外刊逐句精读｜《金融时报》：亚马逊的官方水军｜CATTI一级译员外刊精读｜MTI
红色：主句主干部分 蓝色：从句主干部分 黄色：从句连词、关系代词 （）：修饰成分，包括定语、状语等 灰色：插入语 下划线：词汇词组 绿色：词根词缀 连词
思考题
1. 有哪些经验教训？
2. 有哪些相关词汇？
The perils of using staff as online influencers
将自家员工作为网络水军的危险之处
Others can learn from Amazon’s failed social media diplomacy
其他人可以从亚马逊失败的社交媒体营销中学到东西
- peril n. 危险
perilous adj. 危险的
- influencer n. （带货）网红
- diplomacy n. 策略、手段
Amazon has finally scrapped a campaign to use paid “fulfilment centre ambassadors” to polish its image on social media and defend it against criticism.
亚马逊终于取消了一项使用付费“履行中心大使”来提升其在社交媒体上的形象并捍卫其免受批评的活动。
亚马逊重于放弃了一项市场营销活动，即付费给FA大使来提升其在社交媒体上的形象，并且在面对批评时捍卫亚马逊。
- scrap vt. 废弃、取消 n. 废品、废料
scrape v. 刮、蹭
- paid adj. 有报酬的
- fulfilment n. 满足
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) 亚马逊的自有物流
fulfilment center 亚马逊物流中心
- defend vt. 捍卫、维护
defend sb. against sth. 针对某事，为某人辩护
The surprise is that it took the technology group so long to realise it could be spending its marketing dollars better elsewhere.
令人惊讶的是，亚马逊花了这么久时间才意识到把市场营销费用花在其他地方会好得多。
that引导表语从句，realise后是省略了连词的宾语从句
- take vt. 需要...时间
take sb. sth. to do sth.
It took her three hours to repair her bike.
她花了三个小时修理自行车。
- marketing n. 营销、促销
段落大意
背景介绍：
亚马逊终于取消了“FA大使”这个营销策略。
Satisfied staff are great advocates.
对自己的公司满意的员工是很好的推广者。
- advocate n. 支持者、拥护者
That is why a version of the question “how likely are you to recommend this company as a place to work?” is a staple of employee engagement surveys.
“你有多大的可能把这家公司推荐为适合工作的地方？”这就是为什么这个问题的一个版本通常是员工参与度调查的一个重要组成部分。
- staple n. 主要部分、重要内容
- engage vt. 参与、加入
engagement 员工参与度
employee engagement survey 员工参与度调查
Referrals of job candidates are so highly valued that many companies will pay staff to recommend new recruits.
内推模式如此受重视以至于许多公司会付钱给员工来推荐新员工。
- referral n. 转诊
employment referral 内推
recruit vt. 招募、吸收新成员
- outsider n.（公司）外部人员
insider n. 圈内人、业内人士
And outsiders are generally more likely to trust a friend or family member who tells them their employer is great, or its products wonderful.
公司外部人员通常更可能信任朋友或家人，这些人告诉他们自己的雇主很好，或者他们公司的产品很棒。
who引导的定语从句修饰a friend or family member
- outsider n.（公司）外部人员
insider n. 圈内人、业内人士
段落大意
员工推荐的重要性：
1.为公司带来新鲜血液；
2.员工的家人和朋友也会更相信员工的体验
Allowing, and even encouraging, staff to carry out some brand diplomacy (on the side) has its merits, then.
那么，允许甚至鼓励员工作为兼职进行一些品牌的推广是有其优点的。
本句是简单句，并列的动名词短语allowing staff to...和encouraging staff to....做主语
- on the side 作为副业、兼职
Most consultants do private work on the side.
大多数顾问都另外干私活。
- merit n. 长处、优点
demerit n. 短处、缺点
Many companies have used employees to front advertising campaigns.
许多公司使用员工来进行广告宣传。
- front vt. 领导、带领（项目）
A former art student fronted the band.
乐队的主音歌手曾是一位艺术院校学生。
Such ads project workers’ enthusiasm (for their jobs), devotion (to clients), or care (for the environment).
这些广告可以展现出员工们对工作的热情、对客户的投入和对环境的关怀。
project vt. 投射、映射、展现
projector n. 投影仪、幻灯机
I hope the team will project a smart professional image.
我希望该队能展现一种时髦、专业的形象。
Hyundai recently hired photographer Annie Leibovitz to picture staff (for a marketing campaign (about its cancer charity).
韩国现代最近雇佣了摄影师安妮·莱博维茨为其员工拍摄照片来进行关于癌症慈善基金会的市场营销活动。
- Hyundai 现代：韩国车企
- Annie Leibovitz 安妮·莱博维茨
- picture vt. 拍摄
段落大意
员工推广的优点：
反映公司员工的积极面貌、公司的态度。
Social media has changed the way in which “employee advocacy” campaigns work, however.
然而，社交媒体改变了“员工推广”活动的运作方式。
advocacy n. 倡导、主张
Online channels reach new, younger customers and potential recruits that more traditional media miss.
线上渠道可以接触到更多传统媒体错过的新的、年轻的客户和潜在的新员工。
- reach vt. 被...看到、听到
Through television and radio we are able to reach a wider audience.
通过电视和收音机，我们能够为更加广泛的观众和听众所熟悉。
But they also contain many pitfalls (for employers). (For companies keen to use their staff as influencers), Amazon’s failed campaign offers useful lessons.
但对于公司来说它们也包含许多陷阱。 对于想要将员工用作网络水军的公司，亚马逊失败的活动提供了有用的教训。
- pitfall n. 陷阱、隐患
即pit （坑）+fall（坠落）
段落大意
社交媒体改变了员工推广的模式：
1.优点：线上推广接触面不同；
2.缺点：亚马逊失败的推广策略能带来经验教训
First, take care with the incentives you use and the messages you encourage staff to post.
首先，请注意你使用的激励措施和你鼓励员工发布的信息。
- take care with sth. 小心、注意某事
= be careful with sth.
- incentive n. 激励、奖励手段
- post vt. 发帖 n. 帖子
When other Twitter users spotted Amazon staff using the label “FC Ambassador” (in 2019), they attacked the company (for creepiness).
在 2019 年，当其他 Twitter 用户发现亚马逊员工使用“FC 大使”的标签时，他们抨击该公司令人毛骨悚然。
- spot vt. 留意到、发现
spot sb. doing sth.发现某人做某事
- creepiness n. 恐怖、毛骨悚然
The initiative, which had first come to light (a year earlier), also spawned multiple parody accounts (ridiculing it).
该项目在一年前首次曝光，也催生了多个嘲笑它的恶搞账户。
- come to light 为人所知
- spawn vt.（有时贬义）引发
- parody n. 戏仿；模仿
- ridicule vt. 嘲讽、讥笑
(Worse for Amazon), (far from defusing criticism (of working conditions) (in the group’s warehouses), the activity (of its part-time diplomats) drew attention to it.
对亚马逊来说更糟糕的是，其兼职推广大使的活动远没有平息对该集团仓库工作条件的批评，反而引起了人们的关注。
- defuse vt. 缓和、平息
段落大意
教训1：
公司要重点关注激励措施和让员工发的内容
Many companies try to ensure staff draw on common talking points (for online posts).
许多公司试图确保员工使用常用话题来线上发帖。
- draw on sth. 利用、动用
- talking point n. 话题、论题
But (being too prescriptive (about what they should say) risks making the entire exercise look insincere.
但是，对他们应该说的内容规范过严可能会使整个活动看起来很虚假。
- prescriptive adj. 规定性的
英文释义为telling people what should be done，即告诉别人应该怎么做
The psychologists insist that they are not being prescriptive.
心理学家坚称他们并非一味灌输。
- exercise n.（为达某种目的）活动
an exercise in public relations 公共关系活动
Trying to influence online media covertly is even worse.
试图暗中影响网络媒体更糟糕。
- covertly adv. 偷偷地
covert adj. 偷偷的
overt adj. 公开的、不加隐瞒的
Companies that allegedly paid staff to post favourable reviews (on Glassdoor), where workers can rate employers anonymously, suffered a stinging backlash.
那些被指认雇佣员工在 Glassdoor 上发表好评的公司遭到激烈抵制， Glassdoor是一个可以让员工匿名给雇主打分的平台。
- alleged adj. 被指称的
- anonymous adj. 匿名的
synonym n, 近义词
an- 没有、无, -onym- 名字, syn- 同样的
- stinging adj. 言辞激烈的
- backlash n. 强烈抵制
段落大意
补充说明教训1 ：
1.管的太严会让内容看起来不真实；
2.想偷偷地影响社交媒体只会适得其反。
Second, if you are going to encourage employees to talk about their work and workplace (on social media), it is best to allow such online chat to emerge naturally and to manage it loosely.
其次，如果你要鼓励员工在社交媒体上谈论他们的工作和工作场所，最好让这种在线聊天自然出现并松散地管理它。
- emerge v. 浮现、出现
- loosely adv. 宽松地
(Unlike Amazon), Walmart, its US retail rival, has enjoyed some success prompting volunteer “micro-influencers” to promote local stores (via Facebook, TikTok and other media).
与亚马逊不同，其美国零售竞争对手沃尔玛取得了一些成功，促使有微影响力的志愿者通过 Facebook、TikTok 和其他媒体推广当地商店。
- prompt vt. 鼓励
- micro- 微小的
microeconomics 微观经济学
macroeconomics 宏观经济学
段落大意
补充说明教训2：
公司管理员工宣传的方式要更宽松。
Third, be prepared for the unexpected.
第三，为意外做好准备。
(Unlike real ambassadors), the corporate sort will not dutifully say what their superiors want the rest of the world to hear.
与真正的大使不同，员工类型的推广者不会尽职尽责地说出他们的上级希望让公司外面的世界听到的话。
- corporate adj. 公司的
- superior n. 上司、上级
Social media provide ample space for staff to amplify alternative views, or muddy a clear commercial message (with inappropriate personal content).
社交媒体为员工提供了充足的空间来放大不同的观点，或者用不恰当的个人内容混淆清晰的商业信息。
- ample adj. 足够的、充足的
- muddy vt. 使...变得浑浊 adj. 浑浊的
muddy the issue 添乱
The habits, tastes, tone, and content (of social media), not to mention the channels themselves, also shift faster (than most marketing departments).
社交媒体的习惯、品味、调性和内容的变化速度比大多数市场营销部门都要快，更不用说这些渠道本身。
- not to mention 更不用说
段落大意
补充说明教训3：
准备好应对突发情况。
Finally, do not bother putting ordinary staff (in the social media front line) if you have not already cultivated a healthy internal culture.
最后，如果你尚未培养出健康的内部文化，不要费心将普通员工置于社交媒体前线。
- the front line n. 前线
- cultivate vt. 培养、养成
Even the worst-run organisation will find some evangelists ready to sing about it.
即使是最糟糕的企业也有一些准备为它唱赞歌的支持者。
- run vt. 经营、管理（公司）
badly-run 管理糟糕的
- evangelist n. 布道者/狂热支持者
But if they are drowned out (by the malcontents), the resulting cacophony will not make for pleasant listening.
但如果他们的声音被不满者淹没，由此产生的嘈杂声将不会带来愉快的聆听。
- drown out sth. 盖住、压住某事
- malcontent n. 不满的人
malnutrition n. 营养不良
- cacophony n. 刺耳的嘈杂声
- make for sth. 使...成为可能
段落大意
教训4：
如果公司内部没有形成健康文化，就不要让员工身处社交媒体的一线去宣传。
文章结构
思考题参考答案
1. 官方水军的经验教训？
1. Take care with the incentives you use and the messages you encourage staff to post.
2. It is best to allow online chat about the workplace to emerge naturally and to manage it loosely.
3. Be prepared for the unexpected.
4. Do not bother putting ordinary staff in the social media front line if you have not already cultivated a healthy internal culture.
2. 积累到哪些相关表达？
社交媒体/市场营销相关：
online influencer, micro-influencer, social media account, employee advocacy, tone, contents, channels
商业相关：
commercial message, marketing department, marketing/advertising campaign, social media diplomacy
职场相关：
employment engagement survey, referral, job candidates, new recruit, rate employer, favourable review, workplace, working conditions, cultivate a healthy culture
