The absurd language used by job adverts 荒唐可笑的招聘广告

Today’s careers require a lot more than just raw muscle but that sometimes makes jobs hard to define. The unfortunate result is a form of “adjective inflation” in recruitment ads as employers attempt to make routine tasks sound exciting. Candidates must sometimes wonder whether they are applying for a 9-to-5 role or to become part of the Marvel “Avengers” franchise. On the Indeed website, a cocktail bar was recently looking for “bartenders who are people-focused, quality-driven, (and) have superhero hospitality powers.” The ability to give customers the correct change was not mentioned.
如今的职场上，光使蛮力是远远不够的，但这有时就让人很难准确定义一份工作需要什么。雇主们试图在招聘广告里把平淡的工作包装得激动人心，这又产生了一个不幸的结果——某种形式的“形容词滥用”。有时求职者不免陷入疑惑，自己究竟是在申请一个“朝九晚五”的普通岗位，还是漫威的《复仇者联盟》系列电影中的某个超级英雄角色。在 Indeed 网站上，一家鸡尾酒酒吧最近在招聘“以人为本、质量驱动、待客能力有如超级英雄的酒保”，唯独给顾客准确找零的能力没有提到。
In an echo of the 1960s slogan, “make love, not war”, companies require applicants to be passionate. But when it comes to work, passion may not always be the most appropriate emotion. As emotions go, pride in one’s performance seems important, as does a degree of empathy for colleagues and other people affected by what you do. In any case, passion is pretty hard to maintain consistently for 40 hours a week, month after month.
与 20 世纪 60 年代的口号“要爱，不要战争”遥相呼应，如今的公司要求应聘者充满“激情”。但就工作而言，激情不可能总是最妥当的情感。就情感而言，工作的成就感似乎就很重要了。同样的，对同事和受你影响的其他人保持一定程度的同理心也很重要。无论如何，人们很难在每周 40 个小时、周而复始的工作中一直保持激情。
Instead of talking about passion, employers should really be asking for enthusiasm. Workers may not learn to love their jobs, but with the right attitude, they can get enjoyment from the simple act of performing their task well. As well as keeping workers content, it ought to be enough for most bosses.
雇主真正应该寻找的不是员工的激情，而是他们的热情。员工们可能不会爱上自己的工作，但是只要有了正确的态度，他们就能仅凭出色地完成任务，获得乐趣。这不仅能让员工保持满意，而且理应符合大多数雇主的要求。
Job applicants should take their cue from the kind of adverts that companies place. Think of it like a first date: if the other person started talking of marriage and how many children you will have together, you might avoid seeing them for a second time. So if a job advert talks about passion or superheroes, run away faster than a speeding Batmobile.
求职者应该从公司发布的招聘广告中获得启示。你可以把它看成两人之间的初次约会：如果对方直接开始讨论结婚，会有几个孩子，你可能下一次就不想再见到对方了。所以，如果一则招聘广告大谈“激情”或者“超级英雄”，就坐上蝙蝠车飞速逃走吧。

重点词汇

absurd/əbˈsɜːrd/
adj. 荒谬的，可笑的

inflation/ɪnˈfleɪʃn/
n. 通货膨胀

routine/ruːˈtiːn/
adj. 例行的；惯常的，常规的
词性拓展：routine (n.)
例句：It’s my daily routine. (n.)
搭配短语：routine medical checkups (adj.)
搭配短语：routine tasks (adj.)

franchise/ˈfræntʃaɪz/
n. 特许经营权
搭配短语：the Harry Potter franchise

bartender/ˈbɑːrtendər/
n. 酒保
相关词汇：bar
相关词汇：tender

hospitality/ˌhɑːspɪˈtæləti/
n. 好客
相关词汇：hospital
例句：The locals showed me great hospitality.

change/tʃeɪndʒ/
n. 找给的零钱
例句：Keep the change.

when it comes to…
就…而论，当提到…
例句：He is not good at English, but when it comes to French, he is an expert.

empathy/ˈempəθi/
n. 共情
搭配短语：a degree of empathy for sth.

content/kənˈtent/
adj. 满意的
词性拓展：content (n.)
content 做名词时的发音： /'kɔntent/

cue/kjuː/
n. 提示，暗示
搭配短语：take one’s cue from sb./sth.
例句：Investors are taking their cue from the big banks.