Spain will experiment with four-day workweek, a first for Europe
西班牙將成為首個(gè)試行每周4天工作制的歐洲國(guó)家
Antonia Noori Farzan
安東尼婭·努里·法仁
March 15, 2021 at 11:40 p.m. GMT+8
2021年3月15日晚上11：40（GMT+8）
For years, advocates for a four-day workweek have argued that a compressed schedule could lead to more productivity and a better work-life balance—a perspective that has gained credence in some countries amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has wrought drastic changes to the way people work.
多年來(lái)，每周4天工作制的倡導(dǎo)者表示，壓縮工作時(shí)間或許可以提高生產(chǎn)率，同時(shí)改善工作與生活的平衡。新冠疫情當(dāng)下，這種觀點(diǎn)在一些國(guó)家贏得了大眾的認(rèn)可,與此同時(shí)疫情給人們的工作方式也帶來(lái)了極大的變化。
Spain is about to find out firsthand whether it works. The country is poised to become one of the first to experiment with a 32-hour workweek, which would allow workers to spend less time at the office without any change in pay.
西班牙將親自確認(rèn)這種觀點(diǎn)是否奏效。為減少工人的工作時(shí)間，同時(shí)保持薪酬不變，該國(guó)已決心成為首批試行每周32小時(shí)工作制的國(guó)家。
Exactly what the pilot program will look like is unclear: An individual with the industry ministry told the Guardian that nearly every detail was still up for negotiation, including how many companies will be involved and how long the experiment will last.
確切講，這一試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目如何開(kāi)展尚不清楚。西班牙工業(yè)部一位人士向《英國(guó)衛(wèi)報(bào)》透露，差不多每項(xiàng)細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容都要進(jìn)行協(xié)商，包括參與公司的數(shù)量、試行時(shí)間長(zhǎng)短等內(nèi)容。
Will the coronavirus pandemic open the door to a four-day workweek?
新冠疫情會(huì)向每周4天工作制大開(kāi)方便之門(mén)嗎？
The test run was proposed by Más País, a left-wing party that has argued that longer hours don’t necessarily lead to higher productivity, and it is now in talks with the government to figure out the exact details of the arrangement. According to Spanish media outlets, the pilot program is intended to reduce employers’ risk by having the government make up the difference in salary when workers switch to a four-day schedule.
西班牙“更加國(guó)家”（Más País）左派政黨提出了這項(xiàng)試行計(jì)劃，并表示，延長(zhǎng)工作時(shí)間不一定會(huì)提高生產(chǎn)率，為了確切搞清楚各項(xiàng)安排的細(xì)節(jié)工作，現(xiàn)在就要和政府去談。據(jù)西班牙媒體機(jī)構(gòu)報(bào)道，工人轉(zhuǎn)為4天工作制后，會(huì)讓政府來(lái)填補(bǔ)工資差額費(fèi)用，以降低公司在試點(diǎn)計(jì)劃中的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。
“Spain will be the first country to undertake a trial of this magnitude ,” Héctor Tejero, of Más País, told the Guardian. “A pilot project like this hasn’t been undertaken anywhere in the world.”
“更加國(guó)家”黨派人士艾克多·特赫羅（Héctor Tejero）向《英國(guó)衛(wèi)報(bào)》表示：“西班牙將成為首個(gè)實(shí)施這項(xiàng)重要試驗(yàn)的國(guó)家，類似試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目從未在其他國(guó)家實(shí)施過(guò)。”
The experiment is expected to cost about 50 million euros ($59.5 million) and last three years. According to the Guardian, it could begin as early as this fall.
這項(xiàng)試驗(yàn)為期3年，預(yù)計(jì)耗資約5000萬(wàn)歐元（約合5950萬(wàn)美元）?！队?guó)衛(wèi)報(bào)》稱，試驗(yàn)可能會(huì)在今秋開(kāi)始。
Although the push for a four-day workweek was already gaining support before the pandemic, the radical upending of office life has made the idea seem more viable to politicians around the world. So has the fact that furlough programs mean many employees are already being paid to work fewer hours a week — or not at all.
每周4天工作制的推動(dòng)工作在疫情前就已備受人們支持。如今疫情徹底顛覆了職場(chǎng)生活，對(duì)全球政客來(lái)講，每周4天工作制理念似乎更加可行了。此外，公司在疫情期間還實(shí)施了停職計(jì)劃，這就意味著許多工人雖然可以上班賺錢(qián)，但每周的工時(shí)可謂少之甚少，或者整周都沒(méi)班可上。這一事實(shí)也讓上述理念變得更加可行。
In May, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested employers should consider the switch to a four-day week “if that’s something that would work for your workplace .”
去年5月，新西蘭總理杰辛達(dá)·阿德恩稱，“如果每周4天工作制對(duì)公司的工作場(chǎng)所來(lái)說(shuō)比較可行”，公司應(yīng)考慮改為每周4天工作制。
The crisis has also led to an increased push to address burnout and allow more flexibility for employees at a time when job duties frequently spill over i nto home life. Until last year, workers in many European nations benefited from a “right to disconnect” that barred emails and phone calls after the end of the workday. But the switch to remote work has tested those limits, and some politicians feel there needs to be a sharper line drawn between work life and home life.
疫情危機(jī)下，人們加大努力應(yīng)對(duì)工作過(guò)度勞累問(wèn)題，并在工作頻頻影響家庭生活情況下提高工人的工作靈活性。截至去年，許多歐洲國(guó)家工人都享有“工作中斷權(quán)”，即下班后不再接收電子郵件和電話?？墒?，工人改為遠(yuǎn)程辦公后，卻又對(duì)這些限制形成了一種考驗(yàn)。一些政客認(rèn)為，要把職場(chǎng)生活和家庭生活的界線劃分得更清楚些。
Proponents of a four-day workweek argue that allowing more people to work fewer hours could go a long way in addressing the high unemployment rates that have plagued so many countries throughout the pandemic. But many business leaders have been less than enthusiastic about cutting hours without cutting pay, which is where Spain’s proposal to cover some of the costs comes in.
每周4天工作制的支持者表示，讓更多工人的工作時(shí)間變得少之甚少，這可能有助于解決疫情期間困擾許多國(guó)家的高失業(yè)率問(wèn)題。不過(guò)，許多公司領(lǐng)導(dǎo)卻對(duì)減時(shí)不減薪的做法不太感冒?；诖耍靼嘌捞嶙h讓政府承擔(dān)一些費(fèi)用。
重點(diǎn)詞匯及短語(yǔ)
1.compress （被）壓縮；壓緊
2.credence 可信性；真實(shí)性；信任；信念
give credence to 相信…; gain credence 得到認(rèn)可
3.wrought（僅用于過(guò)去時(shí)）= caused sth to happen, especially a change 使發(fā)生了，造成了（尤指變化）（wrought是work過(guò)去式的舊式）
4.drastic = extreme in a way that has a sudden, serious or violent effect on sth 極端的；急劇的；嚴(yán)厲的；猛烈的
5.firsthand（adj+adv）直接的（地）；第一手的（地）；親自
6.be up for… 打算；為…做好準(zhǔn)備
7.test run = trial run = a test of how well sth new works, so that you can see if any changes are necessary（對(duì)新事物的）初步試驗(yàn)，試行；操作測(cè)試
8.make up the difference in … 彌補(bǔ)/填補(bǔ)…的差額/差距
9.upend = to turn sb/sth upside down 翻倒；倒放；使顛倒
10.viable = feasible = that can be done; that will be successful 可實(shí)施的；切實(shí)可行的
11.furlough --- If workers are given furlough, they are told to stay away from work for a certain period because there is not enough for them to do. (因無(wú)足夠工作可做而) 停職 (某段時(shí)間)
12.burnout = the state of being extremely tired or ill, either physically or mentally, because you have worked too hard 精疲力竭；過(guò)度勞累
13.spill over into 滲透到；深入到
14.proponent = advocate = a person who supports an idea or course of action 倡導(dǎo)者；支持者；擁護(hù)者
15.plague = to cause pain or trouble to sb/sth over a period of time 給…造成長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的痛苦（或麻煩）；困擾；折磨；使受煎熬
16.poised = completely ready for sth or to do sth 有充分準(zhǔn)備；準(zhǔn)備好；蓄勢(shì)待發(fā)
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編輯：Dennis
翻譯：Dennis
校對(duì)：Dennis
聲 明
本文英文文本摘選自《The Washington Post》，譯文為本人原創(chuàng)，僅供學(xué)習(xí)交流使用。
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