Yes, we all live full, busy lives,as a result, it’s inevitable something will come up that causes us to miss a deadline or be late for work once in a while. But while you’ll often need to give an explanation for your blunder, you should never make excuses. The truth is, they don’t actually help you save face at all, and they risk damaging your relationships at work—or worse, convincing your boss you’re not equipped to handle your job. Read on for three common excuses you’ll hear in the office, and why you should avoid them at all costs.
　　诚然，我们都过着充实而忙碌的生活，因此，在工作中偶尔会因为一些不可抗的原因而错过工作截止时间或者上班迟到。但是切记，尽管你必须为你犯的错给出一个解释，但千万别找借口。事实是：借口根本没法帮你挽回颜面，相反，它们会威胁到你在工作中的人际关系——更糟糕的可能性是，找借口会使你的老板认为你根本没法处理好你的工作。往下读，你会看到三条你在办公室里经常能听到的借口，然后我们会告诉你为什么你应该尽一切可能避免使用这些借口。
　　1.“Blame it on the Train”
　　1.“全是地铁的错。”
　　OK, sure, sometimes the train, or the bus, or the carpool lane is a disaster, and there’s nothing you can do about it. But nine times out of 10, you should still make it to work on time, because you’ve built that unpredictability into your commute time. That’s what responsible adults do, right? Yes. Blame the train, and your boss will see right through it.
　　好吧，确实，有时候地铁、公共汽车或者拼车的确是个灾难，而且你对此毫无办法。但是大多数情况下，你还是可以做到准时上班的，因为你已经把这种不可预测的延迟计算进了你的通勤时间。这是一个有责任感的成年人应该做的，不是吗?是的。你若抱怨地铁，你的老板会看到那背后表达的信息。
　　Instead, try being honest. Being honest about the real reason you’re late shows you have the courage to own up to your mistakes, instead of assigning blame whenever something goes wrong.
　　相反，试着坦诚一些。诚实地告诉他你迟到的真正原因，那会显得你有承认错误的勇气，而不是一出了问题就推卸责任。
　　2.“I’m Waiting for Bob in Accounting to Call Me Back”
　　2.“我在等会计部的Bob回我电话。”
　　The guys in accounting—or HR, or at the Post Office—really get a bad rap. Somehow, they’re always the ones to blame when a deadline has been missed or a project is taking longer than planned.
　　会计部，或者人力资源部又或邮件中心的同事口碑总是超差。不知道为什么，当有人没能按时交工或者项目延迟的时候，责任总是被推到他们头上。
　　The last thing your boss wants to hear when a deadline is near—or missed—is that it’s someone else’s fault. Besides, you won’t be making any friends in accounting, either.
　　当你的交工截止日快到了或者已经错过了的时候，老板最不愿意听到的话就是“那是别人的错”。与此同时，你要是这么做了，就别想在会计部有什么朋友了。
　　A good rule of thumb is to always have enough information about the status—including any potential delays—that you could give an executive summary to your boss if surprised in the elevator. Your boss (and Bob) will thank you for it.
　　一条经验之谈是，你必须随时保持足够的关于完成状况的信息，包括潜在的延迟的可能性。那样你就能给你的老板提供一份执行报告。你的老板(还有会计部的Bob)会因此感谢你的。
　　3. “I Don’t Know How”
　　3.“我不知道怎么了。”
　　This may be the granddaddy of all excuses, and should never be used when explaining why you whiffed on an assignment. Admitting you don’t know how to do something at the start of a project, immediately followed by “Please show me how,” is obviously OK—in fact, it’s essential to progressing in your career. Your boss knows you don’t know how to do everything—but she does want to know that you’re willing to figure it out, and that you’ll take some initiative if you’re stuck.
　　这句话堪称借口的鼻祖。当你搞砸了一个任务的时候，千万千万不要用它。在你接到任务的时候，承认你不知道某些事情要如何去做，并且当场提出“请教教我要怎么办吧”是完全可以的。事实上，这对你的职业发展也是很重要的。你的老板明白你不可能会做所有的事情，但她希望知道你很愿意把事情搞清楚，并且在你遇到瓶颈的时候会发挥一些创造力。
　　The difference between explaining yourself and making excuses is definitely a grey area, but if you keep these tips in mind, you’ll steer clear of most of those murky waters and cement your reputation in your boss’ mind as a star, not a slouch.
　　很显然，解释和掩饰的区别是一个灰色地带。然而如果你把上面的技巧牢记在心，你就能出淤泥而不染，稳固自己的名誉，在你老板的眼中成为一颗明星，而不是一个又懒又笨的废柴。