原文
I was going to tell you about the compliance gag, but you didn't show up at the charity dinner,
and then...
Then... I was half a hallway from your office. Try again.
Honest? It was an oversight.
No, it wasn't. You don't make them. And that matters. But what matters more right now is that Victor is exactly the wrong person to fire that way.
That was spur-of-the-moment.
It was a spur-of-the-moment fuck-up. His entire psychological makeup sets him up to react very poorly to public humiliation. The same things that made him a profit center for you will make him a difficult adversary if he's not handled right. He will stew and obsess and find a way to exact revenge on you.
Okay. I can see that. Will you fix it? Go do it, please. I made a mistake not looping you in. I admit that.
"Mistake." Last chance.
Okay. It was a red team drill. I wanted everybody to react as they would naturally. I left you out on purpose. And I will make it up to you. Please deal with Victor.
对话解析
That was spur-of-the-moment 一时冲动地 ；不假思索地
It was a spur-of-the-moment fuck-up
He will stew and obsess and find a way to exact revenge on you stew and obsess绞尽脑汁
Gag n. 封口布; 塞口布; 禁刊令(阻止公开报道或讨论某事的法令); (尤指专业喜剧演员的) 插科打诨，笑话，噱头;
v. 捂住，塞住(某人的嘴); 压制…的言论自由; 使缄默; 作呕;
oversight n. 疏忽; 忽略; 失察; 负责; 照管
Adversary n. (辩论、战斗中的) 敌手，对手;
opponent和enemy和adversary的区别：adversary=enemy意思是怀有仇恨的对手，即敌人，opponent仅指代竞争或比赛中的对手而已 意思是对手
red team drill 一般在军事演习中会有红蓝两队互进攻防，所以red team drill 有攻防演练的意思
原文
Sean Ayles, please. It's Lara Axelrod. Sean. Hi. This is the call you've been waiting for. I wanted to talk to you about making a donation. I figured you would and about naming rights.
And so the names on these buildings become more than just identifiers. They become signifiers of a grander age, when titans of industry understood that the purpose of their wealth was to support the performative arts to improve the quality of life for all those who live in and visit this city.
Now give me the Gettysburg Address.
I'm sorry. That... sounded rehearsed. I'm vamping. I'm in a difficult spot.
No, yeah, I know. Because what you need to tell me is that the Eads family owns the naming rights to this building in perpetuity. But I'm here offering you $100 million, which you need to extract somehow without giving me what I want.
I'm in a difficult spot.
No, yeah, I know. Also, "Performative" does not mean "Performance." Most donors like an air of...
I don't.
There are other naming opportunities on the ground that would give you the status and sense of permanence that you need. Why is this building so important to you?
Here's why it's important to you. It's the only way you are getting even a dollar out of me. Now, I happen to have discovered that the remaining members of the Eads family are in a financial pinch. They need to raise cash. And they will have a hard time getting ahold of the kind of loan they need to pay off their other loans. So, I want you to tell them that I will pay them $25 million to allow me to replace their family name with mine. Then I will donate the 100, and you can begin your renovations. There is one condition I'll need you to sign off on.
对话解析
an air of. 假装出（一种姿态、表情、神色），可以和take 搭配 如take an air of假装出一种什么样的姿态
sign off on 美国俚语（非正式）认可，同意
grander adj. 壮丽的; 堂皇的; 重大的; (用于大建筑物等的名称) 大; 宏大的; 宏伟的; 有气派的;
vamping 动词 原意有拼凑的意思 此处的引申为即兴的；现实中还有一个常用的名词意思是吸血鬼
perpetuity. n. 永远不得转让性；永远不得转让的产业；永久持有权；永续年金；终身年金; 一般搭配介词in--- in perpetuity
permanence n. 永久; 持久性;
financial pinch 财政紧缩；经济压力。
pinch. v. 拧; 捏; 掐; 捏住; 夹紧; 夹(脚); 夹痛; n. 捏; 掐; 拧; 一撮;
