BE 630：什么时候该让事情自然发展？

这里是商务英语播客，第六百三十期。

This is the Business English Podcast, episode six thirty.

什么时候你应该让事情顺其自然发展？

When should you let something play out?

欢迎收听来自All Ears English的商务英语播客。

Welcome to the Business English Podcast from All Ears English.

获取你在全球商务中实现梦想所需的英语技能。

Get the English skills you need to achieve your dreams in global business.

无论是演讲、会议还是办公室聚会，这里是真实商务英语，由你最喜欢的美国主持人奥布里和米歇尔主持，她们分别来自美国亚利桑那州和纽约市。

For a presentation, a meeting, or your office party, this is Real Business English with your favorite American hosts, Aubrey and Michelle, coming to you from Arizona and New York City, USA.

你好，米歇尔。

Hello, Michelle.

你好吗？

How are you?

嘿，奥布里。

Hey, Aubrey.

我挺好的。

I'm doing well.

你呢？

How are you?

非常好。

Excellent.

问你个问题。

Question for you.

你有没有给朋友当过红娘，还是让他们的感情生活顺其自然发展？

Do you ever play matchmaker with your friends or do you let their dating life play out naturally?

我当过红娘，我觉得我跟Lindsay聊过一点这个。

I have played matchmaker and I think I've talked about this with Lindsay a little bit.

我当红娘当得很成功，因为现在他们还是在一起。

I have played matchmaker very since it's still.

嗯，他们结婚了，还有两个孩子，所以真的很好。

Well, they're married and they have two So really well.

太棒了。

Amazing.

对，真的很好。

Yeah, really well.

他们结婚到现在，我想已经超过十年了。

They are married I think over ten years now.

所以，是的，结果很好。

So I, yeah, so it went well.

而且我一直希望能撮合更多人。

And I'm always hoping that I can set up more people.

其实做完那件事之后，我就想，哇，我真是太厉害了。

I actually wanted to be, what, after I did that, I was like, well, I am amazing.

我觉得我这辈子就该干这个，我真的很想，是的。

I should do this for my whole life and this, I I would love Yes.

成为专业的，我真的很想。

To be professional I really wanted to.

这就像我暗藏的一个梦想。

That's like my secret g dream.

真有意思。

That's funny.

有什么有趣的？

What's interesting?

我唯一试过的几次都是在工作中。

The only times I've tried was at work.

所以我在商务英语播客里想到这个，因为我不建议和同事做媒人。

So I'm thinking about this here on the business English podcast because I do not recommend trying to be a matchmaker with coworkers.

如果没成，对所有人来说都会很尴尬。

If it doesn't work out, it's really awkward for everyone involved.

你们还得一起工作，对吧？

You still have to work together, right?

所以在个人生活里，完全可以。

So in your personal life, absolutely.

有时候效果很好。

Sometimes it's great.

同事之间成了也挺好的。

Works out when it's coworkers.

我的意思是，同事之间谈恋爱本来就挺麻烦的，但想在同事之间当红娘，通常不会有好结果。

I mean, it's always tricky for coworkers to date anyway, but to try and be a matchmaker among coworkers is usually not going to go well.

我就这么说吧。

I'll just say that.

但这挺有意思的。

But this is interesting.

动词，短语动词 play out，让某事自然发展。

Verb, phrasal verb play out, to let something play out.

这个最近在我们做的问答里提到了。

It came up recently in the Q and A we do.

我们为课程里达到个人教练级别的学生举办问答活动。

We host a Q and A for students in our courses who are at the personal coach level.

其中一个人听到一位政客说他们在把某件事进行下去。

And one of them had heard a politician say that they were playing something out.

他们想知道那是什么意思。

They wanted to know what that meant.

我们讨论了这个问题，也讨论了说“play it out”和“let it play out”之间的区别。

Discussed it and also the difference between saying like play it out and let it play out.

所以那很有意思。

So that was interesting.

我们今天要讲这个，因为这些都是工作中很好用的短语。

We're going to cover this today because these are great phrases to use at work.

你可能想让一个项目自然发展，让某个计划逐步展开。

You might want to let a project play out, let some kind of plan play out.

如果你说“我就让它自然发展”，意思会有点不同。

And it is a little different if you say, I'm just going to let that play out.

所以今天这一集真的会很有意思。

So this is gonna be a really interesting episode today.

那我们开始吧？

So should we get started?

要不要直接进入正题？

Should we head into it?

来吧。

Let's do it.

记得

Be sure

在播客上点关注。

to hit follow on the podcast.

如果你还没关注的话，我们每周有三集新内容。

If you're not yet, we have three new episodes every week.

你肯定不想错过任何一集。

You don't want to miss any of them.

所以，无论你在哪里听播客，记得关注 Business English by All Ears English。

So wherever you find your podcasts, hit follow Business English by All Ears English.

太好了。

Perfect.

好的。

All right.

还有，如果你还没写评论的话，记得给我们写一条。

So, and also be sure to write us a review if you haven't done yet.

那么，什么……

So what...

所以，“play something out”的意思是让一个决定或情况自然发展。

So to play something out means you let a decision or situation run its course.

也就是说，你继续按当前的计划走，不去干预，只是让结果自然呈现，然后再做调整。

So you continue with the current plan, you don't intervene, but you just let the outcome unfold before changing anything.

这很自然。

So it's very natural.

你就是在做正确的事。

You're just, you're doing Right.

政客说的话

Nothing a politician

就像这位学生听到的那样，听起来故意含糊其辞，对吧？

says it like this student heard, it sounds intentionally vague, Right?

可能意味着他们在等待结果，也许是一项新政策的结果。

It could mean they're waiting to see the results maybe of a new policy.

他们在等着看情况发展，然后再制定具体计划，或者在做决定之前收集更多信息。

They're waiting to see what develops before making a solid plan or they're gathering more information before making a decision.

政客们，还有工作中的人，经常故意使用这种模糊的语言，因为他们不确定会发生什么。

Politicians and often people at work will use vague language like this intentionally they're not sure what's gonna happen.

有时候他们必须保持灵活。

They have to stay flexible sometimes.

没错。

Exactly.

是的，他们用这种说法可能出于各种原因。

So yeah, it could be for a variety of reasons that they use that.

所以……

So...

但在商务场合我们也会这么说。

But we also might say this in business situations.

比如，在改变方向之前先测试一个新的营销活动，或者给新员工一些时间适应岗位，然后再进行评估。

So it could be something like testing a new marketing campaign before changing direction, or maybe even giving a new employee time to settle into a role before assessing them.

还有别的吗，Aubrey？

What else Aubrey?

或者，在扩大规模之前先继续试点项目，或者等季度销售数据出来后再调整策略。

Or continuing a pilot program before expanding it or waiting for quarterly sales data before adjusting strategy.

对。

Yes.

用这个说法的理由有很多。

A lot of reasons to use this.

比如，我们就先试试看，然后再看情况。

Like, let's just play it out and then we'll see what happens.

这里有个小情景对话，用一下这个表达。

Here's a little role play using this.

新应用进展怎么样？

How is the new app doing?

嗯，我们目前只发布了测试版。

Well, we've only released the pilot version so far.

我们想先看看效果，再发布完整版。

We want it to play out before releasing the full thing.

有意思的是它的结构。

And it's interesting, the construction.

有时候我们说 play it out。

Sometimes we say play it out.

直接宾语放在动词短语 play 和 out 之间。

The direct object is between the phrasal verb play and out.

有时候像这样放在主语前面。

Sometimes it's before the subject like this.

我们希望它能发展下去。

We want it to play out.

意思是我们想看看结果会怎样。

Means like we want to see what happens with that.

所以注意直接宾语放在哪里，对吧？

So notice where the direct object goes, right?

然后另一个例子，我们该调整营销策略吗？

And then another one, should we tweak our marketing strategy?

我们先按这个策略再执行一个月，然后再做调整。

Let's play this strategy out for another month before making changes.

所以在这里你可以看到直接宾语放在动词之间。

And so there you can see the direct object is between the verb.

执行这个策略。

Play this strategy out.

所以两种说法都可以，具体取决于你想表达什么以及句子的结构。

So both work depending on what exactly you're trying to say and how you construct the sentence.

是的。

Yes.

好的。

Okay.

那么，把某件事“play out”和让某件事“play out”有什么区别呢？

So what's the difference between playing something out and letting something play out?

是的，这些意思差不多，但“let something play out”听起来更被动一些。

So, yeah, these have similar meanings, but letting something play out sounds even more passive.

所以，如果你“play something out”，说明已经做了决定。

So if you play something out, a decision has been made.

你选择继续走这条路，然后看结果。

You're choosing to continue with this course and see the results.

在得到结果之前，你不会做任何改变。

And you won't be changing anything until after you have those results.

比如，我们要取消新的入职流程吗？

So for example, should we cancel the new onboarding process?

还没有。

Not yet.

我想先看看下一个招聘周期的结果再说。

I'd like to play it out through the next hiring cycle and see what happens.

所以我是有意让事情发生，然后再做决定。

So I'm intentionally choosing to let something happen and then we'll decide later.

而如果说“让事情自然发展”，那就是让事情顺其自然地展开。

Whereas if we say let something play out, this is allowing events to unfold naturally.

也许你做了计划，也许没有。

Maybe you've made a plan or maybe you haven't.

也许你在推迟做任何决定。

Maybe you're holding off on making any decisions.

你肯定不是现在就采取行动。

You're definitely not taking immediate action right now.

所以我们用这个说法来谈论市场的不确定性、客户的反应、团队冲突，或者组织变革。

So we use this when talking about market uncertainty, customer reactions, team conflicts, maybe organizational changes.

很多事情的结果都是未知的。

Lots of things where you don't know the outcome.

你知道的，你也不知道事情会怎么发展。

You know, you don't know how it's gonna work out.

对。

Exactly.

那我们来做个角色扮演吧。

So here's a little role play.

现在各部门对提案意见不一致。

So the departments aren't agreeing on the proposal.

我们要不要介入？

Should we intervene?

先让它再发展几天吧。

Let's play it out for a few more days.

他们可能会自己解决。

They might work it out.

然后如果我们说让它继续发展。

And then if we say let it play out.

哦，那是……

Oh, that was...

哦，我刚才漏掉了“让”。

Oh, I just missed let.

说让我们让它继续发展几天。

Say let's let it play out for a few

继续让它发展。

more Let it play out.

所以说“让我们让它继续发展”有点奇怪。

So that's kind of strange to say let's let it play out.

我可能会说，我觉得我们应该让它继续发展一段时间。有意思的是，我们怎么避免那些相似但意思不同的词，对吧？

I would probably instead say like, I think we should let it play out for It's a few more interesting how we will avoid bumping words that are similar though they mean something different, right?

但你可以说，我觉得我们应该让它继续发展几个月。

But you could say, I think we should let it play out for a few months.

对，那就是我们所说的‘看看再说’。

Yes, Then that's what know and see.

他们可能会自己解决的。

They might work it out.

是的。

Yep.

没错。

Exactly.

所以听众还问，如果老板问她项目进展如何，她说‘先看看再说’会是什么意思？

So the listener also asked if a boss asked her how her project is going, what would it imply if she said she's playing it out?

那你觉得呢，

So what do

奥布里？

you think, Aubrey?

这挺有意思的。

So it's interesting.

这绝对意味着她在观望，看事情会怎么发展，暂时不打算做任何改变。

That definitely means she's waiting to see what happens and is not planning to make any changes yet.

也许她只是在观察情况。

Maybe she's monitoring the situation.

她还没有具体的计划。

She doesn't have a plan yet.

所以，她得看事情怎么发展，之后才会做决定。

So it sort of depends on what develops over time before she'll make any decisions.

所以在这种情况下，这样的回答可能会让人觉得很尴尬。

So it could be an awkward response in this situation.

听起来很含糊。

It sounds very vague.

如果你这样回答，老板根本不会清楚项目的具体情况或进展。

A boss wouldn't know much about the project or how it's going if you respond this way.

所以，你的老板或主管很可能不会把这当成一个真正的回答。

So there's definitely a chance that your boss or supervisor would not take that as an answer.

我会说，不行，我其实需要知道一些具体的计划细节。

I would say, no, I actually need some details about the plan here.

相反，最好说得更具体一些。

Instead, it would be good to be more descriptive.

所以你可以这样说，比如，我们暂时维持现有计划，同时继续收集更多数据。

So you could say something like, oh, we're sticking with the current plan while we gather more data.

或者，我们还没决定下一步怎么走。

Or we haven't decided on our next move yet.

我们在观望市场是否会变化，或者还有什么别的，Aubrey？

We're waiting to see if the market changes or what else Aubrey?

或者，我们让项目继续推进，然后再做评估。

Or we're letting the project develop further before evaluating it.

这真的很有意思，因为这会取决于你的角色。

So this is really interesting how it sort of depends on your role.

领导们经常这么说，我们正在观望，或者我们让它自然发展。

Leaders will often say this, we're playing it out or we're letting it play out.

这其实跟需要知道具体情况有关。

And it's sort of about, the need to know situation.

而主管则会期待更多细节，对吧？

Whereas a supervisor will expect more details, right?

光说“我们让它自然发展”往往不够详细。

To just say we're letting it play out often won't be enough detail.

没错。

Exactly.

那我们要不要做个角色扮演？

So should we do a role play?

好，我们开始吧。

Yeah, let's do it.

我们在这里是同事。

We are coworkers here.

我先来开头。

I'll start us out.

新的培训项目进展怎么样？

How's the new training program going?

哦，挺好的。

Oh, pretty well.

上个月我们做了一些调整，现在先观察一下长期效果。

We made a few adjustments last month and now we're playing it out to see the long term results.

哦，你们还打算做其他调整吗？

Oh, are you planning any additional changes?

不，暂时没有。

No, not right now.

先看看员工的反馈再说吧。

Let's wait and see what the employee feedback looks like.

有道理。

That makes sense.

那销售团队那边的顾虑呢？

What about the concerns from the sales team?

目前，我们先让它继续跑着。

For now, we're gonna let that play out.

他们才用了这个项目两个星期。

They've only been using the program for two weeks.

所以你们是先收集更多信息。

So you're gathering more information first.

没错。

Exactly.

我们看看情况再说，然后再决定要不要做调整。

We'll see what happens and then decide whether any changes are necessary.

我觉得挺好的。

Sounds good to me.

这很棒。

This is great.

你完全可以在一次对话里用两次。

You could definitely use it twice in a conversation.

你一开始说，你知道，我们做了一些调整。

You started with, you know, we've made a few adjustments.

现在我们正在观察，看看长期效果怎么样。

Now we're playing it out to see the long term results.

意思就是我们等着看会发生什么。

Means we're waiting to see what happens.

然后你说，那销售团队的顾虑怎么办？

And now, and then you said, what about the concerns from the sales team?

我说，目前我们先让它继续发展看看。

And I said, for now, we're going to let that play out.

他们才用了两个星期。

They've only been using it for two weeks.

还有，这个是被动语态。

Also Which this is passive.

这意味着我们正在……

This means we're

什么都不做。

not doing anything.

就让它顺其自然吧。

Gonna let it play out.

看看会发生什么。

See what happens.

对。

Yes.

那这就很有意思了。

Then this is interesting.

我想指出这里还有另一个短语。

I wanted to point out there's another phrase here.

你说的“我们看看会发生什么”。

We'll see what happens that you said.

你在这里不会再说“我们让它顺其自然”，因为那就重复太多了。

And you would not want to say, we'll let it play out again here because then it's too much.

不，那样就太过分了。

No, that would be too much.

还有其他方式，这样就不会显得太过火。

Are other ways to That's see not going overboard.

所以这很完美。

So this was perfect.

我们看看会发生什么，然后再决定是否需要做出任何改变。

We'll see what happens and then decide whether any changes are necessary.

是的。

Yes.

所以这个很好。

So very good one.

各位，如果你们还没听过的话，商务英语播客第626集讲的是帮助你顺其自然的习语。

Guys, if you haven't already listened, did episode six twenty six of the Business English Podcast that was idioms that help you go with the flow.

所以也许你正在让事情自然发展，顺其自然。

So maybe you are letting things play out and going with the flow.

可以

Could

有很多习语你可以用。

be There a are lot idioms for that you wanna use.

今天的要点，Aubrey。

Takeaway for today, Aubrey.

所以这些都是被动的说法，对吧？

So these are passive phrases, right?

如果你处于领导角色，不想承诺某个方向，或者只是在观望，那这些就很合适。

If you're in a leadership role and you don't wanna commit to a certain direction or you're just waiting to see what happens, perfect.

如果不是这种情况，比如别人在向你询问进展，那你可能就不该用这些，因为它们非常不明确。

If not, if you're being asked for an update, you probably wouldn't want to use these because they are very non committal.

它们没有提供任何细节。

They're not providing any kind of detail.

所以改用其他选项吧。

So use one of these other options instead.

好的。

Alright.

嗯，今天真的很开心，Aubrey。

Well, this has been a lot of fun, Aubrey.

我想我们今天就先到这里吧。

I think we're gonna head out for today.

所以我们希望大家一定要点关注。

So we do wanna make sure that you guys hit follow.

我们接下来会做

We are going to do

一期后续节目，讲一些短语

a follow-up episode with some the phrases

你可以用来描述你正在积极做项目、做决定，而不是放任不管的情况。

you can use, right, to describe when you're actively working on a project and making decisions when you're not just letting it play out.

所以一定要点关注，别错过第二集。

So be sure to hit follow so you don't miss part two.

太棒了。

Awesome.

好的。

Alright.

谢谢你，Aubrey，记得提醒我们的听众这件事。

Thank you, Aubrey, for remembering remind our listeners about that.

好了，各位。

Alright, guys.

非常感谢，我们下次见。

Thanks so much, and we'll see

下次见。

you next time.

太棒了。

Awesome.

下次见。

See you next time.

再见。

Bye.

感谢收听《商务英语》，这是一档专为你——追求卓越的全球职场人士——打造的播客。

Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.

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