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工作场合,少八卦!

2014-01-06JoshuaOdgen-Davis

疯狂英语·口语版 2013年12期
关键词:塞巴斯蒂安八卦消极

Joshua Odgen-Davis

Penelope: Hey, Sebastian! ①Glad to see youre still kicking!

Sebastian: Hi, Penelope. Whats that supposed to mean?

Penelope: Im just glad your new job hasnt done you in. ②Youve been kind of off the radar lately, so we all assumed you were in over your head at the new company. Sebastian: Well, kind of. But Im still alive and well; its nothing I cant handle!

Penelope: ③Thats the spirit! So, whats it like? Is the new boss a slave driver?

Sebastian: Hardly. Shes pretty relaxed about working styles, as long as everyone meets the deadlines.

Penelope: She sounds reasonable. If shes not the problem, then it must be the workload thats got you down. Did they load you down with projects right off the bat?

Sebastian: Not at all. ④Theyre letting me get my feet wet with some small projects, so I can really ease into the new position.

Penelope: Then Im 1)stumped. Why have you been 2)bummed about the new job?

Sebastian: It actually has nothing to do with the job itself. Ive just been trying to figure out how to fit in with my new co-workers.

Penelope: ⑤I never would have guessed! Youre such an 3)upbeat guy, its hard to imagine youd have a problem fitting in.

Sebastian: Its never been a problem before, but this office culture is different from my last job. Theyre a lot more negative. Penelope: Im surprised. From what youve said, the work environment seems pretty relaxed. Why would there be a negative 4)vibe?

Sebastian: I dont think theyre actually bad people, but many of them really like to gossip.

Penelope: ⑥You mean, they like to talk about people behind their backs?

Sebastian: Yep. Co-workers, clients, even the boss. It seems like every time they take a smoke break, they pick someone else to criticize.

Penelope: I can imagine. All your co-workers standing around 5)dissing people, and you standing off to the side, not saying a word.

Sebastian: Thats right!

Penelope: Well, is that so bad? If they want to be rude, you can let them. Dont feel the need to sink down to their level.

Sebastian: I mostly agree with you. But the problem is, if I dont start gossiping with them soon, Ill end up with a reputation as the anti-social new guy.

Penelope: Ah, now I can see where youre coming from. No matter who they are, your co-workers are still your co-workers, and a good rapport is important.

Sebastian: Bingo. So what can I do?

Penelope: ⑦Well, in my humble opinion, I think youre doing it half-right already. Theres no need to pick up other peoples bad habits. Always follow your own moral compass instead of sacrificing your ideals just to fit in.

Sebastian: I wholeheartedly agree. So how can I do that?

Penelope: It wont be easy, but I think you can do it. If they dont want to talk about anything other than gossip, see if you can start some conversations about something else.

Sebastian: That will be hard, especially since I dont know them very well yet.

Penelope: You dont have to do it with everyone all at once. You can start one-on-one. After you get a feel for who they are, then you can start conversations about their interests.

Sebastian: Thats not a bad idea. Maybe its the group 6)dynamic thats the problem, not the individuals.

Penelope: Almost certainly! Hey, its time for me to go. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

Sebastian: Sure thing! See you later!

佩内洛普:嘿,塞巴斯蒂安!很高兴看到你活得好好的!

塞巴斯蒂安:嗨,佩内洛普。你这是什么意思?

佩内洛普:很高兴你的新工作没把你搞垮。你最近都不知所踪,所以我们猜想新公司让你忙得焦头烂额。

塞巴斯蒂安:好吧,是有点。但是我还活得好好的;事情还在我掌控之中!

佩内洛普:这就对了!那么,新公司怎么样?新老板是个压榨机吗?

塞巴斯蒂安:她不是。她对工作的方式很放宽,只要每个人都能在截止日期前完成工作就行。

佩内洛普:那她听起来挺人性化的。如果不是她的问题,那肯定是工作压力把你弄垮了。他们马上就让你接手一大堆的项目吗?

塞巴斯蒂安:没有。他们让我着手一些小的项目,所以我可以真正轻松地进入新环境。

佩内洛普:那我就不明白了。你为什么还为新工作而烦恼呢?

塞巴斯蒂安:其实根本与工作无关。我一直在想如何才能融入到我的新同事当中去。

佩内洛普:我真的没想到!你是那么欢乐的一个人,很难想象你不能融入他们。

塞巴斯蒂安:这从前不是个问题,但是这个办公室的氛围跟我上一家公司的不同。他们会更消极些。

佩内洛普:我很惊讶。据你所说,你的工作环境看起来很放松,为什么会有消极的氛围呢?

塞巴斯蒂安:我不认为他们是坏人,只是他们很多人都喜欢八卦。

佩内洛普:你的意思是,他们喜欢在别人背后说闲话?

塞巴斯蒂安:对。同事、客户甚至老板。他们每次都在抽口烟的时间挑个人来挖苦。

佩内洛普:我能想象得到。你所有的同事都站在一起贬损别人,而你却站在一旁无话可说。

塞巴斯蒂安:就是这样!

佩内洛普:嗯,这不好吗?如果他们要对别人无礼,你就随他们去好了。没必要认为自己也要降低到他们的水平。

塞巴斯蒂安:我大致同意你的看法。但问题是,如果我不开始跟他们一起八卦,就会变成那个不合群的新人。

佩内洛普:啊,我现在明白你的意思了。不管他们是谁,你的同事就是你的同事,把关系搞好很重要。

塞巴斯蒂安:对。那么我该怎么做呢?

佩内洛普:好吧,依我看,我觉得你已经做对了一半。没必要去挑别人的坏毛病。你应该遵循自己的道德准则,而不是为了融入同事而牺牲它。

塞巴斯蒂安:我完全同意。那么我该怎么办呢?

佩内洛普:这真的不简单,但是我相信你能做到。如果他们除了八卦就什么也不想聊,看看你能不能展开一些别的话题。

塞巴斯蒂安:那真的很难,因为我还不够了解他们。

佩内洛普:你不用马上对每个人都这样。你可以一个接一个来。当你了解他们后,就能发起他们感兴趣的话题。

塞巴斯蒂安:这个主意不赖。也许这是群体驱动力问题,不关个人的事。

佩内洛普:这是肯定的!嘿,我该走了。祝你好运,告诉我事情发展得怎样!

塞巴斯蒂安:一定会!再见!CS

Smart Sentences

① Glad to see youre still kicking! 很高兴看到你活得好好的!

still kicking: active and well, well and healthy(活蹦乱跳,照旧活跃)。例如:

—How is Bill since his stroke last year?

比尔去年中风之后,现况如何?

—Oh, hes still kicking.

噢,他还活得好好的。

② Youve been kind of off the radar lately, so we all assumed you were in over your head at the new company.你最近都不知所踪,所以我们猜想新公司让你忙得焦头烂额。

off the radar: be forgotten or ignored(被忘记,不被留意)。例如:

Lily has locked herself in the lab to work on the new materials and has been off the radar.

莉莉把自己关在实验室里,忙着研究新材料,渐渐淡出了人们的视线。

in over sb.s head: a situation is too busy or difficult for sb. to handle(太忙/难,无法承受)。例如:

Ive been in over my head all summer, working on my thesis.

这个暑假我为论文忙昏了头。

③ Thats the spirit! 这就对了!

Thats the spirit: used to express approval of the others attitude and energy, same as “That is the right attitude.”(表达对对方态度和干劲的赞许,等同于“That is the right attitude”)。例如:

—Ive decided not to worry about the final result and just try my best at the speech competition.

我已经决定不再纠结最终的结果,而是在演讲比赛中尽力而为。

—Thats the spirit.

这就对了!

④ Theyre letting me get my feet wet with some small projects, so I can really ease into the new position. 他们让我着手一些小的项目,所以我可以真正轻松地进入新环境。

get ones feet wet: get a little first-time experience with sth.(开始参与,初试)。例如:

You cant blame him for the not-so-perfect report. Hes hardly got his feet wet yet.

你可不能为他不那么完美的报告责怪他,他才刚刚开始呢。

⑤ I never would have guessed!我真的没想到!

I never would have guessed: used to express surprise(用以表达意外)。例如:

I heard Wendy was let go because of the accident. I never would have guessed it.我听说韵迪因为那场事故被解雇,我怎么也不会想到是这种结果。

⑥You mean, they like to talk about people behind their backs? 你的意思是,他们喜欢在别人背后说闲话?

behind sb.s back: sth. is done without sb. knowing about it(背地里)。例如:

Amy loves to talk about her co-workers behind their backs.

艾米喜欢在背后议论同事。

⑦ Well, in my humble opinion, I think youre doing it half-right already. 好吧,依我看,我觉得你已经做对了一半。

in my humble opinion: a phrase introducing the speakers opinion(按愚见,据鄙人之见)。例如:

In my humble opinion, we really need to buy a new printer instead of endlessly repairing the old one.

依我之见,我们应该买台新的打印机,而不是没完没了地修那台旧的。

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