"I can't do that; it's more than my job's worth". 早上去办事，需要复印材料，大厅里的复印机坏了，咨询工作人员，得到的答复是“机器中午才能修好，办公室内的打印机不能给外来人员使用”；大肚子孕妇去家门口的超市买米，管理人员说“我们规定三袋大米才负责送货，手推车不能外借”……生活中碰上诸如此类在自己的工作岗位上严守工作职责和规章制度，死板得一点不愿帮助别人的人，你是不是很发火？

像这种人英语中就叫做jobsworth。A jobsworth is a person who only does the work they're supposed to do and nothing else. A jobsworth 做事情完全是按部就班，一点儿周转的余地都没有。It often refers to people who have bureaucratic jobs and they never seem to want to help you! 这个词经常用来描绘那些在官僚政府机构工作的人，很死板，很不愿意帮人。

"Jobsworth" 是个贬义用语，同时也是英国一个特有的词汇。这个词的起源是什么呢？"Jobsworth" 来自于两个词 job's worth——The person won't help you because they think that to be helpful is more than their job's worth，就是说这种人不愿意帮助别人，因为他们认为帮人是超出了他们的工作范围。这种人常常挂在嘴边的就是这两句："Rules is rules"， "It's more than my job's worth."

为什么会有那么多的jobsworth？If you have a real fear of losing your job, why should you risk making an unnecessary mistake for someone who has not played by the rules? Following a clear rule is always going to be easier than exercising a difficult discretion. 按部就班工作，不犯错就不会惹麻烦的想法让人们做起事来显得死板而麻木。

我们用两个例子来更好地说明一下：

对话1

A: I waited in a queue at the post office for an hour earlier for my stamps and then the man behind the desk told me I had to stand in a different queue to buy an envelope.

B: No way, what a jobsworth!

对话 2

A: So Helen, have you brought the script to the studio?

B: No, that's not part of my job. I'm not responsible for the scripts.

A: So come on Helen, where are those scripts?

B: I told you, it's not my job to bring the scripts to the studio.

A: You really are a jobsworth, aren't you?

B: Only joking! I've got the scripts right here.

Don't be such a jobsworth! 少一些officious and inflexible的职员，少一些petty rule-following and excessive 的职能部门，多一点付出，多一丝关怀，大家一起在互帮互助的社会氛围里享受和谐社会的温暖。

（改编自：中青网英语角 实习生许雅宁 英语点津 Annabel 编辑）

我要学习更多口语表达