职场人的话里有话

Business

商业

Bartleby -- The business phrasebook

巴托比——职场常用语手册

A short guide to what your colleagues really mean

一份关于你同事真正想说的话的简短指南

Reed Hastings has built the culture at Netflix around it.

里德·黑斯廷斯围绕着它在Netflix建立了一种文化。

Ray Dalio made it a founding principle at Bridgewater, a successful investment fund.

雷·戴利奥将其作为成功的投资基金布里奇沃特的创始原则。

"Radical candour" is the idea that bracing honesty is the best way to run a business: no one dances around the truth, and swifter feedback improves performance.

“彻底的坦诚”是这样一种理念，即认为诚实是经营企业的最佳方式：没有人绕圈子回避事实，迅即的反馈能够提升业绩。

Most firms rely on a messier doctrine.

大多数公司依赖于一种更混乱的原则。

People rarely say what they mean, but hope that their meaning is nonetheless clear.

人们很少说出他们真正想说的话，但同时希望别人能明白他们的意思。

Think Britain, but with paycheques.

想想英国就是这样，但这回我们要谈的是挣钱方面。

To navigate this kind of workplace, you need a phrasebook.

要驾驭这种工作环境中，你需要一本常用语手册。

"I hear you."

“我听到你说的了。”

Ostensible meaning: You're making a legitimate point.

表面意思：你的观点是合理的。

Actual meaning: Be quiet.

实际意思：别说了。

"Let's discuss this offline."

“我们线下讨论吧。”

Ostensible meaning: We shouldn't waste other people's valuable time.

表面意思：我们不应该浪费别人的宝贵时间。

Actual meaning: Let's never speak of this again. (see also: "Let's put a pin in it.")

实际意思：让我们别再提这件事了。（另见：“这事就到此为止吧。”）

"We should all learn to walk in each other's shoes."

“我们都应该学会设身处地为他人着想。”

Ostensible meaning: Shared understanding results in better outcomes.

表面意思：共同理解会带来更好的结果。

Actual meaning: I need you to know that my job is a living hell.

实际意思：我想让你知道，我的工作简直就是人间地狱。

"I'm just curious..."

“我只是好奇……”

Ostensible meaning: I'd like to know why you think that...

表面意思：我想知道你为什么认为……

Actual meaning: ...because it makes no sense to anyone else.

实际意思：……因为这对其他人来说毫无意义。

"It's great to have started this conversation."

“很高兴我们开始了这次对话。”

Ostensible meaning: We've raised an important issue here.

表面意思：我们提出了一个重要的问题。

Actual meaning: We've made absolutely no progress.

实际意思：我们完全没有取得任何进展。

"I wanted to keep you in the loop."

“我想让你随时了解情况。”

Ostensible meaning: I am informing you of something minor.

表面意思：我要告诉你一件小事。

Actual meaning: I should have told you this weeks ago.

实际意思：几周前我就应该告诉你了。

"Do you have five minutes?"

“你有五分钟的时间吗？”

Ostensible meaning: I have something trivial to say.

表面意思：我有一些无关紧要的事要说。

Actual meaning: You are in deep, deep trouble.

实际意思：你有大麻烦了。

"Let's handle this asynchronously."

“我们异步地处理这个问题吧。”

Ostensible meaning: We'll each work on this task in our own time.

表面意思：我们将用各自的时间完成这项任务。

Actual meaning: I have to go to my Pilates class now.

实际意思：我现在得去上普拉提课了。

"It's on the product roadmap."

“它在产品路线图上呢。”

Ostensible meaning: It'll be done soon.

表面意思：很快就会完成的。

Actual meaning: It won't be done soon.

实际意思：一时半会完成不了。

"We're moving to an agile framework."

“我们正在转向一个敏捷的架构。”

Ostensible meaning: We will work iteratively in response to user feedback.

表面意思：我们将以迭代的方式回应用户反馈。

Actual meaning: We're literally planning to go round in circles.

实际意思：实际上，我们打算在原地打转。

"It's a legacy tech stack."

“这是一个传统的技术堆栈。”

Ostensible meaning: It's a rat's nest of old and incompatible systems.

表面意思：这些系统老旧不兼容，一团乱麻。

Actual meaning: None of this is our fault.

实际意思：这一切都不是我们的错。

"We are a platform business."

“我们是一家平台型企业。”

Ostensible meaning: We provide an ecosystem in which others can interact.

表面意思：我们提供了一个其他人可以互动的生态系统。

Actual meaning: Let's pretend we are a tech firm and see what happens to our valuation. (see also: "as a service", "network effects" and "flywheels")

实际意思：假装我们是一家科技公司，看看估值会发生什么变化。(另见：“作为服务商”，“网络效应”和“飞轮”)

"We are planning for the metaverse."

“我们正在为元宇宙做计划。”

Ostensible meaning: We are ready for a shared, immersive digital world.

表面意思：我们已经准备好迎接一个共享的、沉浸的数字化世界。

Actual meaning: Ooh, look! A bandwagon!

实际意思：噢，看啊！一个新风口！

"Bring your whole selves to work."

“全身心投入工作。”

Ostensible meaning: Be authentic and don't be afraid to show vulnerability.

表面意思：要真实，不要害怕表现出脆弱。

Actual meaning: But not those bits of your whole self, obviously.

实际意思：但显然不是要你表现出你那部分完整的自己。

In a world of radical candour, there would be less need for translating.

在一个完全坦诚的世界里，就不太需要这种翻译了。

Most managers and colleagues could indeed be better at giving unvarnished feedback.

大多数管理者和同事确实更善于给出真实的反馈。

Some words and phrases are so opaque they absorb all visible meaning.

有些词和短语非常晦涩难懂，它们包含了所有你能想到的意思。

But there is an awful lot to be said for coded communication.

但是，对于加密交流来说，还有很多可说的。

Work is where people learn to manage social interactions, not define them out of existence.

工作是人们学习处理社会互动的地方，而不是把它们当作不存在。

Transparency doesn't necessarily travel well across borders.

公开透明不一定能很好地跨越边界。

And perpetual bluntness is draining; humans constantly finesse and massage the messages they send in order to avoid open conflict.

并且总是直率会令人精疲力竭；为了避免公开的冲突，人类不断地巧妙处理推敲他们传递的信息。

Radical candour is associated with firms that pay very well.

彻底的坦诚常出现在高薪企业。

That may be because this approach leads to greater success.

可能是因为这种方法会带来更大的成功。

It may be because otherwise most people wouldn't put up with it.

可能因为如果不是这样，大多数人忍受不了它。