1985年，乔布斯虽仍在苹果任董事长，但却失去实权(he had not been to any meetings since since he lost his power)。无奈之下，他递交辞呈，暂别苹果(with no work to do and no access even to regular management reports)，投入新事业的发展，致力于工作站的开发(a powerful but personal workstation)。新公司NeXT成立后，知名商标设计师Paul Rand 为其设计标志。面对刚起步的事业，苹果公司内部对乔布斯的非议，肩扛双重压力的乔布斯会在新公司的会议室里有怎样的表现？

　　原文

　　Joe Nocera, then writing for Esquire, captured Jobs’s intensity at a NeXT staff meeting: It’s not quite right to say that he is sitting through this staff meeting, because Jobs doesn’t sit through much of anything; one of the ways he dominates is through sheer movement. One moment he’s kneeling in his chair; the next minute he’s slouching in it; the next he has leaped out of his chair entirely and is scribbling on the blackboard directly behind him. He is full of mannerisms. He bites his nails. He stares with unnerving earnestness at whoever is speaking. His hands, which are slightly and inexplicably yellow, are in constant motion。

　　What particularly struck Nocera was Jobs’s “almost willful lack of tact 。” It was more than just an inability to hide his opinions when others said something he thought dumb; it was a conscious readiness, even a perverse eagerness, to put people down, humiliate them, show he was smarter.When Dan’l Lewin handed out an organization chart, for example, Jobs rolled his eyes. “These charts are bullshit,” he interjected. Yet his moods still swung wildly, as at Apple. A finance person came into the meeting and Jobs lavished praise on him for a “really, really great job on this”； the previous day Jobs had told him, “This deal is crap 。” (Chapter 18 NeXT: To Be on Your Own)

　　译文

　　乔·切诺拉在为《时尚先生》撰稿时，曾提及乔布斯在NeXT员工会议上不安的表现：说他能坐着开完员工会议是不准确的，因为他从未安分地坐到会议结束。他 控制局面的方法之一就是动来动去。这一刻，还跪在椅子上，下一分钟，却无精打采；过一会儿，整个身体从椅子上跃起，在身后的黑板上乱涂乱写。他有各种各样 的怪癖，包括咬指甲、用令人胆怯的目光盯着讲话者。手也莫名地发黄，持续颤动。

　　最令切诺拉震惊的是乔布斯“极度自我并缺乏与人交往的技巧”。面对别人说出他所认为的愚蠢意见时，乔布斯似乎早有准备，会急迫地去奚落、侮辱他人 来显示自己的聪明。例如，当丹·卢拿出一份组织结构图时，乔布斯转了转眼珠，插话到“这些东西完全狗屁不通”。和在苹果工作时一样，他的情绪依旧波澜起 伏，喜怒无常。一位财务人员来到会议室，乔布斯慷慨地称赞他说：“这次的工作的确做得非常非常出色”，而在前一天，他刚刚说到，“这笔交易跟垃圾没什么两样”。

　　翻译笔记

　　1. sit through 耐着性子看完或听完， 一直坐到 ... 结束

　　I sit through all three performances but none of them is any good。

　　三个节目我都从头看到尾，可是没一个节目是精彩的。

　　We had to sit through several tedious speeches。

　　我们只得坐在那里听着几个乏味的讲演。

　　2. mannerism n. 固守独特的格调，矫揉造作；癖性

　　A type of schizophrenia, usually starting at puberty, characterized by foolish mannerisms, senseless laughter, delusions, hallucinations, and regressive behavior。

　　青春期痴呆的一种精神分裂症，通常始发于青春期，其特征为举止痴呆、傻笑、妄想、幻觉以及退化的举止。

　　He's taken on some irritating mannerisms。

　　他新添了些讨人嫌的怪毛病。

　　3. strike v/n 打击，攻击；(钟)敲响，报(时)；打动，感动，给.。。以印象，使…突然想起；罢工

　　He was struck by lightning。

　　他被闪电击中。

　　That play struck me as silly。

　　那出戏我觉得很无聊。

　　It struck me that there was no one at home。

　　我突然想起家中没有人。

　　The coal miners struck for better safety conditions。

　　煤矿工人罢工要求改善安全状况。

　　The commander decided to make an air strike on the enemy's supply line。

　　指挥官决定空袭敌人的补给线。

　　4.tact n. 机智， 手法

　　Does he possess the necessary patience and tact to do the job well?

　　他有具备这项工作必需的耐性和应变能力吗？

　　He's short on tact。

　　他处事不够圆通。

　　The hostess presided at table with tact and urbanity。

　　女主人招待客人进餐时风雅而又得体。