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Spain will experiment with four-day workweek, a first for Europe 西班牙将成为首个试行每周4天工作制的欧洲国家 Antonia Noori Farzan 安东尼娅·努里·法仁 March 15, 2021 at 11:40 p.m. GMT+8 2021年3月15日晚上11：40（GMT+8）
For years, advocates for a four-day workweek have argued that a compressed schedule could lead to more productivity and a better work-life balance—a perspective that has gained credence in some countries amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has wrought drastic changes to the way people work. 多年来，每周4天工作制的倡导者表示，压缩工作时间或许可以提高生产率，同时改善工作与生活的平衡。新冠疫情当下，这种观点在一些国家赢得了大众的认可,与此同时疫情给人们的工作方式也带来了极大的变化。 Spain is about to find out firsthand whether it works. The country is poised to become one of the first to experiment with a 32-hour workweek, which would allow workers to spend less time at the office without any change in pay. 西班牙将亲自确认这种观点是否奏效。为减少工人的工作时间，同时保持薪酬不变，该国已决心成为首批试行每周32小时工作制的国家。 Exactly what the pilot program will look like is unclear: An individual with the industry ministry told the Guardian that nearly every detail was still up for negotiation, including how many companies will be involved and how long the experiment will last. 确切讲，这一试点项目如何开展尚不清楚。西班牙工业部一位人士向《英国卫报》透露，差不多每项细节内容都要进行协商，包括参与公司的数量、试行时间长短等内容。
Will the coronavirus pandemic open the door to a four-day workweek? 新冠疫情会向每周4天工作制大开方便之门吗？ The test run was proposed by Más País, a left-wing party that has argued that longer hours don’t necessarily lead to higher productivity, and it is now in talks with the government to figure out the exact details of the arrangement. According to Spanish media outlets, the pilot program is intended to reduce employers’ risk by having the government make up the difference in salary when workers switch to a four-day schedule. 西班牙“更加国家”（Más País）左派政党提出了这项试行计划，并表示，延长工作时间不一定会提高生产率，为了确切搞清楚各项安排的细节工作，现在就要和政府去谈。据西班牙媒体机构报道，工人转为4天工作制后，会让政府来填补工资差额费用，以降低公司在试点计划中的风险。 “Spain will be the first country to undertake a trial of this magnitude ,” Héctor Tejero, of Más País, told the Guardian. “A pilot project like this hasn’t been undertaken anywhere in the world.” “更加国家”党派人士艾克多·特赫罗（Héctor Tejero）向《英国卫报》表示：“西班牙将成为首个实施这项重要试验的国家，类似试点项目从未在其他国家实施过。” The experiment is expected to cost about 50 million euros ($59.5 million) and last three years. According to the Guardian, it could begin as early as this fall. 这项试验为期3年，预计耗资约5000万欧元（约合5950万美元）。《英国卫报》称，试验可能会在今秋开始。
Although the push for a four-day workweek was already gaining support before the pandemic, the radical upending of office life has made the idea seem more viable to politicians around the world. So has the fact that furlough programs mean many employees are already being paid to work fewer hours a week — or not at all. 每周4天工作制的推动工作在疫情前就已备受人们支持。如今疫情彻底颠覆了职场生活，对全球政客来讲，每周4天工作制理念似乎更加可行了。此外，公司在疫情期间还实施了停职计划，这就意味着许多工人虽然可以上班赚钱，但每周的工时可谓少之甚少，或者整周都没班可上。这一事实也让上述理念变得更加可行。 In May, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested employers should consider the switch to a four-day week “if that’s something that would work for your workplace .” 去年5月，新西兰总理杰辛达·阿德恩称，“如果每周4天工作制对公司的工作场所来说比较可行”，公司应考虑改为每周4天工作制。
The crisis has also led to an increased push to address burnout and allow more flexibility for employees at a time when job duties frequently spill over i nto home life. Until last year, workers in many European nations benefited from a “right to disconnect” that barred emails and phone calls after the end of the workday. But the switch to remote work has tested those limits, and some politicians feel there needs to be a sharper line drawn between work life and home life. 疫情危机下，人们加大努力应对工作过度劳累问题，并在工作频频影响家庭生活情况下提高工人的工作灵活性。截至去年，许多欧洲国家工人都享有“工作中断权”，即下班后不再接收电子邮件和电话。可是，工人改为远程办公后，却又对这些限制形成了一种考验。一些政客认为，要把职场生活和家庭生活的界线划分得更清楚些。 Proponents of a four-day workweek argue that allowing more people to work fewer hours could go a long way in addressing the high unemployment rates that have plagued so many countries throughout the pandemic. But many business leaders have been less than enthusiastic about cutting hours without cutting pay, which is where Spain’s proposal to cover some of the costs comes in. 每周4天工作制的支持者表示，让更多工人的工作时间变得少之甚少，这可能有助于解决疫情期间困扰许多国家的高失业率问题。不过，许多公司领导却对减时不减薪的做法不太感冒。基于此，西班牙提议让政府承担一些费用。
重点词汇及短语 1.compress （被）压缩；压紧 2.credence 可信性；真实性；信任；信念 give credence to 相信…; gain credence 得到认可 3.wrought（仅用于过去时）= caused sth to happen, especially a change 使发生了，造成了（尤指变化）（wrought是work过去式的旧式） 4.drastic = extreme in a way that has a sudden, serious or violent effect on sth 极端的；急剧的；严厉的；猛烈的 5.firsthand（adj+adv）直接的（地）；第一手的（地）；亲自 6.be up for… 打算；为…做好准备 7.test run = trial run = a test of how well sth new works, so that you can see if any changes are necessary（对新事物的）初步试验，试行；操作测试 8.make up the difference in … 弥补/填补…的差额/差距 9.upend = to turn sb/sth upside down 翻倒；倒放；使颠倒 10.viable = feasible = that can be done; that will be successful 可实施的；切实可行的 11.furlough --- If workers are given furlough, they are told to stay away from work for a certain period because there is not enough for them to do. (因无足够工作可做而) 停职 (某段时间) 12.burnout = the state of being extremely tired or ill, either physically or mentally, because you have worked too hard 精疲力竭；过度劳累 13.spill over into 渗透到；深入到 14.proponent = advocate = a person who supports an idea or course of action 倡导者；支持者；拥护者 15.plague = to cause pain or trouble to sb/sth over a period of time 给…造成长时间的痛苦（或麻烦）；困扰；折磨；使受煎熬 16.poised = completely ready for sth or to do sth 有充分准备；准备好；蓄势待发 ————————————————————— 编辑：Dennis 翻译：Dennis 校对：Dennis 声 明 本文英文文本摘选自《The Washington Post》，译文为本人原创，仅供学习交流使用。 |
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