Apologizing on the Job
在工作上道歉
When -- and How -- to Say You're Sorry at Work
何时，该如何在工作上道歉
Career success is all about relationships. And when something goes wrong, it's important to fix it. That may mean an apology is in order.
职业成功都是靠人际关系。出问题的时候，想办法解决是最重要的。这就意为是你有时候需要妥当地道歉。
"Getting back on the right path as quickly as possible is what makes you a good employee," says Anna Post, an author and spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute.
Emily Post Institute 的代言人Anna Post也是一位作家，他说：“迅速回归到原来正确的运作轨道是使你成为优秀员工的必要条件。”
Post and others offer advice on how to handle apologies in six common workplace situations:
Post和其他专家就怎样在职场上的六种情况下道歉给出了以下建议：
1. You made a mistake that causes problems for your colleagues.
你犯的错误给其他同事带来了麻烦。
This is a clear-cut case where an apology is called for. You could simply say, "I'm sorry," followed by an offer to fix the problem.
很明显这种情况下你应该道歉。你可以简单地说对不起，然后提出想办法解决问题。
If the situation is complex, use your apology to show you understand the effect of your actions. Meryl Runion, a speaker and author of six books on communication, suggests saying, "I regret that you have to do X, Y, and Z because of my mistake. I'm sorry. It won't happen again because in the future I will... ."
如果情况很复杂，用道歉来表明你已经明白你的行为给别人带来了麻烦。Meryl Runion是一位代言人，著有6本沟通方面的著作，他建议这样说：“我很抱歉因为我的过错，你必须要做X,Y,Z。对不起，绝对不会有下次了，因为我以后一定会……”
2. Someone in your company made a mistake, and you're dealing with an unhappy customer.
公司里的其他人做错事情让客户生气，而你需要来招待这位生气的客户。
You don't want to pretend you did it, but you may want to issue a clear apology on behalf of the company. "There are times when you need to take one for the team," Post says. "Somebody needs to apologize." You'll look better making the apology than casting blameon your coworkers.
你不需要假装错事是你做的，但是你要代表公司做出明确的道歉。Post说：“有时候你需要为团队道歉。总需要有人来道歉的。”如果你向客户道歉而非将所有责任都归咎同事的话，会让客户对你有更多好感。
3. You're not sure whether you should apologize.
不确定是否该道歉。
Perhaps you sensed during a meeting that your comment had upset a colleague. Before apologizing, try to find out what's going on. Post suggests saying, "'I felt some tensionin that meeting. Is everything all right?' If they say they're fine, then you don't need to apologize."
你可能意识到在会议上自己的行为让一位同事不舒服。在道歉之前，先看看发生了什么情况。Post建议这样说：“‘刚才开会的时候我觉得气氛有点紧张。事情都还好吧?’如果他们说自己很好，你就不需要道歉。”
Or maybe you want to express sympathyfor a colleague's situation without appearing to accept responsibility for something you didn't do. "Say, 'I regret that it happened this way,'" Post suggests. "What you don't want to do is to apologize for mistakes that really aren't yours."
或者你想对一位同事的处境表示同情，但是并不想把不是你的过错揽到自己身上。Post 建议“这样说‘我很遗憾事情会变成这样。’你不需要为不是你的'过错而道歉。”
4. You contribute to your team missing a deadline.
由于你的过错导致团队没有在规定时间内完成某项任务
This is tricky, since you want to accept the responsibility you deserve but no more than that.
这种情况很棘手，因为即使你想承担应得的责任，也远不止于此。
"Definitely avoid sounding like you're pointing fingers," Runion said. "You might say, 'It wasn't one of our team's finer moments. I can see several things that I could do differently in the future to contribute to a more effective team effort.'"
Runion说：“绝对不要让你的道歉使别人觉得你犯了很大的错误。你可以这样说‘这并非我们团队做得好的一次。我相信以后我们可以在这几个方面努力改进的话，一定能让我们的团队更有效率。”
5. You regret the words or tone you used, but you were expressing legitimate concerns.
虽然你是的关心是恰当的，但是你说的话和说话的语气却让自己后悔。
In this case, Post suggests saying something like, "I apologize for my tone of voice. I do have some serious concerns. I would like to address those now."
这种情况下，Post建议这样说：“我为我说话的语气道歉，我确实真的关心这几个问题，我想现在马上了解。”
6. You find yourself apologizing frequently.
发现自己经常道歉
Make sure you're not apologizing over and over for the same mistake. "Just because you're going to apologize later doesn't give you license to behave badly," Post says.
确保你不会总是为同一个错误而道歉。“仅仅因为你会在事后道歉，并非说你就可以肆无忌惮地犯错。”
Nor should you apologize for non-mistakes -- this can be taken as a sign of insecurity. "People want to work with people who are confident," Post adds.
你也不应该为没犯过的错道歉，因为这样会被别人觉得你没有安全感。Post补充说：“每个人都想和自信满满的同事一起共事。”
And when you do apologize, do it briefly for a small problem and save the long explanations for the big problems.
当你道歉的时候，小问题就简单明了地道歉，将长篇大论留到犯大错时再说。
"If you over-apologize, that is a sign of deference and weakness rather than accountability and strength," Runion says.
Runion说：“如果你道歉做过火了，别人会觉得你软弱、无能，而不会觉得你有责任感、有实力。”