THE PROBLEM 問題
I have recently acquired a new boss who is 32. I am 20 years older and consider myself more experienced, better educated and more intelligent than him. He has hare-brained ideas and to my disgust all my colleagues are kowtowing to him. I fear I may already have alienated him by pointing out that some of his schemes won't fly. How can I manage this whippersnapper?
Manager, male, 51
我最近有了一個(gè)年僅32歲的新上司。我比他大20歲，而且自認(rèn)為比他更有經(jīng)驗(yàn)、教育背景更好，也更有才智。他的想法輕率浮躁，而且令我厭惡的是，我所有的同事都拍他馬*。我擔(dān)心，由于我曾直言指出他的某些計(jì)劃不會(huì)奏效，我可能已經(jīng)和他疏遠(yuǎn)了。我如何對(duì)付這個(gè)自以為是的年輕人呢？
經(jīng)理，男，51歲
THE ANSWER 回答
Before I tell you what I think of your problem, I should warn you that most readers under 40 (a few over 40) hold you in contempt. According to their e-mails, you are a ghastly old git in denial that someone better than you is now your boss.
回答你的問題之前，我應(yīng)該提醒你，本報(bào)大多數(shù)40歲以下的讀者（和少數(shù)超過40歲的讀者）都很鄙視你。他們的電子郵件稱，你是個(gè)可怕的老蠢貨，不愿承認(rèn)你現(xiàn)在的上司比你優(yōu)秀。
Like most of older readers, I don't think you are a ghastly git at all. In fact, I can easily imagine feeling the same way myself.
和大多數(shù)年紀(jì)較大的讀者一樣，我一點(diǎn)兒也不認(rèn)為你是個(gè)可怕的蠢貨。事實(shí)上，我很容易想象自己產(chǎn)生同感。
Having someone 20 years younger as a boss is hard - it is the final confirmation that you are way over the hill, and it is quite reasonable that one should mind about that. In a politically correct office we are expected to be age-blind, but age remains a big part of where we feel we fit into a hierarchy and it is silly to pretend otherwise. What is happening to you will come to us all, and we will all have to learn to put up with it - but that doesn't make it pleasant.
有一個(gè)比自己年輕20歲的上司，這件事很是麻煩--這最終證明，你已經(jīng)上年紀(jì)了，對(duì)此耿耿于懷也是合理的。在政治正確的辦公室中，人們期望我們忽略年齡問題，但事實(shí)上，年齡問題仍是辦公室里的一個(gè)重要因素，我們會(huì)根據(jù)它來論資排輩，確定自己的等級(jí)層次，而且，假裝忽略這個(gè)問題是很蠢的。你目前遇到的問題，將會(huì)發(fā)生在我們所有人身上，而我們所有人都必須學(xué)會(huì)如何處理它--但這并不會(huì)讓問題變得令人愉快。
As for the supposed uselessness of your young boss, I can believe he is less experienced and more ignorant than you. Many of his generation are. However, he may have other qualities that make him a better manager - or he may not. It wouldn't be the first time a fool got over-promoted.
至于你認(rèn)為這位年輕上司沒本事，我相信他的經(jīng)驗(yàn)沒你豐富，見識(shí)比你更少。他們這代人許多都這樣。然而，他可能有其它方面的素質(zhì)，能讓其成為一名更優(yōu)秀的經(jīng)理--當(dāng)然，也可能沒有。蠢才官運(yùn)亨通并非沒有先例。
Still, whether or not he actually deserves the job is beside the point. You have been foolish to offend him, and you must row back sharpish.
但是，問題并不在于他是否配坐這個(gè)位子。你冒犯他是愚蠢的，你必須立刻懸崖勒馬。
As I can't see you landing a peachy job outside, you can either stick it out gracefully or become a grumpy nuisance. The latter would be silly because it will put your job at risk, and because by obsessing about him you'll end up bitter and boring - an old git, in fact.
我估計(jì)，你在外面也找不到一份很好的工作，因此，你要么體面地做好這份工作，要么做一個(gè)脾氣暴躁的討厭鬼。選擇后者是愚蠢的，因?yàn)檫@將使你面臨失業(yè)的危險(xiǎn)，同時(shí)，由于你整天思考他的問題，你最終將變得尖刻、令人厭煩--成為一個(gè)真正的老蠢貨。
Without kowtowing, you should concentrate on doing your own job well. The passing of time will help, and not just because it will get you nearer to a pension, which I assume is your end game. His schemes may get less hare-brained, and you will slowly get used to the shocking sight of his fresh face.
不用拍馬*，你應(yīng)該專心把自己的工作做好。時(shí)間的流逝會(huì)有所幫助，部分因?yàn)槟汶x退休越來越近--我想，退休養(yǎng)老應(yīng)該是你的最終目標(biāo)。隨著時(shí)間推移，他的想法可能會(huì)變得不那么輕率，而你，也將慢慢習(xí)慣他那令人憎惡的年輕臉龐。
A final point: the word whippersnapper is a favourite of mine. It is deliciously evocative. My advice that I give with lingering regret: avoid.
最后一點(diǎn)："自以為是的年輕人"這個(gè)字眼我很喜歡。它很容易引起共鳴。但我不得不遺憾地建議：避免用它。
I have recently acquired a new boss who is 32. I am 20 years older and consider myself more experienced, better educated and more intelligent than him. He has hare-brained ideas and to my disgust all my colleagues are kowtowing to him. I fear I may already have alienated him by pointing out that some of his schemes won't fly. How can I manage this whippersnapper?
Manager, male, 51
我最近有了一個(gè)年僅32歲的新上司。我比他大20歲，而且自認(rèn)為比他更有經(jīng)驗(yàn)、教育背景更好，也更有才智。他的想法輕率浮躁，而且令我厭惡的是，我所有的同事都拍他馬*。我擔(dān)心，由于我曾直言指出他的某些計(jì)劃不會(huì)奏效，我可能已經(jīng)和他疏遠(yuǎn)了。我如何對(duì)付這個(gè)自以為是的年輕人呢？
經(jīng)理，男，51歲
THE ANSWER 回答
Before I tell you what I think of your problem, I should warn you that most readers under 40 (a few over 40) hold you in contempt. According to their e-mails, you are a ghastly old git in denial that someone better than you is now your boss.
回答你的問題之前，我應(yīng)該提醒你，本報(bào)大多數(shù)40歲以下的讀者（和少數(shù)超過40歲的讀者）都很鄙視你。他們的電子郵件稱，你是個(gè)可怕的老蠢貨，不愿承認(rèn)你現(xiàn)在的上司比你優(yōu)秀。
Like most of older readers, I don't think you are a ghastly git at all. In fact, I can easily imagine feeling the same way myself.
和大多數(shù)年紀(jì)較大的讀者一樣，我一點(diǎn)兒也不認(rèn)為你是個(gè)可怕的蠢貨。事實(shí)上，我很容易想象自己產(chǎn)生同感。
Having someone 20 years younger as a boss is hard - it is the final confirmation that you are way over the hill, and it is quite reasonable that one should mind about that. In a politically correct office we are expected to be age-blind, but age remains a big part of where we feel we fit into a hierarchy and it is silly to pretend otherwise. What is happening to you will come to us all, and we will all have to learn to put up with it - but that doesn't make it pleasant.
有一個(gè)比自己年輕20歲的上司，這件事很是麻煩--這最終證明，你已經(jīng)上年紀(jì)了，對(duì)此耿耿于懷也是合理的。在政治正確的辦公室中，人們期望我們忽略年齡問題，但事實(shí)上，年齡問題仍是辦公室里的一個(gè)重要因素，我們會(huì)根據(jù)它來論資排輩，確定自己的等級(jí)層次，而且，假裝忽略這個(gè)問題是很蠢的。你目前遇到的問題，將會(huì)發(fā)生在我們所有人身上，而我們所有人都必須學(xué)會(huì)如何處理它--但這并不會(huì)讓問題變得令人愉快。
As for the supposed uselessness of your young boss, I can believe he is less experienced and more ignorant than you. Many of his generation are. However, he may have other qualities that make him a better manager - or he may not. It wouldn't be the first time a fool got over-promoted.
至于你認(rèn)為這位年輕上司沒本事，我相信他的經(jīng)驗(yàn)沒你豐富，見識(shí)比你更少。他們這代人許多都這樣。然而，他可能有其它方面的素質(zhì)，能讓其成為一名更優(yōu)秀的經(jīng)理--當(dāng)然，也可能沒有。蠢才官運(yùn)亨通并非沒有先例。
Still, whether or not he actually deserves the job is beside the point. You have been foolish to offend him, and you must row back sharpish.
但是，問題并不在于他是否配坐這個(gè)位子。你冒犯他是愚蠢的，你必須立刻懸崖勒馬。
As I can't see you landing a peachy job outside, you can either stick it out gracefully or become a grumpy nuisance. The latter would be silly because it will put your job at risk, and because by obsessing about him you'll end up bitter and boring - an old git, in fact.
我估計(jì)，你在外面也找不到一份很好的工作，因此，你要么體面地做好這份工作，要么做一個(gè)脾氣暴躁的討厭鬼。選擇后者是愚蠢的，因?yàn)檫@將使你面臨失業(yè)的危險(xiǎn)，同時(shí)，由于你整天思考他的問題，你最終將變得尖刻、令人厭煩--成為一個(gè)真正的老蠢貨。
Without kowtowing, you should concentrate on doing your own job well. The passing of time will help, and not just because it will get you nearer to a pension, which I assume is your end game. His schemes may get less hare-brained, and you will slowly get used to the shocking sight of his fresh face.
不用拍馬*，你應(yīng)該專心把自己的工作做好。時(shí)間的流逝會(huì)有所幫助，部分因?yàn)槟汶x退休越來越近--我想，退休養(yǎng)老應(yīng)該是你的最終目標(biāo)。隨著時(shí)間推移，他的想法可能會(huì)變得不那么輕率，而你，也將慢慢習(xí)慣他那令人憎惡的年輕臉龐。
A final point: the word whippersnapper is a favourite of mine. It is deliciously evocative. My advice that I give with lingering regret: avoid.
最后一點(diǎn)："自以為是的年輕人"這個(gè)字眼我很喜歡。它很容易引起共鳴。但我不得不遺憾地建議：避免用它。