完整台词（中英对照）
Pippa: Do you ever use small talk at work?
工作中你会用闲聊吗？
Beth: I might talk about the weather.
我可能会聊天气。
Beth: That's always a good topic.
那永远是个好话题。
Neil: And I would use small talk when I'm introduced to new people.
我在被介绍认识新朋友的时候会闲聊。
Neil: Or just someone I know a bit.
或者只是跟有点认识的人。
Beth: If someone is, if you're up to something after work, if you've got any plans for the weekend or if you had a good weekend if it was Monday.
如果下班后你有安排——周末有没有什么计划？或者今天要是周一，就问「周末过得好吗？」
Phil: In today's episode of Office English, we're talking about small talk, when to use it, and what to talk about.
今天的《职场英语》，我们聊闲聊（small talk）：什么时候用、聊什么。
Pippa: Welcome to a new series of Office English, your podcast guide to the world of work.
欢迎来到《职场英语》新一季，你的职场世界播客指南。
Phil: a transcript for this episode on our website,
本期文稿可在我们的网站找到：bbclearningenglish.com。
Pippa: We heard from Neil and Beth at the start of the programme about using small talk at work.
节目开头我们听了 Neil 和 Beth 聊工作中使用闲聊。
Pippa: So, what is small talk, Phil?
菲尔，什么是闲聊？
Phil: Um, it's those conversations that you have that are about things, I guess you don't think they're that important, but it's like being friendly.
嗯，就是那些你进行的、关于一些「你觉得没那么重要的事」的对话——但它像是一种友好姿态。
Phil: You, when you see someone, maybe you know them, maybe you don't, but you have a chat at the start of the workday or when you meet someone.
你见到一个人，也许认识，也许不认识，在工作日开始时或初见时聊上几句。
Phil: Or maybe you're waiting for a bus or something and you just make small talk.
又或者你在等公交什么的，就随便闲聊两句。
Pippa: Yes, and we use quite a lot of small talk at work in the UK, because we usually want to be polite with people that we're working with and you're interacting with lots of different people throughout the day usually.
对，在英国职场我们用很多闲聊，因为我们想对共事的人保持礼貌，而且一天当中你通常会跟很多不同的人打交道。
Pippa: And so that's when small talk can be helpful so that it doesn't feel awkward when you meet someone.
这正是闲聊派上用场的时候——让你见到某人时不觉得尴尬。
Phil: In this episode, we'll talk about some common small talk topics as well as some topics to avoid at work.
这一集我们会聊常见的闲聊话题，以及职场里该回避的话题。
Phil: And we'll also talk about when to use small talk at work.
还会聊什么时候该用闲聊。
Pippa: So Phil, let's start with some small talk topics.
那么菲尔，我们从闲聊话题说起。
Pippa: What are good things to talk about and how would you introduce them naturally into a conversation?
聊什么好？又怎么把它们自然地引入对话？
Phil: OK, well, this is the stereotype about people in Britain, is that they always talk about the weather and it's a stereotype, but I think it might be true.
好，这就是关于英国人的刻板印象：他们永远在聊天气。它确实是刻板印象，但我觉得可能是真的。
Pippa: I think it is true.
我觉得是真的。
Pippa: We have a lot of different weather here, and we're kind of obsessed with it, I think.
我们这里的天气变化很多，我们有点为之着迷。
Pippa: So, a way that you could talk about this is, say that the weather is good, it's sunny outside.
聊法之一：天气好的时候——外面阳光明媚。
Pippa: You could ask a colleague, 'are you enjoying the good weather?' And maybe the weather's bad.
你可以问同事：are you enjoying the good weather?（好天气享受着呢？）天气也可能很坏。
Pippa: So, a good way to talk about bad weather is to say, 'how are you coping with the heat?' Or the rain or the cold.
聊坏天气的好说法是：how are you coping with the heat?（这高温你还扛得住吗？）或者雨、或者冷。
Pippa: Um, so how are you coping, um, implies that it's kind of bad and stressful.
嗯，how are you coping（你还扛得住吗）暗示着情况有点糟、有点熬人。
Phil: We often put little rhetorical questions in there as well.
我们还常在里面加小小的反问。
Phil: So, sort of like 'cold, isn't it?' Or 'hot, isn't it?'
比如：cold, isn't it?（挺冷的哈？）或者 hot, isn't it?（挺热的哈？）
Pippa: And another way that you can talk about the weather if you're talking to someone on the phone or maybe a video call and they're in a different part of the country to you, or maybe even a different country, you can say, 'oh is it raining where you are?
还有一种聊天气的方式：如果你在电话或视频里，对方跟你在同一个国家的不同地区、甚至不同国家，你可以说：oh is it raining where you are?（你那边下雨了吗？）
Pippa: It's been horrible here today'.
It's been horrible here today.（我们这边今天糟透了。）
Phil: That sounds like one of our video calls.
听起来就像我们的视频会议。
Pippa: Another topic that often comes up in small talk, or an easy one to talk about, is to talk about weekend plans or trips.
闲聊里另一个常出现、也很好聊的话题，是周末计划或出行。
Pippa: So, if it's going to be the weekend soon, you can ask someone, 'are you up to anything nice at the weekend?' Or if it's just been the weekend, you could ask, 'what did you get up to at the weekend?' Um, another way to combine weather and weekend is to say, 'did you manage to enjoy the sunshine over the weekend?' if it was nice.
如果快到周末了，可以问：are you up to anything nice at the weekend?（周末有什么好安排吗？）如果周末刚过，可以问：what did you get up to at the weekend?（周末干嘛去了？）还可以把天气和周末合起来说：did you manage to enjoy the sunshine over the weekend?（周末享受到阳光了吗？）——如果天气不错的话。
Phil: That's a perfect piece of small talk there.
这就是一小段完美的闲聊。
Phil: And there might be other things that you talk about.
还可能聊别的。
Phil: People often find, um, if they're interested in sports, they often talk about that with someone.
大家会发现，如果对体育感兴趣，常会跟人聊这个。
Phil: Um, your commute to work, if you work in the same place, that's often a topic of conversation, and particularly if something's gone wrong, which does often happen.
你的通勤——如果你们在同一地方上班——也常是话题，尤其当通勤出了岔子的时候，而那经常发生。
Pippa: And other things you can talk about are anything that you know about the person.
其他可以聊的，是你已知的关于对方的事。
Pippa: So, if you know that they're interested in a particular sport or a particular activity, you could ask sort of a general question about that.
比如你知道他对某项运动、某个活动感兴趣，就可以问一个相关的一般性问题。
Pippa: As you get to know people better, you often kind of have more normal conversations with them, and you don't have to have small talk.
随着跟人熟起来，你们的对话会更「正常」，就不必闲聊了。
Pippa: But even people you know, well, small talk is a thing.
但就算是熟人，闲聊也是存在的。
Pippa: So, Phil, you and I work together every day, but we talk about the weather quite a lot anyway because it's just a normal, friendly way to talk when you don't want to get into a big, deep conversation with someone at work.
所以菲尔，你我每天共事，但我们还是常常聊天气——因为当你不想在职场展开一场深入长谈时，这就是一种正常、友好的聊天方式。
Phil: Quite grey today, isn't it?
今天挺阴的，哈？
Pippa: It's horrible.
糟透了。
Phil: OK, that's some great small talk topics, but when should we be using them?
好，闲聊话题讲了一些，但什么时候用？
Phil: We don't want to talk about the weather all day, do we?
我们总不能聊一整天天气，对吧？
Pippa: Uh, so there's a few points in the day where it would be normal to use small talk.
一天当中有几个时点，用闲聊很自然。
Pippa: So, one example is the start of a meeting.
一个例子是会议开始前。
Pippa: So, particularly on a video call, when you join a video call and you're waiting for everyone to join, there's maybe you and one or two other people.
尤其在视频会议里——你进了会议室，等人到齐，屋里可能就你跟另外一两个人。
Pippa: That's a good time to use small talk, because if you sit in silence, it's just a bit odd.
这时正适合闲聊，因为如果大家都沉默地坐着，就有点怪。
Pippa: It's a bit strange.
有点奇怪。
Pippa: You would also do this probably in person if you're waiting for someone to come to the meeting.
当面等某人进会场时，你多半也会这么做。
Phil: And as well, as well as at the start of meetings, if you're in an office, then at the beginning or the end of the day when you're meeting someone or you're just saying goodbye, yeah, we'll often go into a bit of small talk then.
另外，除了会前，如果你在办公室，一天开始或结束时——见到人或道别时——我们也常闲聊几句。
Pippa: So that's where you might say something like, 'oh, good weekend?' Or 'do you have any plans for the evening?' would be a good one at the end of the day.
这时你可以说：oh, good weekend?（周末过得好？）一天结束时则可以说：do you have any plans for the evening?（今晚有安排吗？）
Pippa: Another place that we do a lot of small talk is in the kitchen at work.
我们大量闲聊的另一个地方，是公司茶水间。
Pippa: So, if you pop to the kitchen to make a coffee maybe, you're probably going to run into somebody that you know that you don't work with all the time.
如果你去茶水间泡杯咖啡，多半会碰到一个认识但不天天共事的人。
Pippa: Um, and that's where you can use your small talk.
那正是用闲聊的场合。
Pippa: So, you can ask something like, 'how's your day going?' Or sort of make a comment, say, 'oh, it's been manic today, hasn't it?' That means it's been really busy.
你可以问：how's your day going?（今天过得怎么样？）或者来句评论：oh, it's been manic today, hasn't it?（今天忙疯了吧？）——manic 的意思是特别忙。
Phil: And yes, of course, with, um, small talk, we don't just ask questions.
当然，闲聊不只是提问。
Phil: Um, sometimes you're just making observations, particularly when you think the other person is going to agree with you.
有时你只是在做 observations（观察式评论）——尤其当你觉得对方会同意的时候。
Phil: So, you're kind of, you're trying to create a connection there, in a way.
你其实是在尝试建立一种连接。
Pippa: I think we should talk about what not to talk about.
我觉得该聊聊「什么不该聊」了。
Pippa: So, are there any topics that we should generally avoid in small talk, Phil?
有哪些话题是闲聊里通常要回避的，菲尔？
Phil: This is an interesting one because it will vary depending on where you are.
这个问题有意思，因为它因地而异。
Phil: But particularly in the UK, we're not that direct with people.
但尤其在英国，我们跟人说话不那么直接。
Phil: And so, we probably wouldn't ask anything too personal about people.
所以我们大概不会问太私人的问题。
Phil: If you know something about someone's family, you'll ask about kind of what you know about, but you're probably not going to ask deep, searching questions in small talk.
如果你了解对方家庭的一些情况，就围绕你已知的问；但你大概率不会在闲聊里问那种深入盘查式的问题。
Pippa: For example, Phil, I know that you've got kids.
举例说，菲尔，我知道你有孩子。
Pippa: So, if we're chatting, I might ask you how your kids are or sort of say, 'how was your weekend?
所以我们聊天时，我可能会问孩子们怎么样，或者说：how was your weekend? Did you do anything nice with the kids?（周末怎么样？带孩子干什么好玩的了？）
Pippa: Did you do anything nice with the kids?' But I probably wouldn't ask you lots of personal questions about them, and particularly I wouldn't ask those during small talk at work because there'd be lots of other people around, and it's just not what you generally use for small talk.
但我大概不会问很多关于他们的私人问题——尤其不会在职场闲聊里问，因为周围会有很多人，而且那本来就不是闲聊的用途。
Pippa: Another thing that we don't generally talk about during small talk is politics or controversial topics.
闲聊里我们一般也不聊的，是政治或争议性话题。
Pippa: So, we don't tend to discuss our personal political views or opinions during small talk.
我们不会在闲聊里讨论个人的政治观点或立场。
Pippa: And the idea with small talk is to keep the conversation flowing, to be polite and friendly.
闲聊的要点是让对话流动、保持礼貌友好。
Pippa: So, you can't really do that if you end up in a bit of a political debate with someone at work.
如果你最后在办公室跟人来了场政治辩论，那基本就没法闲聊了。
Phil: Yeah, I think this is particularly the case when you don't know what someone else might think.
对，尤其当你不知道对方怎么想的时候更是如此。
Phil: So, if you think there could be a big disagreement, it's probably an area we'd usually avoid in small talk.
如果你觉得可能出现大的分歧，那通常是闲聊里会回避的领域。
Pippa: And the final topic that we generally avoid talking about is money.
而我们通常回避的最后一个话题是钱。
Phil: I think in Britain we're just very awkward about talking about money, aren't we?
我觉得在英国我们聊钱就是特别别扭，对吧？
Phil: So, it's not something people feel comfortable about talking in, in, in small talk.
所以闲聊里大家都不太自在聊这个。
Phil: Um, it's just not, I don't know, it's just something we don't often talk about much.
嗯，就是……我也不知道，就是我们不常聊它。
Pippa: So, for example, I, you wouldn't generally ask about how much somebody earns or how much they spend on things.
比如你一般不会问别人挣多少钱、花钱花在哪。
Pippa: So, Phil, if you came in and I asked you about your weekend and you told me you bought a new car, I wouldn't probably ask you how much it cost.
菲尔，如果你进门，我问你周末怎么样，你说买了辆新车——我大概不会问它多少钱。
Pippa: Um, because that would be seen as a bit impolite.
因为那会被视为有点失礼。
Pippa: That's it for this episode of Office English.
本期《职场英语》就到这里。
Pippa: We'll be back next week to talk about how to organise and lead meetings.
下周我们聊怎么组织和主持会议。
Phil: In the meantime, you can find out more about small talk with the short video series on subjects to avoid on our website.
同时，我们网站上有个「该回避的话题」短视频系列，可以了解更多闲聊技巧。
Phil: And there's a link in the notes for this programme.
本期节目的说明里有链接。