6. “He’s a jerk,” or “She’s lazy,” or “My job stinks,” or “I hate this company。”6. “他是個傻瓜”，“她很懶”，“我的工作真糟糕”或“我討厭這家公司”。
Nothing tanks a career faster than name-calling. Not only does it reveal juvenile school-yard immaturity, it’s language that is liable and fire-able。沒什么能比說臟話更快地搞垮職業生涯了。說臟話不僅表示你跟小孩一樣幼稚，還可能招來禍患。
Avoid making unkind, judgmental statements that will inevitably reflect poorly on you. If you have a genuine complaint about someone or something, communicate the issue with tact, consideration and neutrality。千萬別說惡意評價，否則最后只能自己受害。如果你確實對某人或某事有意見，還是老練、細致并中立地溝通解決吧。
7. “But we’ve always done it that way。”7. “但這是我們的慣例。”
The most effective leaders value innovation, creative thinking and problem solving skills in their employees. In one fell swoop, this phrase reveals you are the opposite: stuck in the past, inflexible, and closed-minded. Instead say, ‘Wow, that’s an interesting idea. How would that work?’ Or, ‘That’s a different approach. Let’s discuss the pros and
cons.’最有效率的領導重視員工的革新、創新思維以及解決問題的能力。但這句話一下子就把你推向了對立面：墨守成規、死板、教條。相反，你應該說“哇，這個想法有意思。接下來該怎么辦？”或“這又是另一種方法，那我們來探討一下利弊吧。”
8. “That’s impossible” or “There’s nothing I can do。”8. “那不可能”或“我一籌莫展”
Really? Are you sure you’ve considered every single possible solution and the list is now exhausted? When you make the mistake of saying these negative phrases, your words convey a pessimistic, passive, even hopeless outlook. This approach is seldom valued in the workplace. Employers notice, recognize and promote a can-do attitude. Despite the glum circumstances, communicate through your words what you can contribute to the situation。真的嗎？你確定已考慮過所有可能的方案、真的窮途末路了嗎？“當你犯錯說出這種消極的話時，說明你為人消極悲觀甚或決絕，職場向來鄙視這種態度。員工必須養成‘能行’的態度。不管情況多么不容樂觀，你都應該從話語上提醒自己面對現實解決問題。
Instead, try something like, “I’ll be glad to check on it again,” “Let’s discuss what’s possible under these circumstances,” or, “What I can do is this。”所以，你應該說“我還是在檢查一遍吧”、“讓我們看看這種情況下還能有什么辦法”或“我能做些什么呢”。
9. “You should have…” or “You could have…”9. “你本應該……”或“你本可以……”
You probably wouldn’t be thrilled
if someone said: “You should have told me about this sooner!” Or, “You could have tried a little harder。” Chances are, these fault-finding words inflict feelings of blame and finger-pointing. Ideally, the workplace fosters
equality, collaboration and teamwork. Instead of making someone feel guilty (even if they are)， take a more productive non-judgmental approach. Say, “Next time, to ensure proper planning, please bring this to my attention immediately。” Or, “In the future, I recommend…”如果有人跟你說“你本該早點告訴我”或“你本可以再努力一點”，你肯定感到悶悶不樂。這些挑刺兒的話含有指責意味。而理想的職場下應該是平等、團隊與協作。與其讓別人倍感愧疚(即便他們確實感到愧疚)，還不如換個積極中立的說法，比如‘下次計劃恰當了就請立即告訴我吧’或‘以后我希望……’”
10. “You guys。”10. “伙計們。”
Reserve the phrase “you guys” for friendly casual conversations and avoid using it in business. Referring to a group of people as ‘you guys’ is not only inaccurate if women are present, it is slang and lowers your level of professionalism. With fellow professionals such as your boss, co-workers and clients, substitute “you guys” with terms such as “your organization” or “your team” or simply “you。”“伙計們”用法比較隨意，職場中應盡量避免。用‘伙計們’指稱一群人并不恰當，由其是有女性在場的時候；而且這是個俗詞，有可能降低你的職業素養。如果有老板、同事及客戶等職業人士在場，還是用“貴公司”、“貴方團隊”或“貴方”比較妥當。
11. “I may be wrong, but…” or “This may be a silly idea, but…”11. “有可能是我錯了，但……”或“這個想法或許有點蠢，但……”
These phrases are known as discounting. They diminish the impact of what follows and reduce your credibility. Remember that your spoken words reveal to the world how much value you place on yourself and your message. For this reason, eliminate any prefacing phrase that demeans the importance of who you are or lessens the significance of what you contribute。這些話語聽上去就像在討價還價。它們不僅削弱了后面話語的影響力，也降低了你本人的可信度。你說出去的話就是在告知世界你的價值觀和想要傳達的信息。因此，別拐彎兒強調你多厲害或你謙虛自己所作的貢獻。
Don’t say, “This may be a silly idea, but I was thinking that maybe we might conduct the quarterly meeting online instead, okay?” Instead, assert your recommendation: “To reduce travel costs and increase time efficiency, I recommend we conduct the quarterly meeting online。”別說什么“這個想法或許有點蠢，但我覺得或許我們可以網上召開季度會議，怎么樣？”，相反，你應該這么建議：“為節約旅費和時間，我建議網上召開季度會議。”
12. “Don’t you think?” or “Okay?”12. “你不覺得嗎？”或“好嗎？”
These phrases are commonly known as hedging—seeking validation through the use of overly cautious
or non-committal words. If you truly are seeking approval or looking for validation, these phrases may well apply. However, if your goal is to communicate a confident commanding message and persuade people to see it your way, instead of hedging make your statement or recommendation with certainty。這種話通常是因過分謹慎或為不承擔責任而尋求對方贊同。如果你真想尋求贊同或認可，這倒也沒什么問題。但是，如果你是想傳達確切信息、使人按你的意思理解問題，你就應該更加確定地講明才行。
Imagine an investment banker saying, “This is a good way to invest your money, don’t you think? I’ll proceed, if that’s okay with you。” Instead, you’d probably want to hear something like: “This strategy is a wise investment that provides long-term benefits. With your approval, I’ll wire the money by 5pm today。”假設投資銀行家說“這是個理財的好方法，你不覺得嗎？如果你覺得可行，那我就繼續。”，你肯定覺得奇怪，正常應該是這么說：“這是個明智的投資戰略，可獲取長期利益。只要你同意，我今天下午5點就匯錢。”
13. “I don’t have time for this right now,” or “I’m too busy。”13. “我現在沒有時間”或“我都忙死了”
Even if these statements are true, no one wants to feel less important than something or someone else. To foster positive relations and convey empathy, say instead: I’d be happy to discuss this with you after my morning meetings. May I stop by your office around 1pm?”就算你說的都是事實，也沒人愿意覺得自己還不如其他事或其他人重要。要想維持良好關系并贏得同感，你應該說：“我早上開完會后就有空跟你討論這個問題了，下午1點左右我去你辦公室怎么樣？”
These are common phrases that might be difficult to eliminate completely from your everyday conversations—but the trick is to gain awareness of the language you’re using. As is often the case with bad habits, we are unconscious of the fact we’re saying career-limiting words and phrases。這些常見的話語可能一時難以立即完全從你的日常講話中改正——但是，你可以加強防范，隨時留意自己所講的話。壞習慣總是不自覺的，我們有時并不能意識到在講一些禍害職業的話語。
