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Bartleby: The scourge of job-title inflation
巴托比：頭銜通脹的禍患
The director of first impressions will see you now
第一印象專員現在可以見你了
When you enter an unfamiliar office for a meeting with someone who works there, you will almost certainly approach a person sitting behind a large desk.
當你走進一間陌生的辦公室，要與在那里工作的人會面時，你八成會碰到一個坐在大桌子后面的人。
You might think you are about to speak to a receptionist.
你可能會認為這個人是前臺。
But in some buildings, you will be dealing with someone far grander: a lobby ambassador.
但在一些大樓里，這個人的頭銜要高貴得多：大堂服務大使。
If that feels absurd, take a deep breath.
如果你連這個都覺得荒謬，請深呼吸為接下來的內容做好準備。
Plenty of companies now employ a “director of first impressions”, a job whose responsibilities include greeting all visitors at the front desk, almost as if you were meeting a receptionist.
如今，許多公司都會雇傭一名“第一印象專員”，這份工作的職責包括在前臺招呼所有來訪者，和前臺的工作幾乎一樣。
At Hudson Yards, a development in midtown Manhattan, advertisements tell candidates for one role that they are expected to “curate experiences” for visitors if they have questions.
在曼哈頓中城的開發用地哈德遜城市廣場，招聘廣告會告訴求職者，如果來訪者有任何問題，他們應該為來訪者“提供精心策劃的體驗”。
You might think you are asking someone where the toilet is; in fact, you are having an experience with a brand ambassador.
你可能會認為，你只是在問別人廁所在哪里；而實際上，你是在體驗品牌大使的服務。
Title inflation happens for reasons that are perfectly understandable.
頭銜通脹的原因是完全可以理解的。
When money is tight, a bump in title is a way of recognising someone’s efforts cheaply.
公司資金緊張時，提升頭銜是表彰某人努力的一種廉價方式。
A more prestigious-sounding role is not just a nice bauble: it may add to someone’s appeal in the wider job market.
一個聽起來更有聲望的頭銜不僅僅是漂亮的裝飾品：它可能會讓某人在更廣泛的就業市場上更具吸引力。
When a job lacks cachet, renaming it can lessen stigma and signal that an employer takes the position seriously.
當一份工作缺乏威望時，給它換個名字可以減輕羞恥感，并表明雇主很重視這個職位。
And when a role is outward-facing, a weightier title might make some clients more willing to take a meeting.
當一個崗位需要與公司外部接觸時，一個更有分量的頭銜可能會讓一些客戶更愿意與之會面。
But title inflation also causes trouble.
但頭銜通脹也會帶來麻煩。
The results can be laughable.
造成的結果可能會很可笑。
“Sanitation technicians” have to be passionate about cleaning; “sandwich artists” do not have to be passionate about art.
“環衛技師”必須對清潔充滿熱情；而“三明治藝術家”不必熱愛藝術。
And once inflation takes hold, it can be hard to suppress.
通脹一旦形成，就很難抑制。
If the lobby ambassador is on holiday, you will soon be seen by the lobby chargé d’affaires.
如果大堂大使在度假，大堂臨時代辦會很快注意到你。
Instead of undertakers, directors of last impressions.
殯儀員也不再叫作殯儀員，而是最終印象專員。
The currency of an inflated title quickly loses value.
通脹的頭銜很快就會貶值。
A senior vice-president is someone in middle management; an assistant vice-president is three years out of university; an associate vice-president has just mastered the alphabet.
高級副總裁就是個中層管理人員；助理副總裁才剛畢業三年；合伙人副總裁剛剛學會了字母表。
More and more words need to be added to connote seniority.
于是頭銜里需要添加越來越多的詞來暗示資歷。
“Senior executive vice-president” is a title which would not exist if not for the massed ranks of vice-presidents jostling below.
“高級執行副總裁”這個頭銜之所以存在，就是因為下面擠著一大堆副總裁。
Absurdities have to be conjured up to stand out from the crowd—chief evangelist, director of storytelling, chief innovability officer.
要想從人群中脫穎而出，就必須想出一些荒誕的頭銜，比如首席布道者、講故事經理、首席創新官。
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