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最近,有一条微博消息特别吸引人眼球:90后“品虾师”年薪30万。
网友们对此评论不一,有人表示非常羡慕, 迫不及待地想去应聘......
也有人表示,当爱好变成工作时,就再也不是一种享受了......
其实,有趣的职业不仅仅有“品虾师”,今天,双语君(微信ID:Chinadaily_Mobile)想和大家分享几个古今中外有趣的非主流职业。
叫人起床的knocker upper
Knocker upper (负责叫人起床的人)是个古老的职业,在英国工业革命期间兴起并繁荣起来。
A knocker-upper, was a profession in Britain and Ireland that started during the Industrial Revolution, when alarm clocks were neither cheap nor reliable, and to as late as the beginning of the 1950s.
由于在工业革命时期,闹钟又贵又不可靠,于是叫人起床这一职业就开始在英国和爱尔兰兴起,并且一直延续到20世纪50年代初期。
A knocker-upper's job was to rouse sleeping people so they could get to work on time.
这一工作的主要任务就是要把睡着的人们叫醒,保证他们可以按时工作。
而knocker upper们叫人起床的方式也是千奇百怪。一位59岁的艺术家Paul Stafford回忆道:
The knocker upper used to come down the street with their long poles. They wouldn't hang around either, just three or four taps and then he'd be off.
他们过去经常拿着一个长长的竿子,沿着街区而走。他们不会逗留太久,可能敲了3、4下以后就离开了。
Knocker upper们的用具除了竿子之外,还有锤子。
锤子也就算了,还有用射豆枪(peashooter)的, 看看这位大妈,也是莫名搞笑。
Mary Anne Smith, became a beloved presence—along with her trusty pea shooter—around London’s East End in the 1930s. John Topham remembers “every morning but Sunday she would rise at three to ‘knock up’ local workers—using a pea shooter. She charged six pence a week.
Mary Anne Smith是一个令人喜爱的存在,她经常在20世纪30年代带着自己令人信赖的射豆枪一起出现在伦敦东部。John Topham记得“除了星期日的每天早上,她都三点早早起来用自己的射豆枪叫醒那些当地的工人。她每周收取6便士。”
随着闹钟和电子产品的逐渐普及,现在已经没有knocker upper了,但是他们仍然留给了人们非常美好的回忆。
It waned as alarm clocks and electricity became more widespread and affordable. Sure, beeping alarm clocks and smartphones that play morning music are simpler and more convenient. But they can’t match being awoken by the soft, distinctive tap of Mary Smith’s pea shooter.
随着闹钟和电变得越来越普及、廉价,这种工作逐渐退出了市场。诚然,嘟嘟响着的闹钟和在早上播放着音乐的智能电话更加简单、方便,但是永远都不能与Mary Smith的射豆枪相比较,被这种轻柔、独特的声音唤醒完全是另一种体验。
然而,这个世界不仅仅有“敲人”的工作,还有“遛人”的工作。
“遛人”的people walker
遛狗的人(dog walker) 好像并不稀奇。但是……
这个世界还有一种“遛人”的工作。
这一职业的创始人Chuck McCarthy来自洛杉矶,靠“遛人”为生,也就是与顾客一起散步、谈话,每英里收费7美元。
McCarthy walks humans for $7 a mile around the streets and park near his home, pioneering an alternative to dog walking that requires no leash, just an ability to walk, talk and, above all, listen.
McCarthy经常带人们在他家附近的街道以及公园散步,每英里收费7美元,与遛狗不同,他开创的这种遛人方式并不需要绳子,只需要走路、说话还有最重要的一点能力—倾听。
The idea initially struck the underemployed actor several months ago as a joke, an imaginary way to make extra cash, until it became real.
McCarthy在几个月之前只是一个不得志的演员,这一想法像玩笑一样涌入他的脑海,一开始这只是一种想象的赚钱方法,最后它变成了现实。
Chuck McCarthy的生意做得风生水起,客户群遍布男女老少。
Chuck provides companionship and motivation to people who want to get out of the house, explore their city and get some exercise.
Chuck陪伴并鼓励那些想要走出家门、来到户外的人,和他们一起探索城市、锻炼身体。
如果你认为people walker做起来很简单,那你就太天真了,交流、倾听的技巧一样不能少。
虽然people walker目前已经发展得小有规模,但是chuck并没有止步于此,现在,Chuck现在已经有了people walker的团队。
他也在致力于建立一个自己的APP。
《卫报》对这一职业的前景和市场非常看好:
In a decade or so, paying for connection may seem as ordinary as paying for therapy. The companionship market will make us uncomfortable, but it will persist. The need for social connection is too primal: if it’s the market that’s offering us the chance to walk and talk with someone who seems like a friend, we’ll be heading towards it, not turning away.
在未来十年左右,为人与人之间的交往付钱会和为了治疗而付钱一样司空见惯。虽然陪伴这一市场会让我们觉得不舒服,但是它仍然会继续发展。人类对于社会交往的需求是很原始的:如果在市场中我们可以找到一个像朋友一样的人,与他散步并聊天,我们会果断地迎上去,而不是扭头走开。
然而,这个世界不仅有“遛人”的职业,还有“推人”的。
挤地铁神助攻professional pusher
The Japanese rail network is known throughout the world for its superiority and punctuality. In the capital city Tokyo, nearly 40 million passengers ride the rail every day, heavily outweighing other modes of transport like buses and private cars. Of these, 8.7 million take the subway.
日本的轨道交通以卓越和准时闻名世界。在首都东京,基本每天有4000万乘客乘坐轨道交通出行,远远超过了其他的交通方式譬如公交和私家车等。在这4000万乘客中,870万人次乘坐地铁出行。
在这种情况下,有一种职业应运而生啦,那就是专业“推人”的工作。
To make sure that all its people reach work on time, Japan has employed people to push others onto trains.
为了保证所有的人们都能按时上班,日本雇用了人员来把人们推上地铁。
看完了这些工作,是不是觉得很有趣呢?如果你还知道什么有意思的工作,快来留言区留言,让更多的小伙伴看到吧!
编辑:李雪晴
实习生:李美萱
来源:中国日报双语新闻
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