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NigelMarsh_2010X-_如何实现工作与生活的平衡_
What I thought I would do is I would start with a simple request. 我原本想 以一个简单的请求开场。
I'd like all of you to pause for a moment, you wretched weaklings , and take stock of your miserable existence. 我请求在座的各位 思考片刻, 你们这群可悲的懦夫, 扪心自问,审视一下自身可怜的存在。
wretched:adj.可怜的;卑鄙的;令人苦恼或难受的; weaklings:n.虚弱的人;懦怯者;adj.虚弱的;懦弱的; take stock:清点存货;清理;审查;盘货;清查存货;盘存; miserable:adj.悲惨的;痛苦的;卑鄙的;
(Laughter) （笑声）
Now that was the advice that St. Benedict gave his rather startled followers in the Fifth century. 其实这正是 5世纪时圣本笃给信众的建议, 可以想见,当时他们必定相当惊诧。
Benedict:n.本尼迪克特(男子名); startled:v.使惊吓;使大吃一惊(startle的过去分词和过去式)
It was the advice that I decided to follow myself when I turned 40. 而在我40岁的时候 我也决定采纳并实施这个建议。
Up until that moment, I had been that classic corporate warrior -- 在那之前,我绝对是个典型的业务精英——
classic:n.名著;优秀的典范;adj.最优秀的;第一流的;有代表性的;典型的; corporate:adj.公司的;组成公司(或团体)的;法人的;社团的; warrior:n.勇士;
I was eating too much, I was drinking too much, 我吃的太多,喝得太多,
I was working too hard, and I was neglecting the family. 工作太努力, 我忽视了自己的家庭。
neglecting:v.未予看管;忽视;不予重视;疏忽;(neglect的现在分词)
And I decided that I would try and turn my life around. 于是我决定 试着改变我的生活。
In particular , I decided 而且我决定
In particular:尤其,特别;
I would try to address the thorny issue of work-life balance. 我要尝试处理一个棘手的问题: 即工作与生活的平衡。
thorny:adj.多刺的;痛苦的;令人苦恼的; issue:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;发行;
So I stepped back from the workforce , and I spent a year at home with my wife and four young children. 于是我递交辞呈, 赋闲在家, 与妻子和四个儿子相处了一年。
workforce:n.劳动大军;全体员工;
But all I learned about work-life balance from that year was that I found it quite easy to balance work and life when I didn't have any work. 但是在那一年中 关于工作与生活平衡这个问题,我唯一的收获是: 如果我不工作, 这个问题 就会迎刃而解。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Not a very useful skill, especially when the money runs out. 这的确不怎么管用, 尤其是缺钱的时候。
especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分;
So I went back to work, and I've spent these seven years since struggling with, studying and writing about work-life balance. 所以我回到工作岗位, 七年以来 我的挣扎,学习 与写作都围绕着工作与生活的平衡这个主题。
And I have four observations 今天我想跟各位分享
observations:n.观察,观察值;观察结果;(observation的复数形式);
I'd like to share with you today. 四点心得。
The first is, if society's to make any progress on this issue, we need an honest debate . 第一, 如果在这一问题上想要获得实质性的进展, 那么我们需要一个诚恳的探讨。
debate:n.辩论;争论;考虑;v.辩论;争论;考虑;
But the trouble is so many people talk so much rubbish about work-life balance. 但问题是 在这一问题上, 人们大多沉浸在毫无意义的争论之中。
All the discussions about flexi-time or dress-down Fridays or paternity leave only serve to mask the core issue, which is that certain job and career choices are fundamentally incompatible with being meaningfully engaged on a day-to-day basis with a young family. 无论是弹性时间 还是星期五的休闲装政策 亦或是育儿假, 这些都只是进一步掩盖了核心问题, 即 某些职业和某些职业选择 从根本上讲就与 每天与自己的家庭 亲密相处 这一生活方式水火不容。
flexi-time:un.可伸缩劳动时间; paternity leave:n.陪产假(父亲照顾新生儿的休假); core:n.核心;要点;果心;[计]磁心;vt.挖...的核; career:n.职业;事业;生涯;经历; fundamentally:adv.从根本上;基础地;重要地 incompatible:adj.不相容的;矛盾的;不能同时成立的;n.互不相容的人或事物; meaningfully:adv.有意义地;意味深长地;有意图地; engaged:adj.已订婚的; v.吸引住; (engage的过去分词和过去式) day-to-day:adj.日常的;逐日的;
Now the first step in solving any problem is acknowledging the reality of the situation you're in. 要解决任何问题, 都必须首先认清自己所处的境况。
And the reality of the society that we're in is there are thousands and thousands of people out there leading lives of quiet, screaming desperation, where they work long, hard hours at jobs they hate to enable them to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like. 而现实社会中的情况是 成千上万的 人们 都在无声的绝望中煎熬。 他们夜以继日的 从事他们痛恨的职业 目的只是为了购买无用的商品 以博得无关痛痒的邻人的艳羡。
enable:v.使能够;使有机会;使成为可能;使可行; impress:v.盖印;强征;传送;给予某人深刻印象;
(Laughter) （笑声）
(Applause) （掌声）
It's my contention that going to work on Friday in jeans and T-shirt isn't really getting to the nub of the issue. 我的观点是,星期五穿牛仔体恤 并不能解决关键问题。
contention:n.争论,争辩;争夺;论点;
(Laughter) （笑声）
The second observation I'd like to make is we need to face the truth that governments and corporations aren't going to solve this issue for us. 我想分享的第二点心得是 我们必须面对现实: 政府和公司 不会为我们解决这一问题。
corporations:n.[贸易]公司,[经]企业(corporation的复数形式);
We should stop looking outside; it's up to us as individuals to take control and responsibility for the type of lives that we want to lead. 我们不能再寻找外援, 而应该作为个人 承担起掌控 自己生活轨迹的重任。
individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数);
If you don't design your life, someone else will design it for you, and you may just not like their idea of balance. 如果你不规划自己的生活, 那么别人就会为你规划, 而他们对于平衡的处理 你往往并不认同。
It's particularly important -- this isn't on the World Wide Web is it, I'm about to get fired -- it's particularly important that you never put the quality of your life in the hands of a commercial corporation. 最重要的是—— 这东西不会传到互联网上吧,要不然我可要被解雇了—— 最重要的是 你绝不能让商业公司 来掌控你生活的质量。
particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地; World Wide Web:n.万维网; in the hands of:由…掌握;在…掌握中; commercial:adj.贸易的;商业的;赢利的;以获利为目的的;n.(电台或电视播放的)广告;
Now I'm not talking here just about the bad companies -- the abattoirs of the human soul as I call them. 我指的并不仅仅是那些糟糕的公司—— 我把那些公司叫做人类灵魂的屠宰场。
abattoirs:n.屠宰场;角斗场;
(Laughter) （笑声）
I'm talking about all companies. 我指的是所有的公司。
Because commercial companies are inherently designed to get as much out of you they can get away with . 因为商业公司 本质上就是为了 尽可能多的榨取你的价值 而同时尽量逃避责任。
inherently:adv.内在地;固有地;天性地; get away with:侥幸成功,侥幸逃脱;
It's in their nature, it's in their DNA, it's what they do -- even the good, well-intentioned companies. 这是深植于商业公司之中的基因。 它们以此立足—— 包括那些好的,有善心的公司。
well-intentioned:adj.好意的,好心的;出于善意的;
On the one hand , putting child care facilities in the workplace is wonderful and enlightened . 一方面, 在工作场所开办儿童保育中心 是个很妙的,具有启发性的好主意。
On the one hand:一方面; facilities:n.设施;设备;特别装置;特色;场所;(facility的复数) workplace:n.工作场所;车间; enlightened:adj.开明的; v.启发; (enlighten的过去分词和过去式)
On the other hand , it's a nightmare; it just means you spend more time at the bloody office. 另一方面,这同时是个噩梦; 因为这意味着你得在万恶的办公室里耗上更多时间。
On the other hand:另一方面; bloody:adj.血腥的;血淋淋的;v.血染;
We have to be responsible for setting and enforcing the boundaries that we want in our life. 我们自己得担起责任 去设定并强化 我们生活中的各种界限。
responsible:adj.负责的,可靠的;有责任的; enforcing:v.强制执行;强迫;迫使;(enforce的现在分词) boundaries:n.边界;分界线;(boundary的复数)
The third observation is we have to be careful with the time frame that we choose upon which to judge our balance. 第三点是 我们得好好考虑 以什么样的时间单位 来衡量我们试图实现的平衡。
time frame:n.期间时限;
Before I went back to work after my year at home, 在一年赋闲时 就在我回到工作岗位之前,
I sat down and I wrote out a detailed, step-by-step description of the ideal balanced day that I aspired to. 我坐下来 细细地 一步一步地勾勒了一幅 我向往的完美一天的 理想蓝图。
step-by-step:adj.按部就班的; description:n.说明;形容;描写(文字);类型; aspired:v.向往;热望(aspire的过去分词);
And it went like this: 具体如下:
Wake up well-rested after a good night's sleep. 充足的睡眠之后, 精神抖擞的醒来。
Have sex. 做爱。
Walk the dog. 遛狗。
Have breakfast with my wife and children. 与妻儿共进早餐。
Have sex again. 做爱。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Drive the kids to school on the way to the office. 上班的途中送孩子去学校。
Do three hours work. 工作三小时。
Play sport with a friend at lunch time. 午休时和朋友玩玩体育。
Do another three hours work. 再工作三小时。
Meet some mates in the pub for an early evening drink. 下午和老伙计们在酒吧喝两杯。
mates:n.朋友; v.交配;
Drive home for dinner with my wife and kids. 回家, 与妻儿共进晚餐。
Meditate for half an hour. 花半个小时静修思考。
Meditate:vt.考虑;计划;企图;vi.冥想;沉思;
Have sex. 做爱。
Walk the dog. Have sex again. 遛狗。做爱。
Go to bed. 上床睡觉。
(Applause) （掌声）
How often do you think I have that day? 你觉得我多久能享受如此的一天？
(Laughter) （笑声）
We need to be realistic . 我们当然要实际一些。
realistic:adj.现实的;现实主义的;逼真的;实在论的;
You can't do it all in one day. 你不可能在一天内实现这一切。
We need to elongate the time frame upon which we judge the balance in our life, but we need to elongate it without falling into the trap of the "I'll have a life when I retire, when my kids have left home, 我们得把时间单位拉长 来衡量我们期望的平衡, 但是这一拉长也不是没有限度的 比如,你最好别说: “我会享受生活的,当我退休了, 当子女也都独立,
elongate:v.(使)变长,伸长;拉长;adj.延长的;细长的; trap:v.使陷入困境;卡住;夹住;收集;吸收;n.陷阱;圈套;捕捉器;诡计;
when my wife has divorced me, my health is failing, 当妻子已弃我而去,当我的身体大不如前,
I've got no mates or interests left." 当我已没有朋友,也没有任何兴趣爱好。”
(Laughter) （笑声）
A day is too short, after I retire is too long. 一天太短,退休又太长。
There's got to be a middle way. 肯定会有折中的办法。
A fourth observation: 第四点心得:
We need to approach balance in a balanced way. 要实现平衡, 我们得采取“平衡”的办法。
approach:n.方法;路径;v.接近;建议;着手处理;
A friend came to see me last year -- and she doesn't mind me telling this story -- a friend came to see me last year and said, "Nigel, I've read your book. 去年我有个朋友来找我—— 她不介意我公开这个故事——去年她来我这儿, 她说:“奈吉尔,我看了你的书。
And I realize that my life is completely out of balance. 我意识到我的生活完全没有平衡可言。
It's totally dominated by work. 它完全被无休止的工作占据。
dominated:v.支配;控制;左右;影响;(dominate的过去式和过去分词)
I work 10 hours a day, I commute two hours a day. 我每天工作10小时,路上就要花2小时。
commute:v.减刑;交换;通勤;代偿;n.通勤(口语);
All of my relationships have failed. 我的人际关系总是失败。
There's nothing in my life apart from my work. 在我生活中 除了工作,没有别的。
So I've decided to get a grip and sort it out. 所以我决定得振作起来改观我的生活。
grip:n.紧握;柄;支配;握拍方式;拍柄绷带;vt.紧握;夹紧;vi.抓住;
So I joined a gym." 于是我加入了健身俱乐部。”
(Laughter) （笑声）
Now I don't mean to mock , but being a fit 10-hour a day office rat isn't more balanced, it's more fit. 我不是要嘲笑她, 但是一个“健康”的每天工作10小时的办公室职员 并不会让她更“平衡”,而只能更“健康”。
mock:n.英国模拟考试;adj.仿制的,虚假的;v.嘲笑;不尊重;
(Laughter) （笑声）
Lovely though physical exercise may be, there are other parts to life. 健身运动的确是不错, 但生活的含义其实很丰富。
physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查;
There's the intellectual side, there's the emotional side, there's the spiritual side. 知性生活,情感生活, 精神生活。
intellectual:n.知识分子;脑力劳动者;adj.智力的;脑力的;理智的;有才智的; emotional:adj.情绪的;易激动的;感动人的; spiritual:n.圣歌(尤指美国南部黑人的);adj.精神的,心灵的;
And to be balanced, 如果想达到平衡,
I believe we have to attend to all of those areas -- not just do 50 stomach crunches . 我觉得我们得 关照以上的各个方面—— 仅仅50个仰卧起坐是不够的。
crunches:n.仰卧起坐; v.嘎吱嘎吱地咀嚼;
Now that can be daunting . 这可能看起来相当艰巨。
daunting:adj.令人生畏的:令人胆怯的:v.使胆怯:使失去信心;(daunt的现在分词)
Because people say, "Bloody hell mate, I haven't got time to get fit; you want me to go to church and call my mother." 人们会说:“拜托伙计,我连锻炼的时间都没有, 你却要我去教堂、给老妈打电话。”
And I understand. 我很理解。
I truly understand how that can be daunting. 我真的很理解,对人们来说这的确挺艰巨。
But an incident that happened a couple of years ago gave me a new perspective . 但两年前有件小事 却给了我一个崭新的视角。
perspective:n.观点;远景;透视图;adj.透视的;
My wife, who is somewhere in the audience today, called me up at the office and said, "Nigel, you need to pick our youngest son up," 我妻子就坐在下面 一天她给我的办公室打电话说 “奈吉尔,你得去学校
Harry "from school." 接我们的小儿子哈里。”
Because she had to be somewhere else with the other three children for that evening. 因为那天晚上她和其他三个孩子在一起。
So I left work an hour early that afternoon and picked Harry up at the school gates. 于是那天下午我提前一小时下班 在校门口接到哈里。
We walked down to the local park, messed around on the swings, played some silly games. 我们去了公园, 在秋千上闹了一阵,做了些傻傻的游戏。
messed:v.使不整洁;弄脏;弄乱;随地便溺(mess的过去分词和过去式)
I then walked him up the hill to the local cafe, and we shared pizza for tea, then walked down the hill to our home, and I gave him his bath and put him in his Batman pajamas . 然后我带他上了一座小山到了当地的一家咖啡馆, 我们点了茶和比萨, 吃完就下山回家, 我给他洗了个澡, 给他穿上蝙蝠侠睡衣。
Batman:n.勤务兵;传令兵;蝙蝠侠; pajamas:n.睡衣;宽长裤;
I then read him a chapter of Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach." 然后我给他读了一章 Roald Dahl的《詹姆斯与飞天巨桃》。
Giant:n.巨人;伟人;巨兽;adj.巨大的;特大的
I then put him to bed, tucked him in, gave him a kiss on his forehead and said, "Goodnight, mate," 然后我铺好床,安顿好他, 吻了他的额头,说了声“晚安,伙计。”
tucked:v.塞进,折叠,卷起;把…藏入;收藏;(tuck的过去分词和过去式) forehead:n.前额;
and walked out of his bedroom. 然后走出他的卧室。
As I was walking out of his bedroom, he said, "Dad?" I went, "Yes, mate?" 正当我走到门口的时候, 他叫了声老爸。“什么事,伙计？”
He went, "Dad, this has been the best day of my life, ever." 他说,“老爸,这是我一生中 最棒的一天,最棒的。”
I hadn't done anything, hadn't taken him to Disney World or bought him a Playstation . 其实我什么也没做。 我没带他去迪斯尼乐园,也没给他买游戏机。
Disney:n.迪斯尼(美国动画影片制作家及制片人); Playstation:n.游戏机;
Now my point is the small things matter. 我想说的是, 小事并非无关紧要。
Being more balanced doesn't mean dramatic upheaval in your life. 在生活中实现平衡 并不意味着你要大张旗鼓的颠覆你的生活。
dramatic:adj.突然的;巨大的;令人吃惊的;激动人心的; upheaval:n.剧变;隆起;举起;
With the smallest investment in the right places, you can radically transform the quality of your relationships and the quality of your life. 在适当的地方 做些小小的投资, 你就能极大地改善你的人际关系 和生活质量。
investment:n.投资;投入;封锁; radically:adv.根本上;彻底地;以激进的方式; transform:v.使改变;使改观;使转换;n.[数]变换式;[化]反式;
Moreover , I think, it can transform society. 不仅如此,我认为 这还能改变整个社会。
Moreover:adv.而且;此外;
Because if enough people do it, we can change society's definition of success away from the moronically simplistic notion that the person with the most money when he dies wins, to a more thoughtful and balanced definition of what a life well-lived looks like. 因为,如果很多人都如此生活, 那么我们就可以重新对社会上的所谓“成功”进行定义: 成功不再是以死后财产的多少 来愚蠢地衡量; 成功应该有一个更具平衡性和思想性的定义, 即一个美好的生活的实现。
definition:n.定义;清晰度;(尤指词典里的词或短语的)释义;解释; moronically:傻傻地;愚钝地; simplistic:adj.过分简单化的;过分单纯化的; notion:n.观念;信念;理解; thoughtful:adj.深思的;体贴的;关切的;
And that, I think, is an idea worth spreading. 我认为 这的确是一个值得与众人分享的点子。
(Applause) （掌声）