The english we speak(BBC教學)第242期:Don't give up the day job 不要放棄正職

Rob's got a second job but Feifei doesn't think he's good at it. What can she say to gently suggest he shouldn't do it? Find out the authentic English to use in this programme.

羅布找了份兼職，不過菲菲認爲他並不擅長這份工作。她如何委婉地建議羅布不應該做那份工作？請收聽本期節目並找出節目中使用的地道英語短語。

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

注：音頻與文本並不完全對應。

Feifei: Hello, this is The English We Speak, with me Feifei...

菲菲：大家好，歡迎收聽地道英語節目，我是菲菲……

Rob: [singing badly] And me Rob. Hello!

羅布：（歌唱得很難聽）還有我，羅布。大家好！

Feifei: Err Rob, what is that terrible noise?

菲菲：額……羅布，那可怕的噪音是什麼 ？

Rob: Noise? This is my best singing voice — I need it for my new job.

羅布：噪音？這是我最好的歌聲——這正是我的兼職工作中所需要的。

Feifei: You didn't tell me you were leaving the BBC and going to a new job.

菲菲：我沒聽你說過要離開BBC去開始新的職業啊。

Rob: I'm not — I've got a new part-time job in the evenings to earn a bit of extra cash [tries singing again].

羅布：我沒有要離開，我找到了一份晚上的兼職，這樣可以多掙些錢（試圖再次歌唱）。

Feifei: Hmm — and this second job involves singing, does it?

菲菲：嗯，這份兼職需要唱歌，對吧？

Rob: Yes, that's right. I'm going to be a cabaret singer in a nightclub. Good news, isn't it?

羅布：對，沒錯。我要在一家夜總會當駐唱歌手。這是個好消息，不是嗎？

Feifei: Well, Rob, don't give up the day job!

菲菲：嗯，羅布，做好現在的工作吧！

Rob: Oh — that's an expression which means someone's not very good at doing something and isn't likely ever to be successful at doing it.

羅布：哦，這個短語的意思是人們不擅長幹某事，所以他們不太可能在這件事上獲得成功。

Feifei: Yes — but it's used in a humorous and light-hearted way Rob. Sorry, I was trying to be nice.

菲菲：對，不過這個短語是以幽默又輕鬆的方式使用的。抱歉，羅布，我只是想盡量友善些。

Rob: OK. Well, I think we'd better hear some examples of this phrase in action while I continue to practice my singing [starts singing again].

羅布：好。我想我們最好先來聽幾個例句，看看這個短語如何應用，在這期間我會繼續練習我的歌唱（再次開始唱歌）。

Feifei: Oh no!

菲菲：哦不！

Examples

例句

I wouldn't give up the day job — you're never going to be an actor!

我不會放棄我的正業，你永遠不會成爲演員的！

Do you really want to be a writer? I've read your first book and my advice is 'don't give up the day job'!

你真的想當作家嗎？我看過你寫的第一本書，我的建議是“不要丟了正業”！

Don't give up the day job Pete — you're never going to earn a living as a singer!

皮特，做好眼下的工作吧，你是不會以唱歌爲生的！

Feifei: So 'don't give up the day job' means you should continue doing your normal job, rather than trying to turn your hobby into a career. So Rob, have you got the message?

菲菲：所以這個短語的意思是你應該繼續做你的正業，而不是試圖把興趣當作職業。所以羅布，你明白了嗎？

Rob: Oh yes, I should stick to what I'm good at — so I'll concentrate on doing the day job shall I?

羅布：哦，我應該堅持我擅長的東西，所以我要專注於我的正職，對吧？

Feifei: Yes, good idea.

菲菲：對，好主意。

Rob: OK, so why we don't we sing together and entertain our listeners [starts singing]?!

羅布：好，那我們爲什麼不一起唱歌來愉悅一下聽衆呢（開始唱歌）？！

Feifei: Oh Rob, perhaps you should give up the day job as well.

菲菲：哦，羅布，也許你也應該放棄正業。

Rob: Oh thanks.

羅布：哦，謝謝。

Feifei: Bye!

菲菲：再見！

Rob: Bye!

羅布：再見！

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. don't give up the day job 不要放棄正職；
例句：It's a kind way of telling aspiring novelists, 'Don't give up the day job'.
這是勸誡立志成爲小說家者“不要丟了正業”的一種溫和方式。
2. be good at 擅長的；精通的；能幹的；
例句：The soldier was good at playing fife.
這名士兵善於吹笛子。
3. rather than 而非；勝於；而不是；
例句：She is a career woman rather than a housewife.
她是職業婦女而不是家庭主婦。
4. stick to 堅持不變；
例句：Perhaps he should have stuck to writing.
也許他還是一心放在寫作上來得保險。
5. concentrate on 全神貫注；集中（心思）；
例句：She couldn't concentrate on a book very long.
她不能長時間專心讀一本書。