Are you at a disadvantage at work simply because of your vocabulary?
你是否僅僅因為措辭不當而在職場身處劣勢？

Melody Wilding, who coaches high-achieving, ambitious women to overcome the emotional challenges of success, believes you could be.
梅洛迪?懷爾丁認為你可能真是如此。她指導成就不凡且心懷抱負的女性克服成功帶來的精神挑戰。

In a recent blog post for Forbes, she recommended that workers be 'on the lookout' for seven words and terms cropping up in their vocabulary - and to stop using them with immediate effect.
在最近為美國商業雜志《福布斯》所寫的一篇博文中，她建議職場人士警惕自己語言中出現的7種詞匯和表達，并且立刻停止使用它們。

But which words, terms and even symbols are they?
到底是哪些詞匯、表達甚至符號呢？

JUST
僅僅，只是

'This word minimizes the power of your statements and can make you seem defensive or even apologetic,' writes Melody.
梅洛迪寫道：“這個詞弱化了你表述的力量，會讓你看起來在自我辯護甚至帶有歉意。”

'It can often be a defense mechanism subconsciously used to shield ourselves from the rejection of hearing “no" or a way to avoid the discomfort of feeling like we’re asking for too much.'
“它往往代表了一種防御機制，我們下意識地用它用來保護自己在聽到拒絕時不受傷害。或者把它用作一種消除不適感的方法，免得感覺自己要求太多。”

I'M NO EXPERT, BUT
我不在行，但是

Avoid this phrase, even if you're saying it to try not to sound pushy. Suggesting you may be wrong before even giving your opinion can make your statement seem less credible.
不要使用這種表述，即使你這么說是為了聽起來不那么強硬。在發表觀點前暗示自己可能是錯的，這會削弱你觀點的可信度。

WHAT IF WE TRIED…?
如果我們試著……？

State your ideas in a straightforward manner and you're more likely to be taken seriously, advises Melody.
梅洛迪建議使用直截了當的方式陳述觀點，這樣你才更有可能被認真對待。

'Masking your opinions as questions invites rebuttal and can lead to you feel criticised.'
“用問句隱藏觀點會招來反駁，還讓你覺得受到了批評?！?/p>

When posing an idea, don't 'poll'. Make it clear that you think your ideas are valid and worth everyone's time to listen to.
提出觀點時，別小心翼翼試探別人的看法。應當清楚地表示你認為自己的觀點有理有據，值得每一個人認真傾聽。

I CAN'T
我不能

'When you say “I can’t,” you’re sacrificing ownership and control over you actions,' writes Melody. Make sure not to use 'I can't' when you really mean 'I won't', an active phrase.
梅洛迪寫道：“當你說‘我不能’的時候，犧牲的是自己行動的自主權和控制權?！贝_保你想表達“我不會（去做）”的時候不要使用“我不能”。前者是一種主動性的表達。

THAT IS LIKE, SO GREAT!
那像是，太棒了！

Don't distract your audience from what you're saying by using words such as 'like' and raising your voice at the end of your sentence.
不要使用“好像”這類的詞，也不要在句子結尾提高音量。這會使聽者的注意力從你所講的內容上轉移。

According to Melody, this can 'indicate uncertainty, make you appear hesitant, and create a lack of trust among your audience'.
據梅洛迪所說，這類表述會“顯示不確定性，讓你顯得猶豫，聽眾會對你缺乏信任”。

EXCLAMATION MARKS OR EMJOIS
感嘆號或表情符號

Using exclamation marks or emojis can suggest you feel insecure in your message.
使用感嘆號或表情符號可能在消息中暗示：你在感到不安。

AM I MAKING SENSE?
我把意思說明白了嗎？

Don't open up the possibility to your audience to question whether you are.
別讓你的聽眾有機會質疑你到底說沒說明白。

Even if you think you're encouraging interaction, it 'speaks to an underlying belief you may have that you’re an impostor, and unqualified to be speaking on the matter', writes Melody.
梅洛迪寫道，即使你認為自己是在鼓勵互動，“這句話指向了你可能持有的潛在觀點——自己是個冒牌貨，不夠格在這件事上發表意見。”

Vocabulary

with immediate effect: 即日起，立即生效
rebuttal: 反駁，辯駁

英文來源：每日郵報
翻譯：實習生徐曉彤
編審：yaning