Successful Remote Working
这篇文章主要探讨如何成功地进行远程工作。
导读:如何逐渐培养阅读习惯,快速抓住文章大意?
文章背景
远程工作这个话题最近比较火。新冠肺炎的疫情爆发之后,为保持社交距离(social distancing),压制病毒传播,很多企业都会要求员工在家办公(work from home)。但是,远程办公其实并不是一个新话题。出于各种目的,例如政府为缓解城市交通压力,企业为减少员工通勤成本(交通费用在其次,更宝贵的是时间)、个人为躲避雾霾等严重污染的环境,远程办公被越来越多的企业所接受。
在开始讲解这篇文章之前,我们来比较一下 work from home 和 work at home 这两个短语的区别。从某种意义上讲,这两个短语的区别其实就是远程工作和自由职业(self-employed)之间的区别。
work from home 给人的感觉是,工作的中心仍然还是公司,但出于各种原因我在家完成工作,但最后还是汇聚到公司这个中心去的。而 work at home 表示,我平时常态的工作地点就是家里,我的家就是我工作的中心。大部分没有固定工作的自由职业者基本就是这种状态,比如,自媒体作家、网红主播、翻译等等。
当然,work at home 也可以指,我有私人的一些事情,要在家干一些活。例如我打电话给朋友说:“Sorry dude, I cannot accompany you. I have work at home.”,指的就是“我没法陪你了,我在家有活要干”。这一语境下一般指临时性的一些 work,例如修水管、打扫卫生之类的。
全篇通读
首先,我们可以借鉴检索阅读(inspectionalreading)中的略读法(pre-reading or skim,也可以叫粗读法),来了解这篇文章的梗概。
For both employees and employers, remote work requires intentional design and implementation to be effective. People find remote work challenging because the established mindset says that being in an office is how work gets done. Remote workers also need to prioritize their mental health, by taking breaks, getting exercise, and having a social life. Despite the challenges, when remote work is done well, the advantages to employees and employer are sufficient to make it worthwhile.
无论对于雇员还是雇主,要想使远程工作有效,需要双方有心的设计和实施。人们感觉远程工作很有挑战性,是因为固有的思维模式都认为,去办公室上班才是完成工作的方式。远程工作者还需要通过休息、锻炼和社会生活,来优先保障他们的心理健康。尽管存在挑战,但只要安排得当,远程工作给雇员和雇主带来的好处都足以使其值得一试。
第一段往往是文章的总起段落,通常会概述整篇文章的核心思想。我理解的关键思想包括下面 5 点:
- 远程工作是老板和员工两方面的事情;
- 需要专门的设计;
- 要打破固有思维模式;
- 要关注心理健康问题;
- 利大于弊。
接着来看下一段。
These were some of the key takeaways expressed by Charles Humble during his presentation at QCon London 2020, titled “Remote Working Approaches That Worked (and Some That Didn’t).” Humble’s opinions are based on his experience working at C4 Media, a remote-only company, and the parent organization of InfoQ and QCon.
看完这段我们可以知道,这篇文章是一个叫 Charles Humble 的人,在今年伦敦 QCon 软件开发大会上的一篇演讲,题目叫《远程工作好方法(和坏方法)》。接着,这段话还专门介绍了演讲者依据的是他在 C4 Media(InfoQ 和 QCon 的母公司)的工作经验提出的观点,而 C4 Media 又是一家全员远程工作的组织。
继续看下一段。这段讲了现在疫情要保持社交距离,使得更多人在家工作。
Because many additional people are working from home due to social distancing, QCon has made the video recording of the presentation immediately available on InfoQ.
我们可以看到,以上两段都是实用信息,不是文章的观点和内容。
The first starting point for remote employees is to have clear separation between home and work. This can be done through physical separation, by having a dedicated home office, or even working at a shared-work facility, such as Regus or WeWork. It is also helpful to have a transition point, something to replace a commute, that delineates the shift from being at home to being at work. Some people have found taking their dog for a walk, or simply going out the front door and coming in the back door of their house is enough to make the mental shift and start focusing on work.
员工在家工作,第一要务就是把家和工作分开。
联系第一段里讲远程工作的挑战来自传统观念,即家不是工作的地方,所以远程工作者需要想办法把日常家庭生活和工作分开。后面的内容应该是这一问题的展开。
Successful remote work is not just up to the employees. Companies and managers must make extra effort to exhibit transparency and establish trust, because you don’t have benefits of casual conversation and body language like you would working in the same location. Psychological safety is needed for remote working, and this means managers must be prepared to be vulnerable. Once a manager shows they are comfortable sharing something difficult, then employees will be more comfortable reciprocating. Humble said, “You have to fundamentally trust people because you can’t see what they do. They have to tell you.”
远程工作要想成功,不仅仅靠员工。
不仅靠员工,那就还要靠老板、靠公司。这段应该讨论公司的管理层在这个问题上应该怎么做,要扮演什么角色。
Establishing a high level of trust among remote managers and employees starts with having good meeting rituals. Meetings should be conducted on video if at all possible, and start with a “check in” for each team member. The check in lets people state how they are feeling that day, and what else is going on that may be affecting their mood or productivity. Managers must lead by example, because what you do is more important than what you say. For more suggestions on meeting rituals, Humble recommended the High-Performance Teams mini-book by Richard Kasperowski, author of The Core Protocols.
经理和员工之间的高度信任,始于一套好的会议仪式。
这句话字面意思听着有点翻译腔,你可以猜一下这段的内容:首先要开会,尽管人在家不去公司了,但远程会议还是要开的;第二,开会要有仪式感,不能太随意。大方向应该逃不出这些内容。
An established calendar of regular meetings also helps create structure for distributed teams. A daily huddle takes the place of a “standup.” Because remote teams build a higher level of independence than co-located teams, this may only need to occur twice per week to keep everyone aligned.
定期的会议日程安排有助于为分散的团队建立结构。
整个团队都在办公室,每天按部就班比较容易碰头和安排工作,很有组织感,但分散在各处自家办公,队伍容易散漫,日子也容易过糊涂,所以需要通过一些定期的安排来建立这种组织秩序。
One-on-one meetings between employee and manager are extremely important, and must be treated as sacrosanct. These meetings are for the employee, with discussions about their career and other personal concerns. Humble had two absolute rules: The one-on-one is not a status meeting, and managers should never be allowed to cancel the meeting.
员工和经理一对一的会议也很重要。
前面两段讲的开大会,这段应该讲经理和员工一对一开小会。有效沟通是管理的核心,私密的沟通机制当然也是其中的重要一环。
Strategic discussions are very challenging to have remotely, so these will usually occur when everyone involved can meet in person, which is every four months for C4, and coincides with QCon scheduling. C4 has an annual “all hands” meeting that lasts for four days, which also involves flying everyone into one location. This is obviously very expensive and a logistical challenge, but is extremely valuable. While everyone does not need to be co-located all the time, there are some situations which are only really effective when a team is all together. These include strategic discussions and just help re-enforce the bonds between team members.
战略性的讨论很难远程进行,通常需要见面开会。
前面几段说的都是日常管理,但特别重大的会议用视频的方式就不够了,需要专门安排正式的会议。这是很自然的,即使是远程工作,也不会一年都不见一次面的。
Humble shared a list of tools he and C4 have used. Slack for IM; Zoom for video conferencing; Workplace for “water cooler”-like chats; Google Docs for remote collaboration; and 15Five for private retrospectives. While these work for his team, many options exist. The important thing is to try and find what works effectively in your situation, because bad tooling can have a serious effect on remote working.
Humble(演讲人)分享了一堆 C4 用的工具。
自然是远程工作的工具(Zoom 之类的),疫情之后,家喻户晓。据我所知,现在督促孙辈上网课的爷爷奶奶们都是“Zoom 专家”。
接下来,最后一段通常是总结段,我们全部通读一遍。我也在英文原文和中文翻译中标黑了我认为的关键内容。总结起来讲就是,远程工作有得有失,所以成本不是问题,心理健康才是关键问题。怎么样才能健康呢?要工作团队信任开放,要家庭社交克服孤独,还要有健康的生活方式。
While remote work is very appealing to some employees, it does come with some trade-offs. Although the time and costs associated with commuting disappear, new costs may be incurred from premium high-speed internet, a good laptop, a nice desk, and especially a good office chair. A subject not often, or easily, discussed regarding remote work is mental health. Burnout is a real, serious issue, and is endemic in IT. Trust and openness is critically important, and allows team members to recognize when someone is struggling, and help them cope, including seeking professional help. Loneliness can also be a problem, and it takes active effort to make your family and your social life a real priority. Pets, exercise, and getting into nature can also help improve mental well-being.
虽然远程工作对某些员工非常有吸引力,但有得必有失。与上下班相关的时间和财务成本消失了,但是会产生新的成本去购置高速上网服务、好的笔记本电脑、漂亮的办公桌、特别是一张舒服的办公椅。远程工作的另一个不经常或不容易讨论的话题是心理健康。职业倦怠是一个现实而严重的问题,并且在 IT 行业普遍存在。信任和坦诚至关重要,只有这样团队成员才能够发现正在挣扎的同事,并及时帮助他们,包括寻求专业的帮助。孤独也是一个问题,让家庭和社交真正成为生活重心是需要你为之付出积极努力的。宠物、锻炼和亲近大自然也可以帮助改善心理健康。
为什么介词如此“烦人”?
1 | For both employees and employers, remote work requires intentional design and implementation to be effective. People find remote work challenging because the established mindset says that being in an office is how work gets done. Remote workers also need to prioritize their mental health, by taking breaks, getting exercise, and having a social life. Despite the challenges, when remote work is done well, the advantages to employees and employer are sufficient to make it worthwhile. |
知识讲解
宾语补足语
For both employees and employers, remote work requires intentional design and implementation to be effective. People find remote work challenging because the established mindset says that being in an office is how work gets done.
所谓“宾语补足语”,就是谓语及物动词后面接了宾语,但意思仍然不完整,需要继续加一个补充说明,明确宾语的状态。这个补充说明的句子成分,就是宾语补足语。宾语和后面的补足语组成复合宾语。宾语一般是名词或代词。补足语可以是名词、形容词、副词、介词短语、现在分词、过去分词也可以是动词不定式或从句等。补足语英语叫 complement,to complete the meaning,使意思完整。
第一句话,主语是本篇的主题词 remote work,谓语动词是 requires,远程工作需要,需要什么呢?后面接了宾语 intentional design and implementation,有意(或有心)的设计和执行,之后还加了一个不定式 to be effective,使其有效。远程工作需要有心的设计和执行才能有效。例句:
1 | 例句:Does he understand the need to keep everything secret? |
第二句话,主语 people,谓语动词 find,宾语 remote work,人们发现远程工作,怎么样呢?需要补充说明,后面跟了一个分词 challenging(词性为形容词,类似于 interesting、exciting 等),很有挑战,意思才完整。我们再来看一个类似的例句,例句中的现在分词更具有动词性:
1 | 例句:Shelly spends all her time gardening. |
最后我们再来看一下 because 引导的状语从句。
首先,状语从句的主语是 established mindset,已经建立起来的思维,就是固有的思维或者传统的思维。谓语动词是 says,传统思维说,说什么呢?宾语是一个 that 引导的从句,宾语从句的主语是 being in an office,后面是系动词 is,一看就知道是系表结构。is 后面是最小的套娃,即表语从句,how work gets done,去办公室(去上班)才是工作的正确姿势。
英文结构分析起来觉得好复杂,但把这整句话翻译成中文之后,我们会发现,其实一点也不复杂,就是“传统思维认为去办公室上班才算工作”。
介词 by
Remote workers also need to prioritize their mental health, by taking breaks, getting exercise, and having a social life.
这句话本身不复杂,主句的意思也很直白,“在家工作的人要把心理健康放在第一位”。但我们来看一下后面的介词短语by doing something,这里它来做主句的方式状语,这里好似强调实现心理健康的一些方式,例如劳逸结合、多做运动、社交生活等。
介词,英文叫 preposition。pre- 是表示“在前”的前缀。position 是位置。顾名思义,我们可以把它理解为“前置词”,后面可以跟名词性质的宾语。所谓名词性质,指的是名词、代词或者其他具有名词性质的词类、短语或从句。而介词和介词宾语共同组成介词短语。
介词非常重要,因为:
第一,介词是英语中的高频词,几乎无处不在。
第二,介词在英语的句子里起到穿针引线的“桥梁”作用。介词的“介”,在汉语中第一个意思就是“在两者之间”,可以组成“媒介”“介绍”等词语,所以介词的本质在于表示对象间的关系。大多数英语介词的本源义都是用来描述空间关系,包括空间位置(例如 on、at、in 等,为静态)和空间运动(如 off、over、down 等,为动态)的关系。在空间关系的基础上,我们可以进一步引申出时间关系、抽象关系等。
第三,介词使用范围广泛,变化繁多。
介词和名词、动词、形容词等进行的搭配大多是约定俗成的,例如 the reason for、arrive at、angry with 等。
此外,介词和动词搭配后会产生丰富的含义。比如,out 可以和 600 多个动词搭配产生不同的含义。再比如,get、take、put、make、turn 等本身含义不是很明确的弱势动词,可以和十几个甚至数十个不同的介词搭配产生不同的短语。这些搭配产生的短语含义丰富,但大多数没有办法根据字面猜测其含义,必须理解并记忆整个短语。
1 | 例句:I wanted to know if she could put me up for a few days. |
回头我们来看这句话中 by 这个介词。前面我们说过,大多数英语介词的本源义都是用来描述空间关系,by 在静态的空间位置上有“在旁边、靠近”的意思,类似于 next to/near/beside 等,但意思相近的介词之间也有微妙的差别。
1 | 例句:Stanley lives by the sea. |
by 在动态的空间运动上有“通过、经过(through or through the medium)”的意思。
1 | 例句:They came in by the back door. |
然后,我们可以进一步将 by 引申出时间关系,表示“不晚于某一时间(no later than; at or before)”。
1 | 例句:The application needs to be in by the 31st to be accepted. |
进而,我们还可以再引申出一些抽象关系,例如下面这几个含义:
- 凭借(某种交通工具 by air/bus/bike/boat)
- 通过(某种通讯手段 by telephone/post/email/fax、支付手段 by credit card/cheque)
- 以…的方式(例如本文中 by doing something)”
1 | 例句:My parents have never travelled by plane before. |
介词 despite
Despite the challenges, when remote work is done well, the advantages to employees and employer are sufficient to make it worthwhile.
介词 despite 是“即使、尽管”的意思,和我们前面讲过的 although、though 类似。但 despite 后面跟名词性的词或者短语,是介词;although 或 though 引导让步状语从句,属连词。
有一个常用短语 in spite of 和 despite 的意思基本一样,也在句子里发挥介词的作用,例如:
1 | 例句:We understood him in spite of his accent. (=…although he had a strong accent.) |
从意思上来看,despite、in spite of 和 because 的意思是相反的。你可以比较下列两句话:
1 | 例句 1:He passed his exams in spite of his teacher. (尽管他老师很烂,但他还是通过了考试。) |
介词 to
Despite the challenges, when remote work is done well, the advantages to employees and employer are sufficient to make it worthwhile.
介词用来将一个名词与其他概念联系在一起,所以介词 to 后面一定是跟名词性的词或短语。而不定式 to do 是一个动词形式的整体, to 和后面紧跟的动词原形这两者是不可分的。例如,I would like to have some tea 这句话,to have 是一个整体,你可以把 to have 整个去掉,变成 I would like some tea. 也可以,但不可以说 I would like to some tea.。
基于这一区别,我们很容易分辨句子中的 to 到底是介词还是动词不定式,关键其实就是看 to 后面的词性。比如上面这句话里,to 后面跟的是 employees and employer,都是名词,显然 to 在这里是做介词用,整体做 advantages 的后置定语,对谁的好处?to 后面说了,对员工和雇主的好处。
介词 to 更多地是描述一种从空间某点向 A 点运动的动态空间概念,有明确的方向性或指向性。简单说就是,目的地 A 点就是 to 后面跟的具有名词属性的词组。比方说,我们学英语就是从 I go to school everyday 开始的。
从空间关系延伸到时间关系,我们会说 ten to ten,九点五十分,回到表盘上其实还是空间的概念,分针向着整点(十点)的方向再走十个刻度。
时空关系的基础之上,我们就可以引申出更加抽象的含义,但仍然逃不出最本源的空间关系指向性。例如我们经常讲 I look forward to meeting you soon(我期待着和您会面)。这里的 to 后面就是那个“目的地”,我们见面这个事情,具有名词属性,因此必须是 -doing 这样的动名词。我们现在是分离的状态,一段时间之后就可以变成团聚的状态,隔在两者之间的就是时空,就是这个介词 to。或许,连接一切被时空隔断的彼岸,才是中文“介”的本意。
表语补足语
Despite the challenges, when remote work is done well, the advantages to employees and employer are sufficient to make it worthwhile.
这句话的主句是系表结构。主语 advantages 后面是系动词 are,sufficient 是表语。表语的本质其实也是一种补足语,来说明主语的性质、特征和状态等。这句话里 sufficient 说明(远程工作)给员工和雇主带来的好处足够,但意思似乎还不是很完整,所以后面又用不定式 to do 来补充说明,强调“好处足够多,值得一试”,在形式上我们称之为表语补足语。
同位语的两个重要作用
1 | The first starting point for remote employees is to have clear separation between home and work. This can be done through physical separation, by having a dedicated home office, or even working at a shared-work facility, such as Regus or WeWork. It is also helpful to have a transition point, something to replace a commute, that delineates the shift from being at home to being at work. Some people have found taking their dog for a walk, or simply going out the front door and coming in the back door of their house is enough to make the mental shift and start focusing on work. |
知识讲解
介词 for、between、through、by、at
The first starting point for remote employees is to have clear separation between home and work.
第一句是系表结构,不定式 to have 做表语,按字面意思翻译的话,就是“员工远程工作的起点是把家和工作清楚地分开”,但汉语重意合,没有表语,也不用这么别扭地说话,直接说“远程工作首先要分清楚家和工作”就好了。
This can be done through physical separation, by having a dedicated home office, or even working at a shared-work facility, such as Regus or WeWork.
第二句话的主句就更简单,主语 this,谓语动词 can be done,this 指代上一句话说的“家和工作分离”这件事,主句的意思是说这件事情能成,形式上看主句的意思已经完整了,但后面还有一大串状语,用介词短语 through 加上名词和介词短语 by 加上动名词,表示方式,通过什么方式,“家和工作”这事才能做成,具体包括物理隔断、在家专设办公区,或者去雷格斯、WeWork 这些共享空间工作。
特别注意
- 第一,既然是空间关系,必然有很多相近的含义。我们要特别注意空间关系相似的介词,比较它们在含义和用法上的差别。有些词典会提醒这些近义词,千万不要放过举一反三的机会。
例如上面提到的 between,在空间关系上是夹在 A 和 B 两个物体中间的位置,而意思和 between 近似的 among,在空间关系上是混在两个以上的多个物体中间的位置。这个很容易理解,但我们的思考不能止步于此。
1 | 例句 1:Our house is between the woods, the river and the village. |
在例句 1 中,虽然空间里有超过两个的多个物体,我们用 A、B、C 来表示,只要我们仍然可以清楚地分辨出房子和 A、B、C 两两对应的关系,也就是说我们房子在树林和小河之间,又在小河和村庄之间,也在树林和村庄之间,这样的空间关系就需要用 between。在例句 2 中,空间里有多个物体且分不出个数,房子混在一堆物体中无法明确和其他物体的两两对应关系,我们才用介词 among。
从空间关系引申到抽象关系(比如国家之间的关系),用法也是类似的。
1 | 例句 1:The trade negotiations between Brazil, Argentina, and Chile are going well. |
- 第二,空间的概念是相对的,所以介词的用法也灵活多变。
例如,我们经常会比较 at、on、in 这三个常用的介词。如果用维度来解释的话,in 是立体的有长宽高的三维世界;on 是在一个平面上,是二维世界的概念;at 则是具体到某一点,是一个降维的过程。由空间可以引申到时间,也是一样从长到短的过程。
1 | 例句:Shelly lives in a flat on the third floor of an apartment building at 756 Albert Street. |
按照上图 in-on-at 倒金字塔从大到小的顺序,搭配到上面这句话里却是“公寓 - 楼层 - 整栋楼的地址”这样从小到大的顺序。句子里的介词是不是都用错了呢?如果我们从空间相对性的概念来理解,就比较容易理解这三个介词的正确用法了。“雪莉住在一套公寓里。”从她的角度看,这套公寓无疑是一个三维立体的空间,所以要用 in。而某栋楼里面的楼层,是一个又一个的平面,是一个二维的概念,所以用 on;而一个地址,某条街几号,从地图上看就是一个点,要用 at。
1 | 例句 1:The plane stops for an hour at Frankfurt. (a point on a journey) |
我们来比较一下例句 1 和例句 2,介词后面都是法兰克福,德国乃至欧洲的金融中心,但如果把法兰克福看成我们旅途中的一个点,就需要用 at,如果把法兰克福还原成大城市,就妥妥的要用 in;例句 3 和例句 4 也是一样的道理,如果俱乐部只是我们碰头的一个点,要用 at,如果我们在俱乐部里面坐着,喝酒听音乐,那就是一个三维空间,要用 in。
同位语
It is also helpful to have a transition point, something to replace a commute, that delineates the shift from being at home to being at work.
这句话是由 it 做形式主语的句子,逻辑主语是后面的不定式 to have a transition point。当主语过长,为避免句子头重脚轻,通常会用 it 做形式主语,占个位置,而把较长的主语放在句末,其实应该是 to have a transition point is also helpful。
这句话还有一个值得一讲的语言现象,就是跟在逻辑主语后面、两个逗号中间的同位语 something to replace a commute,用来对 a transition point 进行解释或补充说明,用来强调“转换点”是 “用来取代上下班通勤”的。
所以,同位语可以是名词、名词短语或者从句,对前面的另一个名词进行解释说明。同位语有两个很重要的作用:
- 首先,在不改变句式结构的情况下,它可以非常灵活地增加丰富的补充说明信息。
1 | 例句:In his 1835 paper published in the Magazine of Natural History, Edward Blyth, an acquaintance of Charles Darwin’s, had documented all the leading thoughts of Darwin’s work 24 years ahead of Darwin’s 1859 paper On the Origin of Species. |
上面的例句中,加黑部分是同位语,插入到句子中不影响原句的结构,即使删除句子也是完整的。此外,和定语从句一样,同位语也可以分成非限定性同位语和限定性同位语。非限定性同位语只是起到补充说明、增加信息的作用,需要用逗号隔开。
例句中第一处加黑部分就是非限定性同位语,对爱德华·布莱斯这个人进行补充说明,强调一下他只是和达尔文认识而已。限定性同位语起到缩小范围的限定作用,不用逗号,直接跟着前面的名词。例如例句中第二处下划线,达尔文在 1859 年可能发表过多篇论文,但通过同位语缩小范围,特指《物种起源》那一篇。
- 其次,通过对前面名词的解释甚至重复,同位语还可以起到强调的作用。
1 | 例句:This tale, this tragic tale, was full of cruel wars, savage devastation, unnecessary deaths and the inevitable search for bloody vengeance. |
同位语也可以以从句形式出现,同位语从句的形式和定语从句有些相似,需要注意区分。比较下面两个例句:
1 | 例句 1:The rumor that he was married turned out to be true. |
例句 1 是同位语从句,名词和后面的同位语从句有着“同位关系”。that 只是起到引导从句的作用,在从句中不充当任何成分,和从句没有逻辑关系,且一般不能省略。换言之,同位语从句引导词 that 后面是一个完整的句子,从句“他结婚了”就是“谣言”的内容。
例句 2 是定语从句,修饰的先行词 rumor 和定语从句没有“同位关系”,定语从句的引导词 that 在从句中充当句子成分。此句中 that 作宾语,所以可以省略。
宾语从句
Some people have found taking their dog for a walk, or simply going out the front door and coming in the back door of their house is enough to make the mental shift and start focusing on work.
最后一句话主语和谓语动词都很短,主语是 some people,谓语动词是 have found,有人 + 发现,发现了啥?后面跟了一个长长的宾语从句,从句的主语比较长,taking their dog for a walk, or simply going out the front door and coming in the back door of their house,其实是名词化了的两个动作,出去遛狗或者前门出后门回,后面是系表结构 is enough,“就足够了”,但句子的意思还不完整,足够干什么?这就需要表语补足语来进一步说明,不定式 to make the mental shift and start focusing on work 做补足语,足以“在心理上实现切换”并“开始专注工作”。
动词:英语宇宙的中心
1 | Establishing a high level of trust among remote managers and employees starts with having good meeting rituals. Meetings should be conducted on video if at all possible, and start with a “check in” for each team member. The check in lets people state how they are feeling that day, and what else is going on that may be affecting their mood or productivity. Managers must lead by example, because what you do is more important than what you say. For more suggestions on meeting rituals, Humble recommended the High-Performance Teams mini-book by Richard Kasperowski, author of The Core Protocols. |
不及物动词 + 介词
Establishing a high level of trust among remote managers and employees starts with having good meeting rituals.
英语动词分为及物动词和不及物动词。
及物动词(transitive verb,缩写 vt.),就是动词后面可以直接跟“物”的动词。这个“物”就是动作的对象,也是动词的宾语。例如 I invited Tom.(我邀请了汤姆。)
汤姆这个人就是那个“物”,invite 是及物动词,后面可以直接跟宾语,而且必须有这个“物”,不然句子不完整,不能说 I invited 后面就没了。不及物动词(intransitive verb,缩写 vi.)就是不能直接跟“物”(宾语)的动词。这类动词自身词义完整。例如 walk、smile、sleep,我走、我笑、我睡,都不用说明动作对象,也不能直接跟宾语。
如果不及物动词后面想要跟“物”(宾语)的话,例如要说“她对我笑”,怎么办呢?这时候,无处不在、无所不能的介词就要发挥作用了。不及物动词后面加上介词之后,就秒变“及物”动词,我们可以说“She smiled at me, and I smiled back.(她冲我笑笑,我也冲她笑笑。)”。从语法角度讲,smile at me,me 是 at 介词的宾语,at me 整个是 smile 的状语。
积累一个常用的习语 smile from ear to ear,也是加了介词 from,字面意思是“从左边耳朵笑到右边耳朵”,其实就是“眉开眼笑”、“笑得合不拢嘴”的意思。
此外,需要特别说明一下,在不及物动词后面加的 up、down、in 等小词,并不一定都扮演介词的角色。换言之,只有 up、down、in 等这些小词后面跟了宾语的时候,它们才是介词。有“物”可“介”,才能称为介词。如果无“物”可“介”,也就是小词后面不跟宾语的时候,这些小词起到的是副词的作用,表示前面那个动词的状态,英语语法上也称其为副词小品词(adverb particles)。一个动词可以和副词小品词构成不同的动词短语,例如 break down、give up 等。
被动语态
Meetings should be conducted on video if at all possible, and start with a “check in” for each team member.
语态是用来说明主语和动词之间关系的动词形式。英语语法中的语态只有两种,主动语态(active voice)和被动语态(passive voice)。主动语态中主语是动作的执行者,被动语态中主语是动作的承受者。因此,只有及物动词才有被动语态。
被动语态由“助动词 be+ 及物动词的过去分词”构成,被动语态的时态变化只需要改变 be 的形式,过去分词部分不变。疑问式和否定式的变化也是如此。
首先,当我们希望强调动作的承受着和动作或事件本身,而不想强调动作的执行者(或者根本不知道动作的执行者)的时候,往往会用被动语态。这样的叙述方式,可以使得句子听上去更加具有客观性,因此这种情况一般在科研、学术著作中较为常见。
1 | 例句:Too many books have been written about the Second World War. |
其次,很多时候,我们讲话的时候,总是习惯先说已知的旧信息,把新的信息留在句末。
1 | 例句:Nice picture! ~Indeed. It was painted by my grandfather. |
此外,有时候为了保持一句话或者几句话里的主语不变,也需要使用被动语态。
1 | 例句:Joe left my house around 5 pm, and was hit by a car about 30 minutes later. |
Meetings should be conducted on video,会议尽量要通过视频方式来开,其实就是会议“被”开,但翻译成中文就听不出被动语态了。首先,这句话希望强调会议本身,而不是开会的人,句子听上去也比较有客观性;第二,meeting 同时充当前半句被动语态(be conducted)和后面半句话主动语态(start with)的主语,这样句子听上去会比较自然。
宾语从句和定语从句
The check in lets people state how they are feeling that day, and what else is going on that may be affecting their mood or productivity.
这句话的主语是 the check in,动词短语名词化,指“点名”或“报到”这件事情,let 是谓语动词,后面跟宾语加上不带 to 的不定式。let…do…,你把这个当固定短语来记就好。
加黑部分是 state 的宾语从句,可以让团队成员谈一谈,一是他们当天有何感受 , 二是还有哪些事情。什么事情呢?后面还套了一个定语从句,就是下加黑部分,可能影响他们情绪或生产力的那些事情。串在一起就是“报到”这个形式,让团队成员能谈一谈上面讲的这两个问题。
lead by example
Managers must lead by example, because what you do is more important than what you say. For more suggestions on meeting rituals, Humble recommended the High-Performance Teams mini-book by Richard Kasperowski, author of The Core Protocols.
固定搭配 lead by example 很常用,指的是领导“身先士卒”“以身作则”。下面这句话是世界卫生组织前任总干事陈冯富珍演讲中说的一句话:
1 | 例句:I must lead by example, and I must be held accountable to Member States. |
为什么要以身作则呢?因为 what you do is more important than what you say。有一个英语成语也是这个意思:action speaks louder than words(行胜于言)。
huddle 和 standup
An established calendar of regular meetings also helps create structure for distributed teams. A daily huddle takes the place of a “standup”. Because remote teams build a higher level of independence than co-located teams, this may only need to occur twice per week to keep everyone aligned.
huddle,它原本的含义是“(因为寒冷或害怕)挤在一起或缩成一团”,英语解释是 to gather closely together, usually because of cold or fear。
1 | 例句:Tired and lost, we huddled together around the fire. |
后来这个词引申用到一些体育比赛中,指“队员靠拢在一起,磋商比赛战略战术的行为”。
1 | 例句:In many sports like football and rugby, the team huddles before each play. The huddle is strategic: it keeps the team informed and connected throughout the game. For software teams, the stand-up is like the team’s huddle to keep everyone aware of the team’s landscape and progress. |
“standup”顾名思义,就是大家站着开的会。这是敏捷开发(Agile Development)流程中必不可少的环节,其实就是开发团队全员参加的每日例会,定时定点,时间较短,或者说为了控制会议时间,要求大家站着开会,不说废话,不打瞌睡。团队成员在站会前一般都会准备好需要更新的内容,从而确保会议高效。每日站会的目的,在于预估并安排每日的工作计划,促进团队沟通合作,提高透明度,共享工作的进展和障碍(highlight progress and flag blockers),并得到快速响应。
参透“主从分明”的树状结构,即可“庖丁解牛”
1 | Strategic discussions are very challenging to have remotely, so these will usually occur when everyone involved can meet in person, which is every four months for C4, and coincides with QCon scheduling. C4 has an annual “all hands” meeting that lasts for four days, which also involves flying everyone into one location. This is obviously very expensive and a logistical challenge, but is extremely valuable. While everyone does not need to be co-located all the time, there are some situations which are only really effective when a team is all together. These include strategic discussions and just help re-enforce the bonds between team members. |
知识讲解
非限定性定语从句
Strategic discussions are very challenging to have remotely, so these will usually occur when everyone involved can meet in person, which is every four months for C4, and coincides with QCon scheduling.
我们先来找第一句话的主干,strategic discussions 是主语,战略性的讨论是相对于我们日常工作中的事务性讨论而言的,是公司或团队定方向、定目标的战略会议。主语后面是系动词 are,这一看就是我们熟悉的系表结构,后面的表语是形容词 challenging,“战略会是很有挑战的”。显然这个意思是不完整的,除此之外,我们还需要后面通过不定式 to have remotely 这个表语补足语,来补充说明,以远程的方式来开战略会议是很难的。
前半句分析完了之后,我们可以看到,逗号后面是 so。大部分情况下,so 是并列连词。也就是说,so 前后的两句话是平起平坐的并列关系,不存在很明确的附属关系(附属关系用 because 的情况较多)。
既然不是从句,我们就需要把后半句也当成主句来分析。主语是 these,指代的是前半句的主语 discussions,谓语动词是 will usually occur,“战略讨论会通常会发生”,什么时候发生呢?显然意思也没有说完整,需要后面 when 开头的表示时间的状语从句来补充说明,“当所有相关人员都能聚到一起开会的时候”。
把并列连词 so 前后的两个句子摆在一起,有点不那么强烈的因果关系,原因和结果之间有点引导和推测的意思。比如这句话,前半句讲“战略会远程开存在挑战”,后半句讲“一般都是要把人聚在一起才开”,两者之间的因果关系不那么直接和强烈,所以不构成从属关系。这就是因果关系的并列从句和表示直接原因的状语从句之间的微妙差别。
逗号的后面还有一个 which 引导的定语从句,一看带逗号和 which,可以判断是非限定性的定语从句,可以用来修饰前面讲的整件事情,而不是用于限定 which 前面的先行词。换句话说,后面的从句是补充说明的作用,而不是缩小范围的作用。
限定性定语从句
C4 has an annual “all hands” meeting that lasts for four days, which also involves flying everyone into one location.
看完上句的非限定性定语从句,我们马上可以看到下一句话里面的限定性定语从句。主句的“主谓宾”结构非常清晰,C4 是主语,谓语动词是 has。在这里,has 是实义动词而非助动词,宾语是 an annual “all hands” meeting,“C4 有年度全员大会”。宾语 meeting 后面跟的是限定性定语从句,强调是“为期四天”的年度大会。
前半句话后面是逗号和 which,又是一个非限定性定语从句,它最大的特点就是可以灵活地修饰前面讲的整件事情,而不像前面的限定性定语从句那样只能修饰先行词 meeting。非限定性定语从句补充说明,“年度会议也是需要把公司的所有人都飞到同一个地方”才能开的。
all hands (on the deck)
英语里有一个固定说法叫 all hands on the deck,最初这是大船上让所有船员全部到甲板集合、各就各位的命令。例如,We’re under attack! All hands on deck!(我们受到攻击,全体上甲板!),之后慢慢从“全体船员”引申到“所有帮得上忙的人”。
1 | 例句:Your grandmother arrives tomorrow and the house is still a mess—I need all hands on deck to help me clean! |
很多地方干脆连 on the deck 都省略了,直接用 all hands 来指“全体人员”。句子里的 all hands meeting 指的就是“全体员工大会”。
另外,还有一个经常听到的词 town-hall meeting,最早是指“西方国家的竞选者定期在市政厅与当地选民进行的交流会”,通过 town-hall meeting 听取选民意见,回答选民问题,也叫“市政厅会议”,后来慢慢地也引申到企业的“全体员工大会”。
两个都是“全体员工大会,all hands 和 town-hall 有啥区别呢?我们来看下面这段英文解释:
The term “Town Hall” meeting is often used interchangeably with All-Hands meeting however a Town Hall meeting is more question and answer based while All-Hands meetings are generally more focused on conveying a message and making a key presentation.
这两个说法意思是差不多的,可以互换使用。如果实在要说差别,town-hall 以偏重回答员工问题为主要形式,而 all-hands 则以作报告、传达企业战略精神为主。
复习并列句和复杂句
This is obviously very expensive and a logistical challenge, but is extremely valuable. While everyone does not need to be co-located all the time, there are some situations which are only really effective when a team is all together. These include strategic discussions and just help re-enforce the bonds between team members.
logistical 这个词。它是名词 logistics 的形容词,最早在军事领域用得比较多,中国古代称为“粮草辎重”,到近代改称“军需后勤”,之后又把军事后勤的概念延伸到商业领域,形成现代的“物流”概念。不管说法怎么变,其本质都是一样的,都是讨论如何高效地进行物资生产、采购、运输、配给等活动,使得差别更低、速度更快、服务更好。句子里面指的是,全公司的人都要聚到某一个地方(比如迪拜)去开年会,不仅昂贵,而且后勤方面很有挑战。
water cooler chat
Humble shared a list of tools he and C4 have used. Slack for IM; Zoom for video conferencing; Workplace for “water cooler”-like chats; Google Docs for remote collaboration; and 15Five for private retrospectives. While these work for his team, many options exist. The important thing is to try and find what works effectively in your situation, because bad tooling can have a serious effect on remote working.
这一段演讲人介绍了一堆他推荐使用的远程工具,大部分大家都非常熟悉,只需要提一下两个词组。第一个是 water cooler chat,我们来看一段英文解释:
Water cooler chat, or water cooler talk, or water cooler conversation (whatever you want to call it), is what happens when colleagues take a break from work-related tasks and discuss their hobbies, interests, and other things by gathering around the office water cooler.
大一点的公司,每个办公楼层一般都有茶水间,再不济也有一个饮水机,就是这个 water cooler(老外喜欢喝冰水,我们喜欢喝热水)。工作间歇休息的时候,同事们会去接开水,闲聊几句和工作无关的事情。Workplace 则是 Facebook 推出的办公通讯软件,曾被国内媒体称为“企业微信”,Humble 推荐作为同事间的闲聊工具。
private retrospectives:英文解释 looking back on or dealing with past events or situations,这个词指的是对过去发生过的事情的回顾。以前我们提到过 Agile Development,敏捷开发的工作流程中一般都有 一项 retrospective meetings,开发团队定期召开的回顾会。句子里面的 private 指的是“个人私下的”,也可以用 individual 或者 personal retrospectives,是个人定期回顾自己的工作或者生活,而 15Five 则是团队或个人绩效管理工具,里面有不错的工作回顾功能。
小结
“阵而后战,兵法之常,运用之妙,存乎一心。”方法的道理说起来都是比较容易的,但真正要用好,还需要你自己去练习和体会。
怎么学好介词呢?我们可以从它们的空间关系本源含义入手,进而引申出时间关系和抽象含义,通过例句体会介词变化繁多的用法。
大部分的介词都是有空间关系的本义,但也有一部分介词空间关系本义并不明显,例如我们上次讲的 despite,这次出现的 for。还是以前讲过的那句老话,所有的语法规则、规律、方法、诀窍,都是帮助我们理解语言含义的工具。我们要学会使用这些工具,但有时候碰到“规律”解释不通的地方,也不要被它们束缚,更不要去钻牛角尖。
熟练使用同位语,可以帮助我们增添写作的多样性,在不改变句子结构的情况下,能够灵活添加补充信息,使文章内容更加丰富详实,同时还能起到很好的“强调”修辞效果。
动词作为英语宇宙的中心,变化万千,要讲时态和语态,还能和不同的介词(或者副词小品词)搭配幻化出各种不同的意思,的确不是讲几个语法概念和读几个例句就能囊括的,同样也需要我们日积月累。掌握了动词并且能够运用自如,你就相当于站在宇宙的中心,洞悉万物一切的变化。
链接
- https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/with-coronavirus-in-mind-are-you-ready-for-remote-work/
- https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/coronavirus-cio-areas-of-focus-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/
- Prepositions
- 关于介词 for 的用法
- Between or among?
- Between vs. Among: What’s the Difference?
- Across, over or through?
- Appositives—What They Are and How to Use Them
- Appositive
- https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/appositive_apposition.htm
练习
关于及物动词和不及物动词
- Transitive and Intransitive Verbs—What’s the Difference?
- Action Verbs-Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
- Grammar Exercise - Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
- Transitive or Intransitive Verbs?