用字遣詞的敏感度
快來看Presentality的最新英語寫作分析~
特別敏感的時刻，我們的用字遣詞也要特別小心。今天的「閱讀筆記」，我們來看前一陣子轟動矽谷的事件：知名軟體公司老闆在部落格的一篇 po 文，讓三分之一員工離職。他到底寫了什麼？
📌 總結幾個重點：
1. 在敏感時刻，用字跟語氣，甚至可能比內容還要重要。
2. 用簡短無修飾的句子，會顯得比較強硬，較長而且有修飾的句子，反而比較溫和。
3. 主詞非常，非常重要。你用的是 I, us vs them，還是 "we" and "our"?
如果以後你在情緒高漲的時刻寫文，也不妨寄給英文好而且中立的朋友，請他們評估文字所帶著的情緒，會很有幫助。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
📌 前一陣子，Basecamp 事件震驚美國科技/新創圈。
Basecamp 是一家團隊協作軟體公司，創辦人 Jason Fried 跟 David Heinemeier Hansson 一直都很願意為自己的理想及理念說話。他們寫的 Rework 一書影響了非常多的人，我在台灣認識的好幾位創業家都曾經跟我分享這本書。
但他們四月底在部落格上公告 Basecamp 一系列政策改變之後，引來非常大的反彈。
我第一時間就有去他們的部落格看他們寫的文章，覺得文筆非常好，而且是用說道理的語氣，很 reasonable。但發布不久，公司超過30%的員工，決定離職，其中包括好幾位高階主管！
What happened? 那篇文章，很顯然觸發了一個危機。我回去再把文章看了一次，發現天啊... 那篇文章的語氣，根本沒有我第一次看感覺的溫和。
Changes at Basecamp: https://bit.ly/2SNN6Kr
很多魔鬼都藏在細節裡。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
📌 主要的改變 = 工作時別討論政治或社會議題
讓大家最氣憤的政策改變，其實就只有一個：
No more societal and political discussions on our company Basecamp account.
在這個時空背景下，美國社會立場分歧這麼深，從左右派政治議題，到種族歧視問題，Basecamp 領導人大膽決定，禁止員工在公司內部的線上溝通頻道，討論社會及政治議題。
要去弄社會政治議題，可以，但請別在公司內。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
📌 開頭還算溫和：說服大家把公司當產品看待
一開頭，Fried 就寫：
At Basecamp, we treat our company as a product. It's not a rigid thing that exists, it's a flexible, malleable idea that evolves. We aren't stuck with what we have, we can create what we want. Just as we improve products through iteration, we iterate on our company too.
Hmmm，為什麼要這樣開頭？為什麼要把「公司」跟「產品」劃上等號？
我們可以想像，Fried 肯定為了這篇文煩惱了一陣子。很多想法不斷的在他腦中盤旋，不同的開場，不同的句子...
但這個開頭，是一個很不錯的 framing：因為 Basecamp 的員工肯定很多 product fanatics - 就是最在乎產品好不好的 "builders"。Product lovers 的一個共同點，就是了解產品是會不斷改變的東西。如果說公司也是，就可以理解，公司也會改變。
然後，他非常小心的挑選最正面的說法。每一字每一句都是 product lovers 會認同的：
•flexible
•malleable
•evolve
•we can create what we want
•improve products
•iterate
用了一連串正面的同義字，就是要塑造 change = positive 的氣氛。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
📌 連大改變，都用「改版」來形容
下一步，就是用一個大家理解的方式，來描述「非常大的改變」：
Recently, we've made some internal company changes, which, taken in total, collectively feel like a full version change. It deserves an announcement.
什麼是大的改變？就有點像「改版」的意思。而且注意到，他不是寫 "We're making a full version change" 喔，而是說："changes... taken in total, collectively feel like a full version change."
也就是說，在中間加了很多緩衝的字眼，淡化 "full version change"。
就像你如果要跟一個人說他是混蛋，哪一種說法比較直接：
The way you act sometimes, when people don't know you yet, can feel like you're a bit of an asshole. 或是 You're an asshole.
講完這個，他就要給大家打預防針了。
而且又是從「產品」開始：
In the product world, not all changes are enjoyed by all customers. Some changes are immediately appreciated. Some changes take time to steep, settle in, and get acquainted with. And to some, some changes never feel quite right — they may even be deal breakers.
哇噻，好幾劑預防針啊！
而且他用了三個意思差不多的字，鼓勵大家「耐心的習慣新的改變」：Some changes take time to steep, settle in, and get acquainted with。
Again 他的用字很細心。"Get acquainted with" 就好像跟我們說，
改變其實是我們的朋友，只要我們願意好好認識它。
但他們其實知道，有些改變是一些人完全，完全無法接受的。
所以才有最後一句："They may even be deal breakers"。
They totally knew what was coming...
★★★★★★★★★★★★
📌 溫和就到這裡... 語氣開始轉變
接下來，他選擇美國人非常愛用的寫法，就是引用一位大家尊敬的人的話，來幫自己助陣：
As Huxley offers in The Doors of Perception, "We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. The martyrs go hand in hand into the arena; they are crucified alone. Embraced, the lovers desperately try to fuse their insulated ecstasies into a single self-transcendence; in vain. By its very nature every embodied spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude."
這裡藏了點玄機。
如果他的目的是說服大家接受這些改變，那為什麼要引用這一段！？
讀起來，這段話反應了他的心情：在做困難決定時的「孤獨」。如果是這樣，那這段話的用途就是「療癒」而不是「說服」。
因為如果目的是說服，為何不引用某個你的員工/讀者都非常敬佩的人的故事，這個人做了一個不受歡迎，但大部分讀者都會認同是正確的決定？
個人猜測：他上面好話已經寫完了。真正的意涵是：We're going forward, alone if necessary。
而且，他們還把自己的決定，frame 成 navigating somewhere，同時把另一邊寫成 circling nowhere
We all want different somethings. Some slightly different, some substantially. Companies, however, must settle the collective difference, pick a point, and navigate towards somewhere, lest they get stuck circling nowhere.
★★★★★★★★★★★★
📌 語氣變的很硬：No More
然後他就開始寫改革本身。
如果把所有改變的第一句話看過去，會發現全部都是 "No more..." 開頭。這個硬到不行了。
完整文章: https://bit.ly/3wT6x3z
圖片出處: https://bit.ly/34wWkO5
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Presentality每天都在追蹤與分析跟英文溝通/寫作有關的文章，如果想要透過我們這些「閱讀筆記」一起學習，可在 FB 追蹤我們：https://www.facebook.com/presentality/
📌 Presentality系列文章:
1. 看貝佐斯致亞馬遜股東的最後一封信，學一些英文寫作小撇步
https://bit.ly/3xCN1cC
2. 英文演講實用的結構與技巧
https://bit.ly/2PHu3Ax
3. 在演講中的四種敘述角度
https://bit.ly/39tNUtv
4. 詩人Amanda Gorman的英文演講技巧
https://bit.ly/39sI3on
5. 從 Most Dangerous Place 文章，看經濟學人寫作邏輯
https://bit.ly/3htqJEs
6. 寫作的終極目標是「提供價值」
https://bit.ly/3yA3gYe
7. 看 Bloomberg學資深記者如何寫文章
https://bit.ly/3i3am1P
going forward意思 在 [外絮] 哈登為何會選擇回到七六人隊？ - 看板NBA - 批踢踢實業坊 的推薦與評價
原標題：Why is James Harden suddenly playing ball with the Sixers?
(哈登為何會突然想繼續為七六人打球？)
來源：https://theathletic.com/4934970/
作者：Sam Amick, Shams Charania
原文＋翻譯：
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — When James Harden left the Moby Arena practice floor
after his second day of training camp practice on Thursday, it was only
fitting that the man who has drawn so much ire from the Philadelphia 76ers
star for all these months, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey,
was on his way in.
科羅拉多・科林斯堡在哈登於星期四離開莫比體育館的訓練場地時，近數個月來一直
不滿這位七六人球星的籃球營運總管莫雷也順勢走了進來。
Yet the two did not cross paths, nor share any cross words. And so it was
that the light mood that has surprised so many since Harden decided to rejoin
the team Wednesday remained intact. Harden was all smiles before he left,
talking with assistant coaches Bobby Jackson and Rico Hines near one of the
baskets after a practice in which he has participated in team drills but not
live action. Multiple sources with knowledge of Harden’s two practice
sessions say he has been an engaged and positive participant. Morey, who has
made it so clear that he won’t fulfill Harden’s trade request to the
Clippers unless his asking price is met, went on his way in seemingly good
spirits as well.
只不過，雙方之間完全沒有任何交流。同時就這樣的，自從哈登在星期三選擇重新加入球
隊以來，令許多人感到驚訝的輕鬆氛圍依然沒有改變。哈登在離開的時候充滿笑容，在一
般訓練結束後與兩位助教Bobby Jackson 和 Rico Hines 在一個籃筐附近交談。多位瞭解
情況的消息人士稱，哈登是一位積極投入的參與者。日前表示在達成索要的價碼前不會滿
足哈登交易到快艇之請求的莫雷，精神看來似乎也很好。
All of which begged the question of why.
這些都引來了諸多的疑問。
Why has Harden, who famously called Morey a “liar” in August and swore that
he’d “never be part of an organization that he’s a part of,” chosen to
show up to work and conduct himself in the kind of professional manner that
so few saw coming?
為何在八月公開宣稱莫雷是個「騙子」、並矢言「不會再和他在同一支球隊共事」的哈登
，會決定現身訓練營，並在出乎眾人意料之外的情況下，以其專業的態度行事？
The most obvious answer, of course, is money.
很顯然的，最明確的答案是「錢」。
By taking part, Harden is avoiding the sort of financial fate that Ben
Simmons experienced when he lost approximately $20 million during his
standoff with the Sixers during the 2021-22 season. But beyond the money
matters, league sources say Harden also is taking part because he remains
hopeful that a trade to the Clippers is still in the works and believes, for
now, that it would be wise to not be a distraction. And the Clippers, league
sources say, are going to great lengths to make it happen.
透過這種方式，哈登將會避開西門過去與七六人在2021-22 賽季遭遇之約二千萬美元的財
務損失。但在「錢」事之外，聯盟消息人士說，哈登參與的另一個原因是基於仍然相信與
快艇的交易還在進行中，並希望這不會導致注意力上的分散。至於快艇，聯盟消息人士認
為他們會盡一切努力讓其發生。
League sources say the Clippers have been talking to several teams about ways
to move pick swaps for additional draft capital with the intention of
bolstering their offer and getting a deal done.
聯盟消息人士說，快艇已經和一些球隊討論使用選秀互換權來獲取更多選秀資本的方式，
目的是提高報價並完成交易。
The Clippers offered the Sixers an unprotected first-round pick, a pick swap
and salaries for Harden in July, league sources say, but Philadelphia has set
a much higher threshold. The Sixers have valued fifth-year forward Terance
Mann and multiple first-round picks in a potential trade with the Clippers,
sources added. Mann, who averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds a season ago,
has become a prospect of interest for teams over the past couple years.
快艇提供七六人一支不受保護的首輪籤、一支選秀互換權及哈登的七月薪資，但七六人的
要價卻來得更高。消息人士補充，七六人看中已經效力了五年的前鋒 Terance Mann 和多
支首輪籤。在上賽季場均得到八點八分、三點四個籃板的 Mann 已經成為過去數年來，多
支球隊都感興趣的球員。
If the Clippers are able to add to their offer in the kind of meaningful way
that the two teams have previously discussed, then the next phase in this
Harden saga will unfold from there and the ball, so to speak, would be in
Morey’s court. But for now, with Sixers camp concluding on Friday and a
preseason game in Boston on Sunday, it appears likely that Harden’s
participation will continue.
如果快艇能夠以兩隊之前討論過的有意義之方式來增加他們的報價，「哈登人生」的下一
階段將會由此展開，可以說，球就在莫雷的手中。但就目前而言，六人隊的訓練營將於週
五結束，週日並在波士頓進行一場熱身賽，哈登很可能會繼續參加。
For a team that has maintained its messaging about championship aspirations,
with first-year coach Nick Nurse holding camp in Colorado as a reminder to
his players that the title runs through the defending champion Denver
Nuggets, the unresolved Harden situation is clearly a massive obstacle to
that goal. And while sources say Harden remains as strong as ever in his
stance — he wants his Sixers career to end and to play for his hometown
Clippers — it has come as a surprise to many that these first two days have
been so void of drama. What’s more, he came into camp in shape after surely
hearing a summer’s worth of social media snark from fans and media members
alike about how he would likely be overweight.
對於一支一直堅持向總冠軍發起衝擊的球隊來說，執教第一年的主教練 Nick Nurse 在科
羅拉多舉辦訓練營，就是為了提醒他的球員們，衛冕冠軍丹佛金塊仍在競逐總冠軍，而哈
登問題的懸而未決顯然是實現這一目標的巨大障礙。儘管有消息稱，哈登的立場一如既往
地堅定他希望結束自己在七六人隊的職業生涯，並回到家鄉為快艇隊效力但讓許
多人感到意外的是，前兩天的訓練營中並沒有發生任何戲劇性的變化。更重要的是，他在
參加訓練營之前，肯定已經在社交媒體上聽到了球迷和媒體對他可能超多的嘲諷。
“It’s been good,” Sixers big man and reigning MVP Joel Embiid said after
practice when asked about Harden’s return. “He’s been doing a little bit.
Of course, he hasn’t played (in the live action), but the energy has been
great. He’s been around, and I think he’s great for us. Coming in, and not
being a distraction — not that it was going to distract us anyways, because
we’ve been so focused.
上賽季最有價值球員得主鉛筆在練習結束後，就哈登的回歸表示：
「一直都很好。他一直在做一些事情。當然，他還沒有上場（實戰），但他的氣場一直都
很棒。他一直在我們身邊，我覺得他對我們很重要。他的到來不會讓我們分心反正
也不會讓我們分心，因為我們一直都很專注。」
“I think this group is a little different than a couple years ago, when we
had the situation (with Simmons). With a new coaching staff and everything
that’s going on, it’s been easy. I don’t think anybody has been distracted
(by) what has been going on.”
「相比起數年以前與西門的狀況，如今來得有點不同。有了新的教練團、目前也進行順暢
，一切都還好。我不認為會有人會因為現時的狀況，而被分散注意力。」
Embiid was then asked if he expected Harden to remain with the team, in
essence, in the days and weeks ahead.
鉛筆之後被問到，他是否會預期哈登會在未來一段時間內，繼續留在隊中？
“Uh, I don’t know,” he continued. “He’s here. He’s practicing with us,
and, you know, that’s all we know. But like I said, we’re not focused on
that. We’re just trying to focus on getting the offense together, and the
defense together, figuring out how to play together.”
他繼續說：
「呃，我不知道。他在這裡，也和我們一起練習，這就是我們目前所知的。但如同我所說
，我們的重點不是這個。我們僅在嘗試集中精力把進攻與防守結合起來。」
While Harden did not take part in the team dinner on Tuesday night, when the
Sixers traveled to nearby Boulder to meet with Colorado football coach Deion
Sanders, he is staying at the team hotel. And as veteran guard Danny Green
detailed, the on-court component has been perceived as positive by his
teammates.
哈登沒有參加週二晚上的球隊晚宴，當時七六人隊前往附近的博爾德與科羅拉多美式足球
隊教練 Deion Sanders 會面，他待在球隊的酒店。正如老將 Danny Green 所詳述的，隊
友們認為哈登在場上的表現是積極的。
“I want to commend guys like Pat (Beverley), PJ (Tucker), and James as well,
” Green told The Athletic. “With as long as these guys have been in the
league, and with their tenure, they’re all professionals. James, at the end
of the day, is a professional. And people may not look at him (this) way, but
he’s a winner. Since he’s come into the league, he’s probably in the top
five or 10 for most wins since he’s been in this league. Maybe not playoffs
and championships, but he wins and he comes to work and works on his body,
and you can see it. … He takes his body serious. He takes his game serious.
And he’s just not one of those guys who’s going to come in and be a
distraction.”
Green 向《運動家》說：
「我想表揚像天空貝、塔克和哈登這樣的球員。這些人在聯盟打拼了這麼久，他們都是職
業球員。說到底，哈登本身也是一名職業球員。人們可能不會這麼看他，但他是個贏者
。自從他進入聯盟以來，他的勝場數可能排在聯盟前五或前十。也許不是季後賽和總冠
軍賽，但他主要是來工作、鍛鍊身體，你可以看到這一點。他對待身體很認真，也認真
看待比賽。他不是那種會讓人分心的人。」
Yet as is the case with everyone inside the Sixers organization, Green is
well aware that there’s a level of unpredictability with Harden that will
likely be there until his wish is granted.
然而，就像七六人隊內部的每個人一樣，Green 也很清楚，哈登身上存在著某種程度的不
可預測性，在他的願望實現之前，這種不可預測性很可能會一直存在。
"Ultimately, playing against him for so many years, and playing with him for
a short amount of time and knowing James, I don’t see him not playing," Green
said. “There is a little unknowing of (what he’ll do next). He’s upset, but
I think he’s trying to separate the two. You can be upset there, but be
family here, and be great with his teammates, with his brothers, and be a part
of something that he knows can make something happen and be special.”
「歸根究底，和他對抗了這麼多年，和他一起打球的時間也不長，再加上對哈登的了解，
我不認為他會不再續展。有一點不知道（他接下來會做什麼）。他很難過，但我認為他
在努力把兩者隔開。你可以在那裡不開心，但這裡是一家人，和他的隊友、兄弟們在一
起很好，成為他知道可以讓某件事情成真、變得特別的一部分。」
短評：
肥皂劇終於落幕了，還是還有好戲在後頭？
--
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