办公室战争:普遍问题和简单解决办法

 　　An office space is a fragile work environment. Often, people’s ways of thinking and behaviors clash with that of others. With all of the time spent together in such a space, it is inevitable¹ that some warring will occur between coworkers. There are several common problems that occur in the office, but all have solutions to alleviate² some of the tension.

　　办公环境是很脆弱的。人们的思维和行事方式往往会和其他人的方式出现冲突。在这样一个空间共事的所有时间里面，同事之间出现一些冲突是难免的。有些是办公室出现的普遍问题，但是都有办法来缓解某种紧张氛围。

　　The air conditioner conflicts

　　空调矛盾

　　Every person’s body is different, and not everyone appreciates the same temperatures. When it comes to the thermostat³ setting, people’s varying comfort levels can easily turn it into a battle site. It is important to remember that the office is not home. Although sometimes it feels like home due to the amount of hours spent there, it is a shared space, and everyone deserves an equal amount of comfort.

　　每个人的身体都不同，并不是每个人都喜欢相同的温度。当涉及到调控温度的时候，人们不同的舒适温度很容易让事情演变成争斗。记住办公室不是自己的家，这一点很重要。虽然有时候办公室感觉像是自己的家，因为你大部分时间都在办公室度过，但是办公室毕竟是共享的环境，每个人都应有同等的舒适感。

　　To avoid conflict over the air conditioner, keep in mind the usual office temperature while dressing⁴ in the morning. Or, keep an extra sweater at the office. The best solution is to find a median temperature that all can agree on. If that isn’t possible, take turns with the thermostat.

　　为了避免空调争斗，在早上穿衣服的时候，要记住办公室通常的温度。或者，带一件额外的毛衫到办公室。最好的办法就是找到大家都同意的适度的温度。如果这不能成行的话，轮流控制温度。

　　The coffee pot conflicts

　　咖啡壶矛盾

　　In addition to frigid⁵ temperatures, an empty coffee pot has the potential to incite⁶ a bit of an office rage. Everyone loves coffee, but no one loves to make it. The easiest way to keep the peace regarding the coffee pot is to create a coffee-making schedule.

　　除了冰箱温度，空的咖啡壶也是引发办公室斗争的潜在因素。每个人都喜欢咖啡，但是没人喜欢做咖啡。保持咖啡壶和平的最简单的办法就是做一个“调制咖啡”值日表。

　　It is a simple solution that reduces unnecessary bickering⁷. The schedule should be an even and fair rotation⁸ of the duty. Also, out of respect, the person who takes the last drop from the pot should offer to make more for any interested parties.

　　这是减少不必要的争吵的简单办法。值日表应该做到公平的责任轮流。而且，出于尊重，从咖啡壶倒完最后一滴咖啡的人，应该主动去给任何喜欢喝咖啡的人调制多余的咖啡。

　　The copy machine conflicts

　　复印机矛盾

　　Other pieces of equipment that are often responsible for office quarrels are the printer and the copy machine. Arguments and frustrations⁹ arise when a person uses these machines, relieves them of paper, and does not refill the paper supply.

　　办公室争吵的其他的设备就是打印机和复印机了。当一个人使用这些设备的时候，用完了设备的纸张，但是却没有补充纸张，争吵和挫折时有发生。

1 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

2 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

3 thermostat   

n.恒温器

参考例句：

• The thermostat is connected by a link to the carburetor.恒温控制器是由一根连杆与汽化器相连的。
• The temperature is controlled by electronic thermostat with high accuracy.电子恒温器，准确性高。

4 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

5 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

6 incite   

v.引起，激动，煽动

参考例句：

• I wanted to point out he was a very good speaker, and could incite a crowd.我想说明他曾是一个非常出色的演讲家，非常会调动群众的情绪。
• Just a few words will incite him into action.他只需几句话一将，就会干。

7 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

9 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。