Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is of such extraordinary importance to Germans that it is imbedded in their labor laws, in how their companies treat their employees, in their expectations as a society.
工作与生活的平衡
工作与生活的平衡对德国人来说是非常重要的，以至于在他们的劳动法中，在他们的公司对待员工的方式中，在他们作为一个社会的期望中，都包含了这一点。
