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Yes, we all live full, busy lives,as a result, it’s inevitable something will come up that causes us to miss a deadline or be late for work once in a while. But while you’ll often need to give an explanation for your blunder, you should never make excuses. The truth is, they don’t actually help you save face at all, and they risk damaging your relationships at work—or worse, convincing your boss you’re not equipped to handle your job. Read on for three common excuses you’ll hear in the office, and why you should avoid them at all costs.
誠然，我們都過著充實而忙碌的生活，因此，在工作中偶爾會因為一些不可抗的原因而錯過工作截止時間或者上班遲到。但是切記，盡管你必須為你犯的錯給出一個解釋，但千萬別找借口。事實是：借口根本沒法幫你挽回顏面，相反，它們會威脅到你在工作中的人際關系——更糟糕的可能性是，找借口會使你的老板認為你根本沒法處理好你的工作。往下讀，你會看到三條你在辦公室里經常能聽到的借口，然后我們會告訴你為什么你應該盡一切可能避免使用這些借口。
1.“Blame it on the Train”
1.“全是地鐵的錯。”
OK, sure, sometimes the train, or the bus, or the carpool lane is a disaster, and there’s nothing you can do about it. But nine times out of 10, you should still make it to work on time, because you’ve built that unpredictability into your commute time. That’s what responsible adults do, right? Yes. Blame the train, and your boss will see right through it.
好吧，確實，有時候地鐵、公共汽車或者拼車的確是個災難，而且你對此毫無辦法。但是大多數情況下，你還是可以做到準時上班的，因為你已經把這種不可預測的延遲計算進了你的通勤時間。這是一個有責任感的成年人應該做的，不是嗎?是的。你若抱怨地鐵，你的老板會看到那背后表達的信息。
Instead, try being honest. Being honest about the real reason you’re late shows you have the courage to own up to your mistakes, instead of assigning blame whenever something goes wrong.
相反，試著坦誠一些。誠實地告訴他你遲到的真正原因，那會顯得你有承認錯誤的勇氣，而不是一出了問題就推卸責任。
2.“I’m Waiting for Bob in Accounting to Call Me Back”
2.“我在等會計部的Bob回我電話。”
The guys in accounting—or HR, or at the Post Office—really get a bad rap. Somehow, they’re always the ones to blame when a deadline has been missed or a project is taking longer than planned.
會計部，或者人力資源部又或郵件中心的同事口碑總是超差。不知道為什么，當有人沒能按時交工或者項目延遲的時候，責任總是被推到他們頭上。
The last thing your boss wants to hear when a deadline is near—or missed—is that it’s someone else’s fault. Besides, you won’t be making any friends in accounting, either.
當你的交工截止日快到了或者已經錯過了的時候，老板最不愿意聽到的話就是“那是別人的錯”。與此同時，你要是這么做了，就別想在會計部有什么朋友了。
A good rule of thumb is to always have enough information about the status—including any potential delays—that you could give an executive summary to your boss if surprised in the elevator. Your boss (and Bob) will thank you for it.
一條經驗之談是，你必須隨時保持足夠的關于完成狀況的信息，包括潛在的延遲的可能性。那樣你就能給你的老板提供一份執行報告。你的老板(還有會計部的Bob)會因此感謝你的。
3. “I Don’t Know How”
3.“我不知道怎么了。”
This may be the granddaddy of all excuses, and should never be used when explaining why you whiffed on an assignment. Admitting you don’t know how to do something at the start of a project, immediately followed by “Please show me how,” is obviously OK—in fact, it’s essential to progressing in your career. Your boss knows you don’t know how to do everything—but she does want to know that you’re willing to figure it out, and that you’ll take some initiative if you’re stuck.
這句話堪稱借口的鼻祖。當你搞砸了一個任務的時候，千萬千萬不要用它。在你接到任務的時候，承認你不知道某些事情要如何去做，并且當場提出“請教教我要怎么辦吧”是完全可以的。事實上，這對你的職業發展也是很重要的。你的老板明白你不可能會做所有的事情，但她希望知道你很愿意把事情搞清楚，并且在你遇到瓶頸的時候會發揮一些創造力。
The difference between explaining yourself and making excuses is definitely a grey area, but if you keep these tips in mind, you’ll steer clear of most of those murky waters and cement your reputation in your boss’ mind as a star, not a slouch.
很顯然，解釋和掩飾的區別是一個灰色地帶。然而如果你把上面的技巧牢記在心，你就能出淤泥而不染，穩固自己的名譽，在你老板的眼中成為一顆明星，而不是一個又懶又笨的廢柴。
