礼节美语 Business Etiquette 096

Betty在上司Pat那儿受了气，同事Gray和人事部的Terry给她出谋划策。 Betty说自己没救了，准备换工作。

T: Not so fast. Maybe what's needed here is a fresh approach. Let's start with Pat. Why is she mean?

G: Um...because she's not a very nice person?

T: Maybe...but maybe she has a hard time dealing¹ with stress. Did you know Pat's division has been losing money this quarter? She's getting a lot of flack from the board of directors.

B: So you're saying perhaps she is not really mad at me?

T: Could be. What we do know is we can't get rid of her, so we might as well try to find a way to work with her.

Terry说，She's getting a lot of flack from the board of directors. Flack，就是批判的意思。不管怎样，既然躲不开她，就得想办法跟她搞好关系。

T: I think Betty should have a chat with Pat. Tell her you think you need more direction and guidance. Tell Pat you're sorry if you haven't lived up to her expectations. Now admittedly, what you're doing here is employing a strategy.

B: Yes, I think I get it. By offering a kind of truce² and by being humble³, maybe she'll change her tune⁴ and start being kinder.

T: Exactly! How is your relationship with the other managers in your department?

B: Very good.

Terry建议Betty找Pat谈心have a chat with Pat. 告诉Pat说，如果自己没能让她满意，请她原谅，同时表示自己需要更多的指导。Betty一听就明白了，知道这是一种策略，通过改变自己的态度，促使 Pat改变态度。 Betty还说，跟其他上司关系都不错。 Terry听后很高兴。

T: Ok, so spend some time getting to know them better. It's good to have friends that will go to bat for you in private.

G: That's sound advice. But of course, it's always a good idea to evaluate yourself to make sure there isn't some way to improve.

B: But what if I do all these things and Pat is still nasty to me?

T: Well, you can report her to higher-ups, but that should be a last resort.

G: You could also consider transferring to another department.

T: But you know, it's been my experience that 99% of the time, a little bit of effort can help overcome these sorts of problems.

B: I think you're probably right. I'll give it a shot! Thanks guys!

Terry 说， it's good to have friends that will go to bat for you in private，有朋友私下里帮你是最好的。不过，如果怎么做都没用呢？ You can report her to higher-ups，向上级投诉，but that should be a last resort， 但这是不得已而为之。

 

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

3 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

4 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。