Why businesses use so much jargon
为什么行业内会用这么多黑话
No child aspires to a life talking the kind of nonsense that many executives speak. But it seems that, as soon as managers start to climb the corporate ladder, they become entangled in a forest of gobbledygook.
没有孩子渴望自己长大后，像许多高管那样满口胡言乱语。但是，似乎一旦管理者开始在职场高升，他们就会在一片胡言乱语中纠缠。
The first explanation for this phenomenon is that "jargon abhors a vacuum". Executives aim to make the business sound more inspirational than "selling more stuff at less cost". So they use long words, obscure jargon, and buzzwords like "holistic" to fill the space.
对于该现象的第一个解释是“行业黑话厌恶真空状态”。这些高管们的目的是，让业务本身听起来更启迪人心，而不只一句“用更少的成本卖更多的东西”这么简单。因此他们会用冗长的话语、晦涩的行话，和像“整体性的”这类流行术语来填补内容空白。
Another reason why managers indulge in waffle relates to the nature of the modern economy. A service-based economy involves tasks that are difficult to define. When it is hard to describe what you do, it is natural to resort to imprecise terms.
此外，管理者沉迷于“胡言乱语”还与现代经济的属性有关。服务型经济所涉及的工作往往很难描述清楚。当你很难去解释自己做了什么时，就会很自然地诉诸不精确的术语。
Overblown language is also used when the actual business is prosaic. "Private Eye", a British satirical magazine that often mocks corporate flimflam, used to have a regular column pointing out the absurd tendency of companies to tag the word "solutions" onto a product; carpets became "floor-covering solutions".***
再者，当实际业务内容平淡无奇时，人们也会使用华丽的语言（去掩饰它）。英国讽刺杂志《私探》经常会嘲讽企业的胡扯行为；它曾经开了一个固定专栏，去指出企业的荒谬行为：比如给产品贴上“某某解决方案”的标签，这样，地毯就变成了“地板覆盖解决方案”。
The fourth reason why managers use jargon is to establish their credentials. If you can speak the language of management, you appear qualified to rule. In a sense, managers are acting rather like medieval priests, who conducted services in Latin rather than in the local language, adding to the mystical nature of the process.
第四，管理者使用行话是为了“立资历”。如果你会使用管理话术，就会显得更有资历来领导团队。从某种意义上说，这些管理者很像是中世纪时期的牧师；当时，牧师们用拉丁语而非当地语言来做礼拜，让礼拜过程变得更加神秘。
Once corporate jargon is established, it is hard for managers to avoid using it. The terms are ever-present in PowerPoint slides, speeches and annual reports. Not to use them would suggest a manager is not sufficiently committed to the job. Junior staff, for their part, dare not question the language for fear of damaging their promotion prospects.
企业黑话一旦形成，管理者便很难不去使用它。这些术语在 PPT、演讲稿和年度报告中无处不在。若某位管理者不使用它们，则会显得他工作得不够投入。而那些初级员工则不敢去质疑这种语言，因为他们担心这会影响到自己的晋升之路。
主编：Felicity、木子、Jenny
品控：Felicity、木子
审核：Jojo
重点词汇
jargon
/ˈdʒɑːr.ɡən/
n. 行话，黑话
相关词汇：terminology（n. 术语）
缩写：term
词义辨析：term / terminology，jargon
terminology / term：强调被普遍公认的术语。如 GDP（国内生产总值）、KPI（关键绩效指标）等；
jargon：强调行业黑话，更小众。如马拉松项目中的全马（全程马拉松）、半马（半程马拉松）、兔子（配速员）、关门（完成赛程的最长时长）等；互联网行业中的“赋能”、“抓手”、“链路”、ego 等。
aspire
/əˈspaɪər/
v. 渴望……有志于……
英文释义：to have a strong desire to achieve or become something
搭配短语：to aspire to do sth.
例句：I aspire to be an artist.
搭配短语：to aspire to sth.
例句：I aspire to a career in art.
entangle
/ɪnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/
v. 使纠缠，使缠住；使卷入，使陷入
例句：The seal was entangled in the fishing net.（使缠住）
例句：He became entangled in legal disputes.（使陷入）
abhor
/æbˈhɔːr/
v. 憎恨，憎恶
例句：I abhor dicrimination of any kind.
vacuum
/ˈvæk.juːm/
n. 真空
搭配短语：vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）
搭配短语：in a vacuum（与世隔绝，脱离实际）
例句：Art is not created in a vacuum.
文化补充：原文中的 Jargon abhors a vacuum. 取自俗语 Nature abhors a vacuum.（自然界厌恶真空。）该俗语暗指“自然界里没有真空状态”。
obscure
/əbˈskjʊr/
adj. 晦涩难懂的，费解的
buzzword
/ˈbʌz.wɝːd/
n. 流行术语
indulge in
沉迷、沉溺于……
相关词汇：indulge（v. 沉迷，沉溺（于……））
搭配短语：to indulge oneself with sth.
例句：I indulged myself with a hot bath.
例句：I just decided to indulge in a little shopping.
waffle
/ˈwɑː.fəl/
n. 胡扯，废话连篇；华夫饼
例句：The report is just full of waffle.
resort to
诉诸于……
搭配短语：to resort to legal action（诉诸法律手段）
搭配短语：to resort to force（诉诸武力）
Overblown
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈbloʊn/
adj. 夸张的；夸大其词的
搭配短语：an overblown report
prosaic
/prəˈzeɪ.ɪk/
adj. 平淡的，乏味的
近义词：dull
搭配短语：the prosaic side of life
satirical
/səˈtɪr.ɪ.kəl/
adj. 讽刺的，讥讽的
相关词汇：satire（n. 讽刺；讽刺作品）
搭配短语：a satirical novel
absurd
/əbˈsɝːd/
adj. 荒谬的，荒唐的
近义词：ridiculous
credential
/krɪˈden.ʃəl/
n. 资质，资历；证件，证明书
例句：The new ambassador presented his credentials to the US government.
例句：He will first have to establish his leadership credentials.
qualify
/ˈkwɑː.lə.faɪ/
v. 使具有资格，使胜任
英文释义：to make someone competent or knowledgeable enough to do something
In a sense
在某种意义上
同义短语：in one sense
相关词汇：sense（n. 意义）
相关短语：in every sense（从任何意义上看）
相关短语：in no sense（根本不、绝对不……）
近义短语：not at all
service
/ˈsɝː.vɪs/
n. 宗教仪式，礼拜仪式
搭配短语：a funeral service（葬礼）
搭配短语：a marriage service（婚礼）
搭配短语：a memorial service（追悼仪式）
搭配短语：to hold a service（举行一场仪式）
slide
/slaɪd/
n. 幻灯片
搭配短语：a slide projector（投影仪）
commit
/kəˈmɪt/
v. 全心全意投入；决定与某人保持长期感情，订婚
例句：The banks have committed themselves to boosting profits.（全心全意投入）
例句：She didn't love him enough to commit herself to him.（决定与某人保持长期感情）
prospect
/ˈprɑː.spekt/
n. 前途，前景
搭配短语：good career prospects（大好前程）
搭配短语：no prospects（前途渺茫）
