不想显老的话，就不要再用大拇指emoji点赞了！

A survey from Duolingo and Slack found that 74% of respondents have experienced a misunderstanding with an emoji. The kissy face emoji is versatile and thus confusing: Some say it stands for general affection, others say platonic love, and still others say romantic love. It' s easy to see how this could go terribly awry in a work context. 

多邻国*和Slack*的一项调查显示，74%的受访者曾误解过表情符号。亲脸表情具有多重表达含义，因此让人迷惑：有人说它代表了普通的喜爱，也有人说它代表了柏拉图式的爱情，还有人说它代表浪漫的爱情。由此可见，亲脸表情特别容易在工作场合中引发误解。

译注：多邻国（Duolingo）是一款语言学习工具软件；Slack 是聊天群组 + 大规模工具集成 + 文件整合 + 统一搜索软件。

Certain emojis generate particularly strong feelings, like the "corporate smiley face", particularly the one on Microsoft Teams: a lipless, wide-eyed smile that one TikTok user said "stares into your soul." 

某些表情符号会给人带来强烈的刺激，尤其像是微软公司制作的那一款“企业微笑”*——一位TikTok用户觉得这个没有嘴唇、目光直愣愣的表情像是“灵魂凝视”。

译注：“企业微笑”，指“微笑”这一表情曾一度被用作企业logo。

For younger employees, these nuances seem to carry particular weight. Jonathan Sweeney, 23, remembers in his former roles, when older coworkers have written "Okay" with a period, sans emoji or any effusive punctuation.  

对于年轻员工来说，这些细微的差别似乎特别重要。23岁的乔纳森·斯威尼记得，在他前一份工作中，年长的同事在写“ok”时，会加个句号，且不使用其他表现友好和热情的表情符号。

图源：www.baijiahao.baidu.com

"I'm thinking, 'Are they mad at me?  Are they having a bad day?' Then I'll see them and they'll be like, 'Hi Jonathan' in the most upbeat tone,” Sweeney says. “I feel like Gen Z and younger millennials have kind of adapted that just to make sure that they’re everything they want to in the same tone that they would speak in.”  

“这时候我会想，‘他们生我气了吗？他们今天心情不好吗？’ 但等我们随后见面时，他们会兴致很高地跟我打招呼：‘嗨，乔纳森。’我觉得Z世代和年轻的千禧一代已经养成了习惯——他们心直口快，言行一致。”斯威尼说。

These varying communication styles and differing interpretations can lead to miscommunication and even faux pas. 

这些不同的沟通方式和不同的理解会导致沟通不畅甚至失礼。

“一代人有一代人的习惯”：

尊重他人的使用习惯

Many of the Gen Zers said they take cues from their supervisors and coworkers to gauge which emoji to use. 

许多Z世代年轻人表示，他们现在会通过对上司和同事的观察，来选择合适的表情符号。

Ashley Scott, 24, is an e-commerce coordinator at Hermès and finds herself communicating with older managers like she would with her parents or grandparents. “With them, I wouldn’t use the winky face––I’d use the smiley face. I know with my parents, they’ll be like, ‘What does that mean?’” Scott says. “You kind of have to speak to the generation you’re talking to.”

24岁的阿什利•斯科特是爱马仕的一名电子商务协调员，她发现自己和年长的经理沟通就像和父母或祖父母一样。“和他们聊天时，我不会发眨眼的表情，而是会发个笑脸。我知道如果我用眨眼的表情，我的父母会问：‘这是什么意思?’” 斯科特说，“你得跟你所面对的那一代人用同样的方式说话。”

图源：www.baidu.com

Framroze recommends using restraint with more formal communication. “You don’t have to attach a smiley face every time you type something, and sometimes emoji can seem gratuitous,” she says. “You can also offer clarifying language so there is no confusion about what you mean when you send an emoji.

弗雷姆罗兹建议在更正式的交流中克制一些。她说：“你不必每次打字时都加上笑脸，有时表情符号是多余的。当你给别人发表情时，你还可以进行一些补充解释，以免对方误解。”

Use the emoji as a supportive mechanism unless you are conversing with someone who you know very well. For instance, a "Totally agree!" accompanying that thumbs up emoji would quash any fears of passive aggression.

除非你特别熟悉你的交流对象，否则就应该把表情符号用作对于语意的积极补充。比方说，如果你在“完全同意！”后面加上一个点赞的符号，就不会让人觉得有恶意。

图源：www.baijiahao.baidu.com

"That said, creativity can––and should––still abound," Glikson says. "When people communicate remotely, they need to have fun with each other, especially when they don' t meet face to face,"

“即便如此，我们仍然能够，也仍然应该富有创造性地使用表情符号。”格里克森说道，“当人们进行远程交流，尤其当互相看不见彼此的时候，他们很需要在交流中获得乐趣。”

Emojis are tools of expression that do have the power to enhance workplace communication when used appropriately. But particularly when different generations and levels of seniority enter the mix, an extra layer of consideration and caution is crucial––without sacrificing the fun. 

在合理使用的情况下，作为一种表达的工具，表情符号确实能够丰富工作场合中的交流。但在不同年龄和资历背景的人混杂的使用场合中，我们应该思考，如何在不牺牲表达趣味性的前提下，进行审慎的表达。但在保留其趣味性的同时，我们还应该多加思考、审慎表达，尤其包含了不同年龄和工作资历人群的场合中。

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重点词汇

downright：used as a way of emphasizing sth negative or unpleasant （强调反面的或令人不快的事物）彻头彻尾的，十足的，完全的

例句：There was suspicion and even downright hatred between them.

abound：to exist in great numbers or quantities 大量存在；有许多

例句：Stories about his travels abound. 有关他游历的故事很多。