The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs.
沉默的含义因文化群体而异。沉默可能是深思熟虑，也可能是无话可说时，谈话中的沉默也可能表现出固执或担忧。沉默可能被一些文化群体认为极不舒服；因此，可能会尝试填补谈话中的每个间隙。另一些文化群体的人认为沉默有价值，是理解个人所需的必要条件。

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what maybe implied is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.
许多美洲土著人珍视沉默，认为沉默是人与人之间交流的基本组成部分，就像一些的传统中国人和泰国人。因此，当来自这些文化中的人说话时突然停止，可能意味着这个人想在继续之前让聆听者思考一下所听到的话。在这些文化中，沉默是对反馈的呼唤。

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.
另一些文化可能在其他方式上使用沉默，特别是在处理人与人之间的冲突或不同权力的人之间的关系时。例如，俄罗斯人、法国人和西班牙人可能会使用沉默来表示双方就讨论的主题达成一致。然而，墨西哥人在当权者发出指示时可能会保持沉默，而不是通过与他争论来粗鲁对待对方。在另一种用法中，亚洲文化中的人可能会把沉默视为尊重，尤其是对长者或当权者。

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.
当护士和其他护理人员遇到患者可能处于个人焦虑中，他们需要意识到沉默可能的含义。护士应该认识到患者对沉默的个人和文化建构，这样患者的沉默就不会过早被打断或没完没了。理解沉默医疗价值的护士可以利用这种理解，从患者自身和其他文化中帮助护理患者。