【文稿】英语词汇小百科：Butler

Xiaohua: Hello and welcome to RoundTable’s word of the week. 又到词汇小百科的时间了，这周我们来讲butler这个词。因为之前有消息说国际管家学院在成都开了一家分校。 John: yeah that’s right and so there’s an international butler academy coming into china so we thought this was a good opportunity to explain to everyone, what exactly is a butler? Because I think everyone has heard this term but we’re gonna explore it a little bit more in depth. So a butler is a domestic worker in a large household. Usually the household is divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, the wine cellar and the pantry. Some are also in charge of the entire parlor floor with housekeepers carrying for the entire house and its appearance. Xiaohua: butler是指在一个比较大的宅院或者宅邸里面的男管家，有的时候男管家是指管整个宅子的男仆，有时候指的是负责餐厅，酒窖，还有食物储藏室的仆人。 John: Yeah and so butlers are usually male and in charge of male servants while a housekeeper is usually a woman and in charge of the female servants. Traditionally male servants such as footman were actually quite rare and therefore better paid. Xiaohua: housekeeper也是管家不过都是女性来担任housekeeper。而且从传统意义上来讲男管家比女管家薪水都要高。 John: the word butler actually comes from Anglo-Norman buteler which is a varying form of the old Norman butelier, corresponding to French botellier “officer in charge of the king’s wine bottles” Xiaohua: I see 所以从词源上来讲呢butler这个词最初的来源是指负责国王的酒瓶子或者酒窖的那个人。 John: interestingly enough the U.K, the butler actually used to be originally a middle ranking member of the staff of the large household. However in the 17th and the 18th centuries the butler actually became the senior member of the household staff. Xiaohua: 所以butler 以前只是在这个宅子里的一个中层的仆役，而逐渐在十七到十八世纪以后才被提升到了管家的地位。 John: and interestingly enough as well, butlers used to be always attired in a special uniform to make it clear that they were different from junior servants, but today butlers are more likely to wear a business suit, business casual or perhaps appear only in uniform on special occasion. Xiaohua: 对啊我们以前看到过类似在“唐顿庄园Downton Abbey” 那样的片子里面butler男管家都是穿一身特殊的制服来显示他地位的不同。而在现在社会中butler基本上已经不再穿制服了。 John: and bring it now into the modern era, top graduates from various academies for butlers and household managers can start usually at 50 thousands-60 thousands US dollars a year and now there’re even like different types of butlers. So there is the technology butler, who can fix people’s computer and their electronic devices. And there are bath butlers who draw custom baths. Xiaohua: 现代的管家不仅薪酬很好而且还有细分到了说科技管家或者是说洗浴管家，so think about it do you want to be a butler or not. John: Do you want a butler? Xiaohua: ok, we’re definitely thinking from different angles, but that wraps up RoundTable’s word of the week.