2023年经济学人 头衔通胀（1）

　　Business

　　商业板块

　　Bartleby: The scourge¹ of job-title inflation

　　巴托比：头衔通胀的祸患

　　The director of first impressions will see you now

　　第一印象专员现在可以见你了

　　When you enter an unfamiliar² office for a meeting with someone who works there, you will almost certainly approach a person sitting behind a large desk.

　　当你走进一间陌生的办公室，要与在那里工作的人会面时，你八成会碰到一个坐在大桌子后面的人。

　　You might think you are about to speak to a receptionist.

　　你可能会认为这个人是前台。

　　But in some buildings, you will be dealing³ with someone far grander: a lobby ambassador.

　　但在一些大楼里，这个人的头衔要高贵得多：大堂服务大使。

　　If that feels absurd, take a deep breath.

　　如果你连这个都觉得荒谬，请深呼吸为接下来的内容做好准备。

　　Plenty of companies now employ a “director of first impressions”, a job whose responsibilities include greeting all visitors at the front desk, almost as if you were meeting a receptionist.

　　如今，许多公司都会雇佣一名“第一印象专员”，这份工作的职责包括在前台招呼所有来访者，和前台的工作几乎一样。

　　At Hudson Yards, a development in midtown Manhattan, advertisements tell candidates for one role that they are expected to “curate experiences” for visitors if they have questions.

　　在曼哈顿中城的开发用地哈德逊城市广场，招聘广告会告诉求职者，如果来访者有任何问题，他们应该为来访者“提供精心策划的体验”。

　　You might think you are asking someone where the toilet is; in fact, you are having an experience with a brand ambassador.

　　你可能会认为，你只是在问别人厕所在哪里；而实际上，你是在体验品牌大使的服务。

　　Title inflation happens for reasons that are perfectly⁴ understandable.

　　头衔通胀的原因是完全可以理解的。

　　When money is tight, a bump in title is a way of recognising someone’s efforts cheaply.

　　公司资金紧张时，提升头衔是表彰某人努力的一种廉价方式。

　　A more prestigious-sounding role is not just a nice bauble⁵: it may add to someone’s appeal in the wider job market.

　　一个听起来更有声望的头衔不仅仅是漂亮的装饰品：它可能会让某人在更广泛的就业市场上更具吸引力。

　　When a job lacks cachet, renaming it can lessen⁶ stigma⁷ and signal that an employer takes the position seriously.

　　当一份工作缺乏威望时，给它换个名字可以减轻羞耻感，并表明雇主很重视这个职位。

　　And when a role is outward-facing, a weightier title might make some clients more willing to take a meeting.

　　当一个岗位需要与公司外部接触时，一个更有分量的头衔可能会让一些客户更愿意与之会面。

　　But title inflation also causes trouble.

　　但头衔通胀也会带来麻烦。

　　The results can be laughable.

　　造成的结果可能会很可笑。

　　“Sanitation technicians” have to be passionate⁸ about cleaning; “sandwich artists” do not have to be passionate about art.

　　“环卫技师”必须对清洁充满热情；而“三明治艺术家”不必热爱艺术。

　　And once inflation takes hold, it can be hard to suppress.

　　通胀一旦形成，就很难抑制。

　　If the lobby ambassador is on holiday, you will soon be seen by the lobby chargé d’affaires.

　　如果大堂大使在度假，大堂临时代办会很快注意到你。

　　Instead of undertakers, directors of last impressions.

　　殡仪员也不再叫作殡仪员，而是最终印象专员。

　　The currency of an inflated⁹ title quickly loses value.

　　通胀的头衔很快就会贬值。

　　A senior vice-president is someone in middle management; an assistant vice-president is three years out of university; an associate vice-president has just mastered the alphabet.

　　高级副总裁就是个中层管理人员；助理副总裁才刚毕业三年；合伙人副总裁刚刚学会了字母表。

　　More and more words need to be added to connote seniority.

　　于是头衔里需要添加越来越多的词来暗示资历。

　　“Senior executive vice-president” is a title which would not exist if not for the massed ranks of vice-presidents jostling below.

　　“高级执行副总裁”这个头衔之所以存在，就是因为下面挤着一大堆副总裁。

　　Absurdities¹⁰ have to be conjured¹¹ up to stand out from the crowd—chief evangelist, director of storytelling, chief innovability officer.

　　要想从人群中脱颖而出，就必须想出一些荒诞的头衔，比如首席布道者、讲故事经理、首席创新官。

1 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

2 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

3 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。

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 bauble   

n.美观而无价值的饰物

参考例句：

• That little bauble is not to be compared with this enormous jewel.那个小摆设不能与这个大宝石相比较。
• A bauble is a showy ornament of little value.廉价珠宝是华而不实的装饰品。

6 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

7 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

8 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

9 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 absurdities   

n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 )；荒谬；谬论；荒谬的行为

参考例句：

• She has a sharp eye for social absurdities, and compassion for the victims of social change. 她独具慧眼，能够看到社会上荒唐的事情，对于社会变革的受害者寄以同情。 来自辞典例句
• The absurdities he uttered at the dinner party landed his wife in an awkward situation. 他在宴会上讲的荒唐话使他太太陷入窘境。 来自辞典例句

11 conjured   

用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• He conjured them with his dying breath to look after his children. 他临终时恳求他们照顾他的孩子。
• His very funny joke soon conjured my anger away. 他讲了个十分有趣的笑话，使得我的怒气顿消。