礼节美语 Business Etiquette 082

陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作，美国同事Amy到办公室去找他。

(Office ambience)

A：Good morning, Chen Hao..

CH：Hi Amy.

A: I heard your best friend Brad got a promotion¹. Is that true?

CH: 没错。Brad如今是我的老板了。

A: That can make things awkward.

CH: 是啊，我们俩儿从好朋友一下子变成了上下级的关系，还真不好办。

A: I think you will be able to work it out since you already recognize that things will be different.

CH: 人事处昨天才通知的他，所以我们还没有机会谈起这件事。

A: That's one of the first things you need to do and soon.

CH: 急什么呀，他现在肯定特别忙。

A: Everyone knows that you and Brad are close friends. They are going to be watching to see what happens.

CH: 别说别人了，连我都不知道要怎么处理这种关系。

A: It could go two entirely² different ways.

CH: 两种完全不一样的可能？哪两种？

A: Because you are his best friend, he might be tempted³ to give you special treatment by offering you the best assignments and according you unusual favors.

CH: 如果因为私人关系好，他就在工作上照顾我，那其他人肯定会有意见。

A: Yes. It would affect the way everyone views Brad. He could lose the respect of everyone who works with him.

C: 另外一种可能性呢？

A: I don't have time to talk about that right now, Chen Hao. Shall we meet for tea this afternoon and continue our conversation?

C: 好，那我们下午见。

******

Mary和Chen Hao两人下午一起喝茶。

CH: Amy, 我们上午说，如果Brad特别关照我，那对我们两人都不利。你说的另外一种可能是什么？

A: He might go out of his way to avoid any hint of giving you special treatment and treat you more rigidly⁴ than the others.

C: 你的意思是，他为了避嫌，可能对我的要求会格外严格？

A: He might pass you over for assignments that you might otherwise have gotten.

CH: 这听起来可不太妙。那下班以后呢？我们以前总是一起去打乒乓球，或是一起去喝酒。

A: I know that and I have heard you share some funny stories about each other. You'll have to be more careful about the tales you tell about your adventures.

CH: 不能再跟同事讲Brad的故事？为什么？

A: Others might misunderstand and think that you are trying to impress them with the fact that you and the boss are best friends.

CH: 要把工作和私人关系分开，还真不简单。你觉得我有必要换到别的部门去吗？

A: That's a possibility if things don't work out. If you can't accept Brad as your boss or he can't make the leap to being your supervisor⁵, a change might be the only solution.

CH: 我想我们两人一定能做到公私分开。

 

1 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

4 rigidly   

adv.刻板地，僵化地

参考例句：

• Life today is rigidly compartmentalized into work and leisure. 当今的生活被严格划分为工作和休闲两部分。
• The curriculum is rigidly prescribed from an early age. 自儿童时起即已开始有严格的课程设置。

5 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。