把一周工作交出去Handing Off for a Week
Today's task: Hand the week over to Nina — say what she covers, what she must not promise, and when she has to reach you.
The Setup
Where
A video call on Sunday evening, your time. You are at your desk in Wuhan, and an open suitcase is on the floor next to the screen. She is at her kitchen table in Lisbon, her lunch plate pushed to one side and a notebook already open.
Who
You build and run an AI writing tool and a channel on your own, with a few hundred paying users. Nina is the part-time community assistant you hired last month — today is her second day, and this is her first week alone.
At stake
For seven days you will be offline. The tickets are paid for and cannot be moved. It is the first time in two years that no one can reach you — and a promise made by someone else while you are away still comes back to you.
Mood
Quick and eager. She writes in her notebook while you talk, and her page is already half full. She says "I can do that" more often than she asks a question.
Scene Hint
视频接通，她那边正是午饭时间，盘子还留在桌角，笔记本摊开，已经写了半页字。你这边地板上的行李箱还没合上，手机在旁边亮着航空公司的值机提醒。她说话很快，每句末尾都跟着一句 I can do that，像是在替你先答应下来。窗外天已经黑了，你还能听见楼下有人在搬东西。你的任务是：在今天挂电话之前，把这七天的边界讲明白——哪些事你交给她，哪些话不能由她说出口，哪些时候她必须先找到你。
Dialogue
播放发闷或有电流感时：先在下拉里换一个带 ★ 的音色；如果用蓝牙耳机，让耳机回到音乐／立体声模式——通话模式会明显降低音质。
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Nina
I read the document last night. So I answer the messages, write down the bugs in the sheet, and send the Thursday note to users. Is that right?
我昨晚把文档读完了。所以我负责回消息、把 bug 记到表里，周四给用户发那条通知。对吗？
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You
That is right. And for seven days, you are covering for me. I have never been away that long, so I want to say the rules out loud today, while we are both here.
没错。这七天，你是在替我顶着。我从没离开这么久，所以今天趁我们都在，我想把规则当面讲出来。
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Nina
The messages I can do. It is the ones that need a decision that I am not sure about. What do I do when someone needs an answer from you?
回消息我可以。我不确定的是那些需要做决定的消息。有人要你的答复时，我该怎么办？
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You
Good. Here is the rule: if it is a decision, I make it. Send me the message, and I answer once a day, in the evening, your time. We are seven hours apart, so it is the same hour every day.
好。规则是这样：需要做决定的，我来做。你把那条消息发给我，我每天回一次，按你的时区、傍晚。我们差七个小时，所以每天都是同一个小时。
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Nina
Once a day. So if a paying user writes to me and wants an answer in an hour, what do I tell her?
一天一次。那要是付费用户写过来，想一小时内得到答复，我怎么跟她说？
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You
You write: 'I am on it, and I will write back today.' Then you send it to me. Do not promise a fix, a date, or a refund. If a message needs a promise, run it by me first.
你就回：「我在处理，今天会给你回信。」然后把这条发给我。不要承诺修复、不要承诺日期、不要承诺退款。如果一条消息需要你做出承诺，先让我过一遍。
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Nina
Run it by you first. All right. And the angry ones? Last night one person wrote to me in capital letters, with four question marks at the end.
先让你过一遍。好。那生气的呢？昨晚有个人整条消息都用大写字母写，末尾还加了四个问号。
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You
Same rule. Stay calm, keep it short, and do not explain my choices for me. When in doubt, write nothing and message me. A late answer is better than a wrong promise.
同一条规则。保持平静，写短，不要替我的决定做解释。拿不准的时候，什么都别写，直接找我。晚一点的答复，比一个错的承诺好。
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Nina
A late answer is better than a wrong promise. I will write that down. And the bug reports? Some of them I can test myself on my own computer.
晚一点的答复，比一个错的承诺好。这句我记下来。那 bug 报告呢？有些我可以在自己电脑上测。
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You
Test the easy ones, and write down what you find. Do not say a bug is fixed until I say it is fixed. In the meantime, tell the person which workaround to try — it is on page two of the document.
简单的你测，把结果写下来。在我告诉你说修好了之前，别说 bug 已经修好。在这段时间里，告诉对方先试哪个绕行办法——在文档第二页。
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Nina
Understood. One more thing, and it is a small one. If someone asks for a refund, I do not know what your answer is. Last month three people asked.
明白。还有一件小事。如果有人要退款，我不知道你的答案是什么。上个月有三个人问过。
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You
Then you write: 'I will look into it and get back to you.' Nothing more. That answer is mine to give, not yours. And Nina — if the site goes down while I am away, do not write anything. Call me. Any hour, day or night.
那你就回：「我去查一下，然后回复你。」不要多说。这个答复该由我给，不该由你给。还有，Nina——我不在的这几天，要是网站挂了，什么都别写，直接打电话给我。任何时间，白天晚上都行。
5 个重点表达
cover for me /ˈkʌvər fər miː/
核心含义：在我不在的时候，替我占住我的位置、做我的那份事。重点是"代班、代我顶着"，不是"替我遮掩"。
本课作用：这句话在 L2 就把这七天的关系定下来了：她是替你顶上的人，不是你的替代品。差别很实在——顶上的人只需要按你给的边界做事；替代品会被要求"像你一样判断"，而她做不到，你也不该把判断交出去。说完这句再讲规则，规则听起来就是授权，不是不放心。
记忆提示：（联想）cover 是"盖住"——人走了，位置上还蒙着一层布，别人看过去还是有人。常用说法：cover for someone / cover for me on Thursday。注意它另有一个意思是"替人打掩护、瞒着别人"，所以语气要说清。想说自己顶下来，用 I will cover for you。
换情境例句："My sister is covering for me at the shop all week, so the shop stays open."（这周我妹妹替我在店里顶着，所以店照常开。）
run it by me /rʌn ɪt baɪ miː/
核心含义：把还没定下来的话或做法先拿给我听一遍、过一下，我点头了再往外说。
本课作用：这是整通电话最实用的那条线（L6）。"你可以回消息"和"你不能答应事"之间，靠的就是它：回消息随时可以，一旦要做出承诺，先过我这一关。它比 Do not talk to anyone 松得多（后者会让她连消息都不敢回），也比什么都没说紧得多。Nina 在 L7 立刻重复了一遍，说明这句话在交接里是能被抓住的。
记忆提示：（联想）一件事先"跑"到你眼前过一趟，你看了才有下文。用法是 run something by someone：run it by me / run the numbers by me。别和 run through 弄混——run through 是把已有的一段内容从头讲一遍，run by 是"这事还没定，来问我"。
换情境例句："Send me the draft tonight and I will run it by my manager in the morning."（今晚把稿子发我，我明天早上拿给我主管过一下。）
when in doubt /wen ɪn ˈdaʊt/
核心含义：拿不准的时候——后面跟一句做法，等于给对方一条不用猜的默认动作。
本课作用：L8 这句是整个授权的保险丝。它承认了一件事：规则再细也有盖不到的地方，而她一定会碰上。给它一个默认动作（写 nothing、直接找我），比不断补充规则更省事——她不需要在陌生情况里替你判断什么是对的，只需要知道不确定时该停手。对刚上手的人是减负，不是加压。
记忆提示：（联想）doubt 是"心里有疑"，in doubt 就是站在那个不确定的点上。后面几乎总是直接跟祈使句：When in doubt, ask / wait / write nothing。注意它说的是"对情况没把握"，不是"怀疑某个人"。
换情境例句："When in doubt, choose the smaller portion and add more later."（拿不准分量的时候先给少一点，不够再加。）
in the meantime 复习 /ɪn ðə ˈmiːnˌtaɪm/
复习说明：2026-09-24 那课首次出现（当时讲账号被冻结、在等审核结果的空档里说清自己那半边的动作），这一课换到"正式答复还没来，用户手里先有什么"，例句也换了场景。
核心含义：在这段时间里——指从"事情已经说了"到"结果出来"中间那个空档。
本课作用：L10 它把"等"变成"做"。她自己不会修 bug，但她可以让对方在等的这段时间里试文档里的绕行办法。交接里最怕的就是"我不在，所以只能等"——加上这一句，她手里就有了一个能给出去的东西，用户那头也不至于原地打转。
记忆提示：（联想）mean time 是"中间那段"时间：开头和结尾之间。常放句首，后面接一个完整的句子：In the meantime, use the old one. 它不等于 at the same time（同时发生），也不等于 meanwhile（多半只是叙事上的"与此同时"）。
换情境例句："The new printer arrives next week. In the meantime, you can send the file to the print shop downstairs."（新打印机下周到。这期间你可以把文件发到楼下那家打印店。）
look into it 复习 /lʊk ˈɪntuː ɪt/
复习说明：2026-09-24 那课首次出现（当时讲请平台去查账号为什么被拦），这一课换到"替你把用户的话收下并留一个回音"，例句也换了场景。
核心含义：去查、去了解——只表示"我会去看清楚"，不表示"我会答应你"。
本课作用：L12 是这通电话的收口。Nina 不知道退款该怎么答，也不该由她答；给她一句可以直接照抄的话，她就不用临场编——不答应、也不关死门，等你回来处理。这句话的真正作用在定义责任：答案在你手上，她只负责把你的话递过去。
记忆提示：（联想）look into 是"往里看"——先低头把盒子里的东西看明白，再决定怎么办。它不含"解决"的意思，所以不能当承诺听，也不该当承诺说。常用搭配：I will look into it and get back to you（我去查一下再回你）。
换情境例句："Thanks for flagging the noise upstairs. I will look into it and get back to you this week."（谢谢你反映楼上的噪音，我去了解一下，这周回你。）
实用句型（来自本课对话）
My Turn
Situation: Same seven days, same person, one thing is different. Before you finish the call, Nina tells you she has an exam next Thursday and cannot work at all that day. Nobody covers Thursday.
They say: "I am sorry. Thursday I am not here at all — not even for one hour. What do we do with Thursday?"
Your turn: Say three short things: that Thursday is not her mistake, what will still happen that day, and who answers the questions that need a decision. 提示结构：先把她身上那点歉意摘掉 → 给周四一个具体的动作 → 说清这一天里"需要承诺的事"由谁扛。先自己说出口，再看参考。