“I don’t see any evidence of disparate treatment between men and women,” said Tom.
“我看不到多少跡象表明男女之間存在著迥然不同的待遇。”湯姆說。
“Wait until they dispense the paychecks,” said Mary. “You’ll see that there is a big disparity in pay between us, even though we have the same job. I try not to feel dispirited but I can’t help it.”
“等到發(fā)工資的時(shí)候就會(huì)看到了。”瑪麗說。“即使做同一種工作,你也會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)男女之間工資的巨大差異。我盡力使自己不感到沮喪,但我辦不到。”
“I agree with you, Mary,” said Jane. “Men receive higher pay than we do and it is not because they do a disproportionate amount of the work. This dispute has gone on for years. However, anytime a woman displays a strong desire to challenge the company’s discretion, they dispossess her of rumors prevents her from obtaining a job elsewhere. It is nearly impossible to disprove a rumor.”
“我同意瑪麗的看法,”簡(jiǎn)附和著,“男人薪水比我們高,并不是因?yàn)樗麄兂壤墓ぷ髁俊_@種爭(zhēng)議已持續(xù)很多年了。然而,每當(dāng)我們婦女中有人表現(xiàn)出強(qiáng)烈的冤枉反對(duì)公司的獨(dú)斷決定時(shí),他們就會(huì)撤銷她的職務(wù),而且在整個(gè)城鎮(zhèn)散布關(guān)于她的惡毒謠言。謠言的傳播使她在其他地方無法找到工作。要辟謠幾乎是不可能的。”
“Has anyone tried approaching the company with a dispassionate attitude?” asked Tom. “If it was my choice, I would dispatch you, Jane. You have a very credible disposition. You’re a scholar and a supervisor. The company would have a difficult time trying to displace you, even if you failed.”
“沒人試著以客觀冷靜的態(tài)度與公司交涉嗎?”湯姆問。“如果讓我選,我就派你去,簡(jiǎn)。你的脾氣讓人信賴。你是學(xué)者,又是督導(dǎo)。即使你失敗了,公司要想解雇你,也很難辦。”
“I’m afraid I will have to disqualify myself from this honorable task,” relied Jane. “I’ve already worked hard enough in my job to dispel the myths about women being the weaker sex. I’ve even written a short disquisition on the issue. Believe me, they’re not ready to listen. Right now, the only thing the company cares about is efficient waste disposal and higher profits.’
“我恐怕將難以勝任這項(xiàng)光榮的使命。”簡(jiǎn)回答,“為了肅清女人是弱者之類的鬼話,我在工作中已經(jīng)付出了足夠的努力。我甚至就這個(gè)問題寫過短篇專題論文。相信我的話,他們是不會(huì)聽的?,F(xiàn)在,公司唯一關(guān)心的事情就是有效地進(jìn)行廢物處理和提高利潤(rùn)。”
“What about you, Mary?” asked Tom. “Are you disposed to approach the company about this issue?”
“瑪麗你怎么樣?”湯姆問,“你愿意就這個(gè)爭(zhēng)議的問題物跟公司交涉嗎?”
“Are you kidding?” Mary replied. “Haven’t you been listening to Jane? It would be like suicide!”
“你在開玩笑嗎?”瑪麗回答,“難道你沒聽見簡(jiǎn)說嗎?那等于自殺。”
Words:
disparate adj. 迥然不同的
disparity n. 不同,差異
dispassionate adj. 不動(dòng)感情的,冷靜客觀的
dispatch vt./n. (緊急)派遣,分配
dispel vt. 驅(qū)散,驅(qū)逐
dispense vt. 分配,分發(fā)
dispersal n. 疏散,散開
disperse vt. 分散,散開
dispirit vt. 使沮喪,使氣餒
displace vt. 取代,移植
display vt. 陳列,顯示;n.陳列,展覽;顯示
disposal n. 垃圾傾倒;處置
disposed adj. 有…的傾向
disposition n. 性情
dispossess vt. (對(duì)土地,房屋等的)霸占,失去
disproportionate adj. 不成比例的
disprove v. 反駁,證明…有誤
dispute n. 爭(zhēng)論,糾紛;vt. 爭(zhēng)論,爭(zhēng)執(zhí)
disqualify vt. 取消資格,使不合格
disquisition n. 長(zhǎng)篇演講,專題論文