职场双语：赚外快的四条“康庄大道”

Toyger

http://www.sina.com.cn   2010年05月21日 17:30   沪江英语

　　ennifer Winslow wanted to earn some extra cash without giving up the flexibility of working part time。

　　珍妮弗•温斯洛(Jennifer Winslow)希望能在不牺牲做兼职工作所拥有的自由度的前提下赚点额外收入。

　　An avid cook, she and a friend initially planned to cater meals for busy families. When that turned out to be too time consuming, she tried baking. More than five years later, she has a thriving bakery business in Winslow, Maine (her husband's family has been in town a long time)。

　　温斯洛是个热衷烹饪的厨师。她和她的一个朋友起初打算为那些无瑕顾及家务事的家庭提供餐饮服务。不过当她发觉这占用了她太多的时间以后，她尝试起了烘焙生意。五年多过去了，如今的她在缅因州的温斯洛(Winslow)拥有了一家蒸蒸日上的烘焙店(她丈夫的家族居住在这个城市已经有很长的时间了)。

　　Now on her own, she supplies four restaurants with cakes and other sweets and makes desserts for individuals and weddings。

　　靠着自己的力量，她现在为四家餐厅供应蛋糕和其他甜点，还为个人和婚礼制作甜品。

　　A growing number of Americans would like to follow Mrs. Winslow's example. Job loss, tighter credit and a renewed appreciation for savings is persuading more people to cut expenses。

　　越来越多的美国人希望能够步温斯洛的后尘。失业、信贷紧缩以及人们对储蓄重新形成的兴趣正在让越来越多的人削减支出。

Toyger

　But you can cut only so far. Two full years of recession have not left many unexamined family expenses. Meanwhile, prices -- from gasoline to utilities to food -- haven't fallen. And incomes, if you still have one, aren't exactly shooting through the roof. It's time to make some money。

　　不过你可以削减的部分也就只有这么多了。整整两年的经济衰退让许多家庭的开支已经无处可减。与此同时，从汽油、水电费到食品的价格却并未下降。而收入──如果你还有一份收入的话──却没有得到大幅度的提升。现在已经到了赚点儿外快的时候了。

　　Fortunately, there also are many ways to earn extra cash even when full-time jobs and extra shifts aren't an option. They include taking in boarders, starting a small business and getting paid for your opinion. Some of this work provides only a free meal and $10 fee but others, such as tutoring or selling Grandma's diamond broach, could be quite lucrative。

　　幸运的是，即便是不能全职工作和加班，想要多赚些钱还是有很多方法的：比如说，为寄宿学校的学生提供住宿、经营小本生意以及用你的观点来赚钱。有些这样的工作只能获得一顿免费午餐和10美元的收入，但还有些却可能赚取不菲的收入，比如说做家教或者出售奶奶戴过的钻石胸针。

　　The key, according to Gail Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, is to 'find your skill or what you think would be fun to do.' She says, for example, someone with computer skills may want to teach a class, install computers or create Web sites。

　　全国信贷咨询基金会 (National Foundation for Credit Counseling)的发言人盖尔•坎宁安(Gail Cunningham)表示，关键在于"发现自己的专长或者找到自己兴趣点所在。"她表示，比如说，有电脑技能的人或许希望能够授课、安装电脑或者创建网站。

　　Think about what are people willing to pay for, says Ms. Cunningham. 'Who do you know and how can you leverage existing relationships. For example, does your dentist need someone to clean the office or does your accountant need someone to cater the Christmas party?

　　"想想人们愿意出钱做的事情，"坎宁安说。"你认识谁，你如何利用现有的关系。"比如说，你的牙医是否需要有人来打扫办公室，或者，你的会计师是否需要找人来为圣诞节晚会准备食物？

Toyger

1. Sell It: One of the fastest and easiest ways to get extra cash is to sell unwanted and unused stuff. And it's never been easier to make hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You could post a few signs in the neighborhood and sell everything at a Saturday garage sale or you could try the online route with services such as eBay or Craigslist。

　　1、出售：最迅速、简单的赚外快方式之一就是卖出那些不需要或没有用过的东西。现在赚上成百上千美元比以往任何时候都要容易。你可以在住所周围的地方贴传单，在周六的车库大甩卖中卖任何东西，或者，你可以通过像eBay或Craigslist这样的网站尝试在网上做买卖。

　　Linda Lightman first tried eBay more than 10 years ago because she wanted to help her sons get more for their old videogames. It was so easy that the former lawyer started selling her old suits. Then, friends asked her to sell theirs。

　　琳达•莱特曼(Linda Lightman)十年多前第一次接触到了eBay，当时她希望帮助自己的儿子们为他们的旧游戏机卖出更高的价钱。这件事做起来是如此的简单，因此曾当过律师的莱特曼开始出售她的旧套装。后来，朋友们开始让她帮忙销售他们的东西。

　　Today, shoplindasstuff.com has 50 employees and expects to reach $7 million in sales this year on eBay. 'The economy has been the perfect storm for my business,' Ms. Lightman says. 'More people need cash, and more people are looking for bargains.'

　　如今，莱特曼的shoplindasstuff.com已经拥有了50名雇员。该网站今年在eBay上的销售额有望达到700万美元。"经济形势对我的生意来说像是个完美风暴，"莱特曼表示。"越来越多的人需要钱，越来越多的人在寻找便宜货。"

Toyger

　Auction houses also are a popular place to sell potentially valuable items. Alexander Eblen, head of the jewelry and fine timepieces department at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago, says people often don't realize the value of an old watch or grandmother's Art Deco jewelry. For example, a Tiffany broach recently sold for about $68,000.

　　拍卖会也是个出售贵重物品的好地方。美国拍卖商芝加哥Leslie Hindman Auctioneers珠宝和工艺钟表部门的负责人亚历山大•艾伯林(Alexander Eblen)表示，人们通常都没有意识到一块旧手表或祖母戴的装饰艺术风格的珠宝价值几何。举例来说，一枚蒂芙尼(Tiffany)胸针最近卖出了约 6.8万美元的高价。

　　Don't overlook some of the more mundane items, such as books and sports equipment. Many bookstores provide cash or store credits for 'gently' used books. Similarly, stores like Play It Again Sports provide cash and store credits for gently used sports equipment. Check with local stores but they often need golf clubs, ice skates, lacrosse equipment and other gear。

　　也别忽视那些看起来更家常的物品，比如书籍和运动器材。许多书店为那些八成新的书籍提供现金或者购物积分奖励。同样，像Play It Again Sports这样的商店也为那些八成新的运动器材提供现金和购物积分奖励。联系一下本地商店，不过它们通常都需要高尔夫球具、溜冰鞋、曲棍球器材和其他的一些装备。

　　2. Rent It: Your home, probably your biggest asset, is a potential source of extra cash. A growing number of people are renting out a room or grabbing a roommate for extra income. It's less difficult for residents in 'destination' locations near colleges, resorts or cities to rent a room or even the house for a few weeks, months or long term。

　　2、出租：你的家──这或许是你最大的一笔资产，也是获得额外现金的可能来源。越来越多的人正在将一个房间出租或者找来室友同住以获得额外收入。对于那些住在毗邻大学、度假胜地或者大城市这些"目标"场所的居民来说这不是件太困难的事情，他们可以将一个房间或者整栋房屋出租几周、几个月或者更长的时间。

　　Some homeowners prefer using a real-estate agent, others like finding renters themselves, online or through friends. Either way, it's crucial to vet the potential tenant and spell out expectations. Rents vary from a few hundred dollars to thousands in large cities。

　　有些家庭更喜欢聘用地产中介，而有些人喜欢通过互联网或者朋友自己找租客。不论是哪一种方式，调查租客的身份和讲清楚对租客的期望都非常关键。租金则从几百美元到大城市的上千美元不等。

Toyger

　Another option that's a longtime favorite of students and young adults is earning extra cash for house and pet sitting。

　　还有一个选择，这也是一直以来深受学生和年轻人喜爱的赚外快的途径：那就是照管房屋和看管宠物。

　　3. Say It: Many businesses are willing to reward individuals for taking opinion polls, testing products or being a secret shopper. The compensation varies, and it's crucial to avoid scams. Work only with reputable companies and avoid anything that requires a membership fee. One place to start is OpinionPlace.com, which lets poll participants choose Amazon.com gift cards, PayPal credits or American Airlines AAdvantage miles. There also are stores such as CVS, whose Advisor program provides consumers who complete surveys with ExtraBucks coupons。

　　3、表达：许多公司都愿意为参与民意调查、测试产品或者秘密购物的个人给予奖励。它们的报酬各不相同，不过小心欺诈很重要。只和那些有信用的公司合作，避免参加需要交纳会员费的活动。你可以从OpinionPlace.com网站开始，该网站允许参与调查的参与者选择亚马逊(Amazon.com)礼品卡、PayPal积分或者是美国航空公司(American Airlines) AAdvantage里程奖励。还有像CVS这样的商店，它的Advisor项目为那些完成调查的消费者提供ExtraBucks优惠券。

　　People won't make much but they might have fun working in a focus group or evaluating products or services as a mystery shopper. Once again, watch out for scams. Don't pay any fees or respond to unsolicited emails. A good place to start is Volition.com or Mysteryshop.org, the Web site for the Mystery Shopping Providers Association。

　　人们不会因此赚到很多的钱，不过他们或许会从小组讨论或者作为一名神秘顾客去评价产品和服务中得到乐趣。再次重申，要小心欺诈陷阱。不要交纳任何费用，也不要回复任何主动发来的电子邮件。你可以从 Volition.com和神秘顾客检测协会(Mystery Shopping Providers Association)的网站Mysteryshop.org开始尝试。

Toyger

4. Do It: One of the best ways to earn extra cash is by creating a business using existing skills and interests. An artist may teach a class, a photographer may do weddings and a sports enthusiast may referee or caddy。

　　4、行动：赚外快的最好方式之一就是利用现有的技能和兴趣爱好来创办自己的生意。艺术工作者可以授课，摄影师可以拍摄婚礼照片，热衷运动的人或许可以做裁判或是球童。

　　'What are you volunteering for that you could get paid for?' asks Ms. Cunningham. She says it could be as simple as getting paid for office work or watching your child's classmate after school。

　　"哪些你在义务承担的工作其实是可以赚钱的活计？"坎宁安这样问。她说，赚外快可能非常简单，比如额外的办公室工作或者是在下课后帮着照看自己孩子的同学。

　　One of the most popular and lucrative part-time jobs is to tutor, either for a college-prep class or a specific subject. Typical pay ranges from $30 to more than $100 an hour, depending on where you live。

　　最受欢迎、也最有利可图的兼职工作之一就是为大学预科班或某一科目做家教。根据居住地的不同，收入一般从每小时30美元到每小时100美元以上不等。

　　Mrs. Winslow always loved to cook. 'People would always ask me if I could bring the dessert if I was going somewhere for dinner,' she says。

　　温斯洛一直以来都热爱烹饪。"如果我要是去哪里吃晚餐，人们总是会问我是不是要带甜品来，"她说。

　　A master at multitasking, she works about 20 hours a week for Jennifer's Edibles. Her advice: 'Start small and do things that are manageable. Don't get so overwhelmed that you want to quit.'

　　擅长同时处理多种事务的她每周在Jennifer's Edibles工作大约20个小时。她的建议是，"从小事情做起，而且要做那些自己可以做到的事情。不要让自己过于忙碌以至于萌生退意。"