china daily雙語(yǔ)新聞：為何排隊(duì)是種折磨
排隊(duì)實(shí)在是件耗時(shí)又費(fèi)神的事，遇到插隊(duì)(cut in line)現(xiàn)象更是會(huì)引起*。如何讓排隊(duì)變得更高效呢？下面我們?yōu)槟榻B一些應(yīng)對(duì)排長(zhǎng)龍的小訣竅。
Internet 排隊(duì)是件耗時(shí)又費(fèi)神的事，遇到插隊(duì)現(xiàn)象更是會(huì)引發(fā)*。如何讓排隊(duì)變得更高效呢？下面我們來(lái)研究一下排隊(duì)的藝術(shù)。 Everyone hates to wait in lines. We get that gnawing feeling that our precious life is slipping away while we’re doing something so meaningless. But it’s not always the length of the wait we find so unbearable. Some people camp outside Apple stores for an entire night just to get their hands on the latest product. But waiting 10 minutes in a grocery store just to buy a drink? Forget it. 人人都討厭排隊(duì)。我們?yōu)閷氋F生命浪費(fèi)在這些毫無(wú)意義的事情上而苦惱。但是漫長(zhǎng)的等待并非總是那么讓人無(wú)法忍受。一些人在蘋(píng)果店外支起帳篷，用一整晚的時(shí)間換來(lái)最新的蘋(píng)果產(chǎn)品。而在雜貨店里等上十分鐘，只為買(mǎi)瓶飲料？還是算了吧。 Our behavior when waiting is only partly defined by the length of the wait. “Often the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself,” notes the MIT researcher Richard Larson. Larson, also known as Dr Queue, is an expert on waiting lines. 我們等待時(shí)的行為在一定程度上取決于等待時(shí)間的長(zhǎng)短?！暗却龝r(shí)的心理狀態(tài)通常比等待時(shí)長(zhǎng)本身更為重要，”麻省理工學(xué)院的研究員理查德•拉爾森說(shuō)。拉森是知名的排隊(duì)研究專(zhuān)家，被稱(chēng)為“排隊(duì)博士”。
One apparent aspect of queuing psychology is that we get bored when we wait in line. This issue is tackled in many ways, from magazines in hospital waiting rooms to mirrors in elevators so that we can check our appearance. 排隊(duì)心理學(xué)的一個(gè)顯著方面是我們排隊(duì)時(shí)會(huì)感到無(wú)聊。有很多方法可以解決這一問(wèn)題，比如從醫(yī)院候診室里的雜志到電梯里供我們整理儀容的鏡子。
We really hate it when we expect a short wait and then get a long one. But studies show that we are much more patient when we are given an idea of how long we’ll be waiting. 我們非常討厭以為只等一會(huì)兒但卻等了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。但是研究表明，我們?cè)谥烂鞔_的等待時(shí)間時(shí)會(huì)更加耐心。
Walt Disney Co knows this better than anyone else. It posts estimated waiting times for attractions in its theme parks. But according to Larson, these times are overestimated so that visitors get to the front of the queue more quickly than they expect. It keeps them happy. 迪士尼公司比任何人都深諳其中之道。它在主題公園的景點(diǎn)前公布預(yù)計(jì)的等待時(shí)間。但是按照拉爾森的說(shuō)法，這些預(yù)計(jì)時(shí)間會(huì)比實(shí)際等待時(shí)間長(zhǎng)一些，因此游客比預(yù)期排隊(duì)要快，這讓他們非常高興。
But perhaps the biggest influence on our feelings about waiting in a line has to do with our perception of fairness. When it comes to queues, the universally acknowledged standard is first come, first served. Any deviation from this principle is regarded as unfair and can lead to violent queue rage. A simple search on Baidu news with the keywords “cutting in line” and “fight” throws up dozens of headlines in the past year. 但是影響我們排隊(duì)情緒的因素可能與我們的公平感有關(guān)。排隊(duì)公認(rèn)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是先來(lái)先到。任何違背這條原則的行為都被視為不公平之舉，從而引發(fā)排隊(duì)*。只需在百度新聞上輸入關(guān)鍵字“插隊(duì)”和“打架”，便能搜出許多去年的頭條新聞。
Queue rage is not uncommon in Western countries either. The New York Times reported on an incident in which a man was stabbed last July in a Maryland post office by a fellow customer who mistakenly thought he had cut in line. 排隊(duì)*在西方國(guó)家也很常見(jiàn)?！都~約時(shí)報(bào)》曾報(bào)道過(guò)一起事件，去年七月某男子在馬里蘭的一家郵局被另一名顧客刺傷，因?yàn)樵擃櫩驼`以為他插了隊(duì)。
Sometimes, however, we are willing to make exceptions. For example, we are fine with the idea of an express lane at the supermarket - someone buying just a drink shouldn’t be forced to wait behind those with a full trolley. In hospitals, priority is given to those with a more critical condition - we can also understand that. 有時(shí)，我們也容許一些特例。比如，我們欣然接受超市中的快速通道理念——只買(mǎi)一瓶飲料的顧客不應(yīng)被迫排在那些推著滿(mǎn)滿(mǎn)一購(gòu)物車(chē)貨物的人的后面。在醫(yī)院里，情況危急的人享有優(yōu)先權(quán)——這些我們也可以理解。
But in most situations, we demand fairness. You’ve probably experienced mild queue rage yourself in fast food restaurants, watching people in the other line zoom ahead of you, cursing yourself for having chosen the “wrong” line. 但是在大多數(shù)情況下，我們要求公平。你之前可能在快餐店里經(jīng)歷過(guò)并不嚴(yán)重的排隊(duì)怨氣，看著其他隊(duì)列的速度快過(guò)自己，便會(huì)咒罵自己選錯(cuò)了隊(duì)列。
In order to solve this problem, the serpentine line was invented. Slate magazine’s website explains: 為了解決這一問(wèn)題，一種“蛇形排隊(duì)法”應(yīng)運(yùn)而生?！妒濉冯s志網(wǎng)站上解釋道：
“The serpentine line funnels all customers into one big snaking queue, demarcated by ropes or barriers. When you reach the head of the queue, you are directed to the next available server, or teller, or customs official. The serpentine line isn’t always faster than multi-lines before an array of cash registers. But it offers important solace: you absolutely never have to see someone arrive after you and get served before you.” “‘蛇形排隊(duì)法’讓所有顧客匯集在一條浩浩蕩蕩的蛇形隊(duì)伍之中，中間用繩子或障礙物隔開(kāi)。到達(dá)隊(duì)首時(shí)，你將會(huì)被帶到空閑窗口接受服務(wù)人員、銀行柜員或海關(guān)人員的服務(wù)。在一排收銀臺(tái)前，蛇形隊(duì)列并不比并列隊(duì)形更快。但是它的慰藉在于：來(lái)得晚的人絕對(duì)不會(huì)排到你的前面。
In life, waiting is inevitable. But a better understanding of the psychology of waiting can help make it a bit more bearable. When all else fails, bring a book or a smartphone will also do. 生活中，等待是不可避免的。但是更好地了解等待心理可以讓我們更有耐心。當(dāng)這些方法都沒(méi)用時(shí)，帶上一本書(shū)或一部智能手機(jī)吧！
Internet 排隊(duì)是件耗時(shí)又費(fèi)神的事，遇到插隊(duì)現(xiàn)象更是會(huì)引發(fā)*。如何讓排隊(duì)變得更高效呢？下面我們來(lái)研究一下排隊(duì)的藝術(shù)。 Everyone hates to wait in lines. We get that gnawing feeling that our precious life is slipping away while we’re doing something so meaningless. But it’s not always the length of the wait we find so unbearable. Some people camp outside Apple stores for an entire night just to get their hands on the latest product. But waiting 10 minutes in a grocery store just to buy a drink? Forget it. 人人都討厭排隊(duì)。我們?yōu)閷氋F生命浪費(fèi)在這些毫無(wú)意義的事情上而苦惱。但是漫長(zhǎng)的等待并非總是那么讓人無(wú)法忍受。一些人在蘋(píng)果店外支起帳篷，用一整晚的時(shí)間換來(lái)最新的蘋(píng)果產(chǎn)品。而在雜貨店里等上十分鐘，只為買(mǎi)瓶飲料？還是算了吧。 Our behavior when waiting is only partly defined by the length of the wait. “Often the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself,” notes the MIT researcher Richard Larson. Larson, also known as Dr Queue, is an expert on waiting lines. 我們等待時(shí)的行為在一定程度上取決于等待時(shí)間的長(zhǎng)短?！暗却龝r(shí)的心理狀態(tài)通常比等待時(shí)長(zhǎng)本身更為重要，”麻省理工學(xué)院的研究員理查德•拉爾森說(shuō)。拉森是知名的排隊(duì)研究專(zhuān)家，被稱(chēng)為“排隊(duì)博士”。
One apparent aspect of queuing psychology is that we get bored when we wait in line. This issue is tackled in many ways, from magazines in hospital waiting rooms to mirrors in elevators so that we can check our appearance. 排隊(duì)心理學(xué)的一個(gè)顯著方面是我們排隊(duì)時(shí)會(huì)感到無(wú)聊。有很多方法可以解決這一問(wèn)題，比如從醫(yī)院候診室里的雜志到電梯里供我們整理儀容的鏡子。
We really hate it when we expect a short wait and then get a long one. But studies show that we are much more patient when we are given an idea of how long we’ll be waiting. 我們非常討厭以為只等一會(huì)兒但卻等了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。但是研究表明，我們?cè)谥烂鞔_的等待時(shí)間時(shí)會(huì)更加耐心。
Walt Disney Co knows this better than anyone else. It posts estimated waiting times for attractions in its theme parks. But according to Larson, these times are overestimated so that visitors get to the front of the queue more quickly than they expect. It keeps them happy. 迪士尼公司比任何人都深諳其中之道。它在主題公園的景點(diǎn)前公布預(yù)計(jì)的等待時(shí)間。但是按照拉爾森的說(shuō)法，這些預(yù)計(jì)時(shí)間會(huì)比實(shí)際等待時(shí)間長(zhǎng)一些，因此游客比預(yù)期排隊(duì)要快，這讓他們非常高興。
But perhaps the biggest influence on our feelings about waiting in a line has to do with our perception of fairness. When it comes to queues, the universally acknowledged standard is first come, first served. Any deviation from this principle is regarded as unfair and can lead to violent queue rage. A simple search on Baidu news with the keywords “cutting in line” and “fight” throws up dozens of headlines in the past year. 但是影響我們排隊(duì)情緒的因素可能與我們的公平感有關(guān)。排隊(duì)公認(rèn)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是先來(lái)先到。任何違背這條原則的行為都被視為不公平之舉，從而引發(fā)排隊(duì)*。只需在百度新聞上輸入關(guān)鍵字“插隊(duì)”和“打架”，便能搜出許多去年的頭條新聞。
Queue rage is not uncommon in Western countries either. The New York Times reported on an incident in which a man was stabbed last July in a Maryland post office by a fellow customer who mistakenly thought he had cut in line. 排隊(duì)*在西方國(guó)家也很常見(jiàn)?！都~約時(shí)報(bào)》曾報(bào)道過(guò)一起事件，去年七月某男子在馬里蘭的一家郵局被另一名顧客刺傷，因?yàn)樵擃櫩驼`以為他插了隊(duì)。
Sometimes, however, we are willing to make exceptions. For example, we are fine with the idea of an express lane at the supermarket - someone buying just a drink shouldn’t be forced to wait behind those with a full trolley. In hospitals, priority is given to those with a more critical condition - we can also understand that. 有時(shí)，我們也容許一些特例。比如，我們欣然接受超市中的快速通道理念——只買(mǎi)一瓶飲料的顧客不應(yīng)被迫排在那些推著滿(mǎn)滿(mǎn)一購(gòu)物車(chē)貨物的人的后面。在醫(yī)院里，情況危急的人享有優(yōu)先權(quán)——這些我們也可以理解。
But in most situations, we demand fairness. You’ve probably experienced mild queue rage yourself in fast food restaurants, watching people in the other line zoom ahead of you, cursing yourself for having chosen the “wrong” line. 但是在大多數(shù)情況下，我們要求公平。你之前可能在快餐店里經(jīng)歷過(guò)并不嚴(yán)重的排隊(duì)怨氣，看著其他隊(duì)列的速度快過(guò)自己，便會(huì)咒罵自己選錯(cuò)了隊(duì)列。
In order to solve this problem, the serpentine line was invented. Slate magazine’s website explains: 為了解決這一問(wèn)題，一種“蛇形排隊(duì)法”應(yīng)運(yùn)而生?！妒濉冯s志網(wǎng)站上解釋道：
“The serpentine line funnels all customers into one big snaking queue, demarcated by ropes or barriers. When you reach the head of the queue, you are directed to the next available server, or teller, or customs official. The serpentine line isn’t always faster than multi-lines before an array of cash registers. But it offers important solace: you absolutely never have to see someone arrive after you and get served before you.” “‘蛇形排隊(duì)法’讓所有顧客匯集在一條浩浩蕩蕩的蛇形隊(duì)伍之中，中間用繩子或障礙物隔開(kāi)。到達(dá)隊(duì)首時(shí)，你將會(huì)被帶到空閑窗口接受服務(wù)人員、銀行柜員或海關(guān)人員的服務(wù)。在一排收銀臺(tái)前，蛇形隊(duì)列并不比并列隊(duì)形更快。但是它的慰藉在于：來(lái)得晚的人絕對(duì)不會(huì)排到你的前面。
In life, waiting is inevitable. But a better understanding of the psychology of waiting can help make it a bit more bearable. When all else fails, bring a book or a smartphone will also do. 生活中，等待是不可避免的。但是更好地了解等待心理可以讓我們更有耐心。當(dāng)這些方法都沒(méi)用時(shí)，帶上一本書(shū)或一部智能手機(jī)吧！