Gravy Train 賺錢的清閑差事

Diarmuid: Hi Jean. What's that you're reading? 嗨，珍，你在看什么？

Jean: Hi Diarmuid. I'm just reading a newspaper report about people who work for the BBC. 嗨，圣保羅，我在讀報紙上的報告，有關在BBC工作的職員的。

Diarmuid: Hey! We work for the BBC. What does the newspaper say about us? 嘿！我們也是啊。報紙上都說什么了？

Jean: Well, it says here that people who work for the BBC get paid far too much money. 嗯，上面說在BBC工作的人得到的報酬太多了。

Diarmuid: Too much money? I don't think my salary is too high. 太多了？我們的工資不高啊。

Jean: Well, look at the headline in the newspaper: (reading) "BBC Stars On The Gravy Train. Huge Salaries for TV Presenters." 嗯，看報紙上的頭條：BBC的工作都很清閑。電視主持人薪水很高。

Diarmuid: Well, I suppose the top TV presenters do get paid a lot of money. 嗯，我覺得電視主持人確實能得到很高的報酬。

Jean: But what about this phrase 'on the gravy train'. 我知道gravy 是英國菜里人們愛吃的一種熱的濃肉汁，不過你說的這個gravy train “肉汁火車”這又是什么意思呢？

Diarmuid: Ah yes, the gravy train. That is a strange phrase and it's also our phrase of the day. Gravy train. G.R.A.V.Y and T.R.A.I.N. 哈，是的。賺錢又清閑的差事。這個奇怪的詞組正是今天我們要說的。

Jean: But what does it mean? 這是什么意思？

Diarmuid: Good question. In English we use the phrase 'on the gravy train' to mean that someone has a very easy job that pays them a lot of money. 問得好。在英語中我們用這個詞組來說明那些工作很輕松但是報酬很高的工作。

Jean: OK, 原來on the gravy train 就是指那種工作很清閑，收入和外快卻很多的工作。

Diarmuid: It's a phrase that has negative connotations. 這是一個帶有消極意義的詞組。

Jean: Negative connotations. 是頗有貶義的。So it's a kind of criticism then. 有點批判主義的色彩。

Diarmuid: Absolutely. If someone says you are on the gravy train, they are probably criticising you. They may even be resentful of you. 當然。如果用這個詞組說你，那么他們很有可能在批評你。他們甚至對你不滿。

Jean: Resentful 就是對這種現象極為不滿的。Let's hear some examples:

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Examples

A: It's not fair that I have to work so hard. My sister gets paid twice my salary and only works three days a week. 這樣真不公平，我不得不辛苦地工作。我的姐姐一個星期只要工作3天，而她的薪水是我的兩倍。

B: She's on the gravy train, isn't she? 她有份既清閑又賺錢的工作，對嗎？

A: My friends think that because I'm a banker I'm on the gravy train but they don't realise how hard I have to work. 我的朋友覺得因為我是銀行家，我的工作輕松又賺錢，但是他們沒有意識到我工作有多辛苦。

B: They're probably just jealous. 他們可能只是嫉妒了。

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Jean: So do you think that people who work for the BBC are on the gravy train, Diarmuid? 所以圣保羅，你覺得在BBC的職員，他們的工作是清閑又賺錢的嗎？

Diarmuid: I certainly don't think that I'm on the gravy train but then I would say that, wouldn't I? 確切地說，我覺得事實并非如此，我能這么說嗎？

Jean: So how much do you get paid then? 所以你的薪水有多少？

Diarmuid: Now, Jean, you know, that people in the UK don't like to tell other people how much they earn. 珍，你知道的，在英國問對方收入多少是不禮貌的。

Jean: 確實，在英國文化里，大家很少互相打聽對方的收入薪水高低，很多人也認為這樣做是極不禮貌的。

Diarmuid: It's just one of those cultural differences, I suppose. 我想，這是文化差異之一吧。