????開門見山：如果被問到靠什么謀生，有何看法，我想大部分人都能寫出一本書來。但是，如果讓你濃縮到六個單詞來概述，你會怎么說呢？

????而這正是《史密斯》（Smith）雜志和咨詢行業巨頭美世咨詢（Mercer）發起的一個在線競賽的考題。最具智慧的答案將入選2012年初面世的《1份工，6個詞》（Six Words About the Work Life）一書。

????表現最佳的參賽者還將贏得iPads和PlayBooks平板電腦。然而，《史密斯》雜志的創始人拉里?史密斯說：“大部分人只是想和大家分享他們的故事”。

????截至目前收到的答案包括：

????“助理費力不討好，但卻必不可少。”

????“中學輔導員，青少年問題專家。”

????“切換任務，消磨時間。”

????“財務小姐，人見人愛。”

????“圖書管理員在此，禁止喧嘩。”

????“幫助病人平靜地離去，我深感欣慰。”

????“調酒師兼婚姻咨詢師。”

????“磁性寫字板。圖表。上升曲線。”

????“巧克力愛好者……讓生活更甜蜜。”

????“棄理從文：我是怪才。”

????“你希望什么時間完工？”

????有一些參賽者描述的則是他們自己或他們老板的管理技巧：

????? “輕聲細語，保持距離。”

?????“廣為納諫，從善如流。”

????? “誠實而不迂腐！”

?????“有事沒事就愛找茬！”

????史密斯稱，比賽將一直持續到8月27日， “9月1日左右” 優勝者將得到通知。

????值得注意的是，過去五年來，該雜志一直在圍繞不同的主題開展六詞概述系列競賽，吸引了美國、英國和加拿大50多萬網友的參與，史密斯預言：“濃縮工作生活的精華容易讓人上癮。”

????或許只是一樂。

????（翻譯 喬樹靜）

????Talk about getting straight to the point. Most of us could write a book when asked what we do for a living and how we feel about it. But if you were to boil it all down to six words, what would you say?

????That's the topic of a contest cosponsored by Smith magazine and consulting giant Mercer. The submissions judged to be the cleverest will appear in a book called Six Words About the Work Life, due out in early 2012.

????A few top winners will also receive prizes like iPads and PlayBooks. But, says the magazine's founder Larry Smith, "most people just like to share their story."

????Some of the entries so far:

????? "Thankless, but everyone needs an assistant."

????? "Middle school counselor. Teenage angst specialist."

????? "Between windows, alt-tabbing the hours."

????? "Who doesn't love the payroll lady?"

????? "I am librarian, hear me whisper."

????? "Helping patients die comfortably comforts me."

????? "Work as bartender and marriage counselor."

????? "Dry erase board. Graphs. Upward slopes."

????? "Amateur chocolatier…making life little sweeter."

????? "Writer, former engineer: I speak geek."

????? "You want it done by when?"

????A few contestants describe their, or their bosses', management techniques:

????? "Led in whispers, from a distance."

????? "Asked for ideas and used them."

????? "Integrity mixed with dose of tact!"

????? "Kicked my a** because he cared!"

????The contest runs until August 27, and winners will be notified "on or around September 1," Smith says.

????Noting that his magazine's Six-Word Memoir projects on various topics over the past five years have drawn more than half a million responses from the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada, Smith predicts that "distilling one's work life down to its essence will prove to be addictive."

????Or maybe just kind of fun.