美語情景對話 第547期:Working in the U.K. 在英國工作

Joel: Hey, Tom, I have a student that just got a working holiday visa for the U.K., and she asked me what she will be able to do when she's out there, but I don't even know what a working holiday visa is, and I haven't been to the U.K., so I don't know what to tell her.

喬爾：嗨，湯姆，我有個學生剛拿到了英國的假期工作簽證，她問我她在那裏能做什麼，可是我連假期工作簽證都不清楚，而且我也沒去過英國，所以我不知道該怎麼回答她。

Tom: Yeah, the working holiday visa is a pretty new thing. I think it lasts six months, and you can work for three months. It's pretty popular among students. Is her English OK?

湯姆：假期工作簽證是簽證新政。這種簽證的有效期是六個月，你可以工作三個月。這種簽證非常受學生們的歡迎。她英語好嗎？

Joel: Yeah, her English is pretty good.

喬爾：她的英語非常好。

Tom: Then she shouldn't have a problem getting work in, well, I used to work in a bar when I was at university and that's pretty good work. It's in the evening and the pay is usually pretty basic.

湯姆：那她找工作應該不會有問題，我上大學時在酒吧工作過，那份工作非常不錯。工作時間是晚上，拿基本工資。

Joel: But you make tips, though, right.

喬爾：可是你可以收小費。

Tom: English people don't tip.

湯姆：英國人一般不給小費。

Joel: Oh, really.

喬爾：哦，是嗎？

Tom: You just have to put the hours in. You might get bought a couple of drinks, but you'll drink them up after the shift.

湯姆：要做滿時間。你也可以點酒喝，不過在換班後才能喝酒。

Joel: It'd definitley make you English better too. You're talking to people all the time.

喬爾：這份工作一定能提高英語水平，因爲你要一直和人們交流。

Tom: The best way to improve. You're expected to talk to the customers all night. But if you didn't like the bar, it's a bit noisy and it can be quite smokey, she could work in a restaurant, out front, taking people's orders. That's another way to use her English and to get to meet some different people and that will tip.

湯姆：這是提高英語水平的最好方法。你整晚都要和顧客交流。不過如果她不喜歡酒吧，覺得酒吧又吵又有很多人吸菸，那她可以去餐廳工作，做服務員爲人們點餐。這份工作也可以應用英語，而且可以見到不同的人，還有小費拿。

Joel: OK, you tip at restaurants, but not at bars.

喬爾：哦，英國人在餐廳給小費，可是在酒吧不給。

Tom: That's right. Yeah.

湯姆：沒錯，是這樣的。

Joel: I see.

喬爾：我知道了。

Tom: And if she was struggling a bit she could work in the back of a restaurant.

湯姆：如果她覺得有困難，那可以去餐廳後廚工作。

Joel: Washing dishes or something like that. Yeah.

喬爾：可以做洗盤子之類的工作。

Tom: That's not much fun.

湯姆：那可不太有趣。

Joel: Yeah, I used to wash dishes, that was my first job ever and I remember my legs being so sore from standing up all day. It was a terrible job.

喬爾：對，我以前洗過盤子，那是我的第一份工作，我記得站了一整天以後，我的腿非常酸。那是一份糟糕的工作。

Tom: I wouldn't recommend that one.

湯姆：我不會推薦那種工作。

Joel: Yeah. So the working holiday though, you said it's three months but the visa is for 6 months, so you work for the second 3 months and then maybe you'd study for the first 3 months?

喬爾：嗯，你剛說可以工作三個月，可是簽證的有效期是六個月，所以是說前三個月學習，後三個月工作嗎？

Tom: No, it's not for studying. It's a holiday. You travel. You go from place to place and you pick up jobs on the way.

湯姆：不是，你並不是去學習的，是去度假的。你是去旅行的。你可以去不同的地方旅行，在旅行途中找工作。

Joel: OK, so, but still you, the second half is when you would work?

喬爾：哦，所以後三個月是工作時間？

Tom: You can mix it up. You can work for a maximum of three months, but no more.

湯姆：可以穿插進行。你最多可以工作三個月的時間，不能超過三個月。

Joel: Oh, that's interesting.

喬爾：哦，這很有意思。

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. drink up
喝乾；喝完；
例句：Drink up your sherry and we'll go.
喝完你的雪利酒我們就走。
2. stand up
站；立；站立；
例句：We waited, standing up, for an hour.
我們站着等了1 小時。
3. mix up
混合；
例句：I like to mix up designer clothes.
我喜歡把各種名牌服裝混搭在一起。
4. pick up
得到；
例句：He used to do such work as he could pick up.
他慣常能夠找到什麼活就幹什麼活。