没拿到的工作

我今天知道了，那家公司没有录取我。上次面试完，我觉得自己回答得很好，没想到最后选的是别人。

I found out today. That company didn't hire me. After the interview last time I felt like I'd answered well. I didn't expect they'd end up picking someone else.

这么难受啊。面试的时候到底发生了什么？你自己觉得问题出在哪儿？

That's rough. What actually happened during the interview? Where do you think it went wrong?

我也不知道。现在一直在想，如果我准备得更用心一点，是不是就会被录取？我应该多说几个例子，还应该把那些数字准备得更清楚。面试以后我还写了信谢谢他们给我这次机会，可是这些好像都没有用。

I don't know either. I keep thinking, if I'd prepared more carefully, would they have hired me? I should have given more examples, and I should have gotten the numbers clearer. After the interview I even wrote them a letter thanking them for the chance, but none of it seems to have mattered.

你已经把能做的都做了。面试怎么准备、问题怎么回答、感谢信怎么写，这些是你自己能控制的事情。公司的钱够不够，别人准备得怎么样，公司最后录取谁，这些从来都不是你能控制的，你说是不是？

You already did everything you could. How to prepare for the interview, how to answer the questions, how to write the thank-you letter, those are things you could control. Whether the company had enough money, how well the other candidates prepared, who the company ended up hiring, those were never things you could control. Don't you think?

我明白你的意思。但是如果我准备得更好，是不是结果就会不一样？如果真的是这样，那这件事其实也是我能控制的，只是我没有做到。

I get what you mean. But if I'd prepared better, wouldn't the result have been different? And if that's true, then this actually was something I could control, I just didn't manage it.

这个问题谁也说不清楚。也许你准备得更好，结果真的会不一样，也许别人也准备得很好，结果还是一样。这些事谁都不知道。你还记得那个老人和马的故事吗？

Nobody can really answer that. Maybe if you'd prepared better the result really would be different, and maybe the other person also prepared well and the result would be the same anyway. Nobody knows. Do you remember the story about the old man and the horse?

记得一点，是不是马跑了，后来又带回来更多的马，儿子骑马还出了事？

I remember a little. Isn't that the one where a horse runs off, then comes back with more horses, and the son gets hurt riding it?

对，就是这个故事。马跑了，邻居说不好，老人说谁知道呢。马自己回来了，还带着更多的马回来，邻居说太好了，老人还是说谁知道呢。儿子骑马的时候从马上掉下来，腿疼得走不了路，邻居说这次真的不好了，老人还是那句话。后来外面出了很危险的事情，很多和儿子一样大的年轻人都去了，有的人没有回来，儿子因为腿不好，一直在家里，很安全。

Right, that's the one. The horse ran off, the neighbors said it was bad luck, the old man said who knows. The horse came back on its own with more horses, the neighbors said it was wonderful, the old man still said who knows. When the son was riding the horse he fell off, and his leg hurt so badly he couldn't walk, the neighbors said this time it really was bad, the old man said the same thing again. Later something very dangerous happened outside, and a lot of young men the son's age went off into it, some of them never came back, but the son, because his leg wasn't good, stayed home the whole time and was safe.

我知道这个故事，是说好事坏事说不好，对不对？可是这次的事情，现在真的让我很难过，就算明白这些，也没有让我不难过。

I know that story, it's saying you can't call something good or bad right away, right? But this thing, right now, it really does hurt. Understanding all that doesn't make it hurt any less.

我知道你现在很难过，这是真的。我不是说难过不对，我是说，这件事现在是好是坏，谁也不知道。也许因为这次的经历，你以后面试会准备得更好，也许会找到更适合你的工作，也许什么都不会变，谁知道呢。

I know you're hurting right now, that's real. I'm not saying it's wrong to feel bad. I'm saying, whether this turns out good or bad, nobody knows yet. Maybe because of this experience your interviews will go better from now on, maybe you'll find a job that fits you better, maybe nothing will change at all. Who knows.

谁知道呢。好，那我现在能控制的事情，是别一个人在家，先去吃点东西，好不好？

Who knows. Okay, so the thing I can control right now is not staying home alone. Let's go get something to eat first, all right?

好，先去吃点东西吧。

Good, let's go eat first.