VOA慢速英语:Coming to Terms With Academic Titles at US Colleges

Not everyone who teaches in a college or university is a professor. Many are instructors or lecturers. In fact, not even all professors are full professors. Many of them are assistant or associate professors or adjunct professors.
并非所有在学院或大学教书的人都称作教授。许多教课的人是讲师(instructors或lecturers)。实际上，甚至并不是所有的教授都是全职教授。许多是助理教授，副教授和兼任教授(assistant，associate professors或adjunct professors)。

So what do all of these different academic titles mean at American colleges and universities? Get ready for a short lecture, especially if you are thinking of a career in higher education.
那么，在美国的学院和大学中，这些不同的学术头衔代表什么意思呢？我们现在来讲述一下，请仔细听，尤其是如果你想从事高等教育行业。

Professors usually need a doctoral degree. But sometimes a school will offer positions to people who have not yet received their doctorate.
教授通常需要博士学位。但是有时，学校也会为还未获得博士学位的人提供职位。

This person would be called an instructor until the degree has been completed. After that, the instructor could become an assistant professor. Assistant professors do not have tenure.
这个人在获得博士学位之前将一直被称为讲师。之后，讲师成为助理教授。讲师没有终身任期(tenure)。

Tenure means a permanent appointment. This goal of greater job security is harder to reach these days. Fewer teaching positions offer the chance for tenure.
tenure的意思是永久性的聘任。目前，这种更强的就业保障的目标更难实现。越来越少的执教岗位提供永久性任职的机会。

Teachers and researchers who are hired into positions that do offer it are said to be "on the tenure track." Assistant professor is the first job on this path.
被赋予提供永久行任期职位的教师或研究人员被称作“走上了终身任期的道路”。副教授是这条道路上的第一份工作。

Assistant professors generally have five to seven years to gain tenure. During this time, other faculty members study the person's work. If tenure is denied, then the assistant professor usually has a year to find another job.
助理教授通常有5至7年的时间来获得终身任期。在此期间，其他教职员会研究这个人的工作。如果终身任期被拒绝，这位助理教授通常有一年的时间来找其他工作。

Candidates for tenure may feel great pressure to get research published. "Publish or perish" is the traditional saying.
终身任期的候选人会发现发表自己的研究成果非常困难。“发表或毁灭”是传统的说法。

An assistant professor who receives tenure becomes an associate professor. An associate professor may later be appointed a full professor.
获得了终身任期的助理教授成为副教授。随后，副教授可能被授予全职教授的头衔。

Assistant, associate and full professors perform many duties. They teach classes. They advise students. And they carry out research. They also serve on committees and take part in other activities.
助理教授，副教授和全职教授行使许多职责。他们授课，为学生提供建议，还要进行研究。他们还要在委员会服务，并且参加其他活动。

Other faculty members are not expected to do all these jobs. They are not on a tenure track. Instead, they might be in adjunct or visiting positions.
其他教职员则不需要做所有这些工作。他们没有全职任期。相反，他们拥有兼任或客座的职位。

A visiting professor has a job at one school but works at another for a period of time. An adjunct professor is also a limited or part-time position, to do research or teach classes. Adjunct professors have a doctorate.
客座教授在一个学校工作，但是也在另外一所学校工作一段时间。兼任教授也是有限的或者兼职的职位，或者做研究，或者授课。兼任教授拥有博士学位。

Another position is that of lecturer. Lecturers teach classes, but they may or may not have a doctorate.
另外一个职位是讲师。讲师要为学生授课，可能拥有，也可能没有博士学位。