礼节美语 Business Etiquette 212: Looking for a Change(2)

 　　Lisa告诉同事Emily新年过后准备辞职，因为她觉得眼下的工作很无聊，没有升职的机会，她还说：

　　Lisa: The other problem is that I think the company is really set in its ways.

　　Emily: What do you mean?

　　L: In other words, I think management is resistant¹ to change. I've given great proposals to my section chief and I've even sent emails with ideas on how to streamline² operations to the big boss, but the reaction is always the same.

　　E: What do they say when you offer suggestions?

　　L: Usually something like: "We'll take a look and get back to you." But that's the last I'll ever hear from them.

　　Lisa还觉得公司运作墨守成规，set in one's ways 是指生活方式或做事方法一成不变，类似的说法还有 stuck in a rut, rut is spelled r-u-t, rut 是指车轱辘留下的印儿，to stuck in a rut 陷在车轱辘印里，也是墨守成规，一成不变的意思。Lisa 说自己向部门经理和公司老板提出过很多好建议，但都没有得到重视。得到的回答一般都是：We'll take a look and get back to you. 我们看一下再答复你，然后就再也没有任何消息了。

　　E: So, do you have any job prospects³ lined up?

　　L: I've been sending out resumes⁴ and I've gotten a couple of bites.

　　E: I see....so you've pretty much made up your mind to quit then?

　　L: I think so. I'll miss seeing you everyday.

　　E: I'll miss you, too. Can I make a suggestion?

　　L: Sure!

　　E: Don't burn any bridges when you make your move.

　　L: What do you mean?

　　Emily问她工作找得怎么样了，Do you have any job prospects lined up? Lisa说自己发了一些简历，已经有一些公司对她表示有兴趣了，I've gotten a couple of bite. bite, b-i-t-e, bite 在这里是上钩的意思，意思是她的简历已经引起了一些公司的兴趣。看起来Lisa去意已定，Emily好心地建议Lisa, Don't burn any bridges. 辞职的时候不要把事做绝，最后给自己留条后路。Emily进一步解释说：

　　E: I mean, don't tell the boss you hate your job or him. Simply inform them that you plan to resign from your position and do your best to train your replacement⁵. That way, this company can remain a back-up option for you.

　　L: You make a good point. I'll try to be as professional about this as possible. Thanks Emily! Talking to you makes me feel much better.

　　E: Sure! Now let's eat!

　　Emily劝Lisa不要burn any bridges断了自己的后路，不用告诉老板对公司有多不满意，而且还要 do your best to train your replacement 尽力把交接工作做好，这里所说的replacement 指的是接替Lisa工作的那个人。Emily说，这样的话，现在的公司还能是Lisa的候补选项 back-up option. Lisa觉得Emily这番话很有道理，并保证自己在处理这件事的时候，I'll try to be as professional as possible. 这里的professional是专业的，as professional as possible意思是尽可能按照职场的惯例去做。

1 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

2 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 resumes   

n.摘要，概略，履历( resume的名词复数 )v.重新开始( resume的第三人称单数 )；重新获得；重新占用；恢复

参考例句：

• Later we received resumes of what she had said. 后来我们收到她讲话的摘要。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Night resumes her reign. 夜幕又降临了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。