For any given task in Britain there are more men than are needed. Strong unions keep them there in Fleet Street, home of some London’s biggest dailies. It is understood that when two unions quarrel over three jobs, the argument is settled by giving each union two. That means 33 percent over-manning, 33 percent less productivity than could be obtained.
在英国，任何特定的任务都需要更多的人。强大的工会将他们留在伦敦一些最大日报的所在地舰队街，据了解，当两个工会为三份工作发生争吵时，给每个工会两份工作就可以解决争论。这意味着33%的工作人员过多，33%的生产率低于预期。
A reporter who has visited plants throughout Europe has an impression that the pace of work is much slower here. Nobody tries too hard. Tea breaks do matter and are frequent. It is hard to measure intensity of work, but Britons give a distinct impression of going at their tasks in a more leisurely way.
一位访问过欧洲各地工厂的记者印象中，这里的工作节奏要慢得多，没有人很努力。茶歇确实很重要，而且很频繁。很难衡量工作的强度，但英国人给人的印象是以一种更悠闲的方式完成任务。
But is all this so terrible? It certainly does not improve the gross national product or output per worker. Those observant visitors, however, have noticed something else about Britain. It is a pleasant place.
但这一切都那么可怕吗？它肯定不会提高国民生产总值或每个工人的产出。然而，那些善于观察的游客注意到了英国的另一点：这是一个令人愉快的地方。
Street crowds in Stockholm, Paris and New York move quickly and silently heads down, all in a hurry. London crowds tend to walk at an easy pace (except in the profitable, efficient City, the financial district).
斯德哥尔摩、巴黎和纽约的街头人群走路很快，悄无声息，一切都很匆忙。伦敦的人群往往走得很轻松（除了在盈利、高效的金融城）。
Every stranger is struck by the patient and orderly way in which Britons queue for a bus: if the saleswoman is slow and out of stock she will likely say, ‘oh dear, what a pity’; the rubbish collectors stop to chat and call the housewives “Luv.” Crime rises here as in every city but there still remains a gentle tone and temper that is unmatched in Berlin, Milan or Detroit.
每个陌生人都被英国人耐心有序地排队等候公交车的方式所打动：如果女售货员速度慢、缺货，她可能会说：“哦，天哪，真遗憾”；清洁工停下来聊天并称这些家庭主妇为“Luv”。犯罪率在这里和每个城市一样上升，但仍然有一种温和的语气和脾气，这在柏林、米兰或底特律是看不到的。
In short, what is wrong with Britain may also be what is right. Having reached a tolerable standard, Britons appear to be choosing leisure over goods.
简言之，英国的错误也可能是正确的。在达到可容忍的标准后，英国人似乎选择休闲而非商品。
网友评论