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There has been a sharp increase in redundancies over the past year in the UK. This has made a big impact on society as well as on the individuals concerned.

Do you see the job centre as a world of possibilities?

Usually it is not a very happy experience to go through but with the right mind-set you can turn it into a good thing.

Yang Li and Finn talked to a business expert and two employees to find out why redundancy can be a blessing in disguise.

Listen to this programme with Yang Li and Finn to learn some useful expressions and pick up some tips on how to cope with redundancy in a positive way.

英国过去一年来的被裁人数急剧上升。这对整个社会和被裁人员都是重大冲击。

一般来说因被裁而失去工作不是一个愉快的经历，但是如果你能正视现状并积极应对，其实也会使坏事变好事。俗话说，赛翁失马，焉知非福吗。

杨莉和方安通过对三个人的采访录音向大家介绍相关词语并分享成功者的经验和专家建议。
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About this script
Please note that this is not a word for word transcript of the programme as
broadcast. In the recording and editing process, changes may have been made
which may not be reflected here.

Yang Li: Hello, welcome to BBC Learning English. I’m Yang Li and with me
today is Finn.
Finn: Hi there. Today we are talking about what happens when you're
made redundant.
Yang Li: To be 'made redundant' means to lose your job because the
company is cutting staff or no work is available. 裁员。被裁掉。
Finn: Usually it is not a very happy experience to go through. But, as
we're going to find out, sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise.
Yang Li: In Chinese 塞翁失马，焉知非福。A blessing in disguise.
Finn: Indeed, 塞翁失马。So, in today's programme, we’ll hear from an
expert and two people who have turned redundancy into a good
thing.
Yang Li: Charles Handy 是著名的经济事务专家和作者。他对如何应对裁员冲击有很
多高见。
Insert
My advice would be to see it as an opportunity to reinvent your life. And
if you reinvent your life, remember that you've got to re-educate yourself and
that means investing in yourself.
Finn: Charles says that you should see redundancy as an opportunity to
reinvent your life.
Yang Li: To reinvent your life 再创新生活。
Finn: You must 're-educate' yourself – that means you must learn new
things.
Yang Li: 再次学习新事物。
Finn: And you have to invest in yourself.
Yang Li: 进行自身的投资。
Finn: And there are different ways of investing in yourself. Listen to
Charles again:
Insert
One of the best ways of re-educating or reinventing yourself is to do a lowly paid
or unpaid internship or apprenticeship. In other words, attach yourself in some
way to people in another kind of trade or occupation or profession and learn their
business. I think that we're gong to have to do that much more often in our lives.
Finn: Charles suggests an internship or an apprenticeship can be a good
way to learn new skills.
Yang Li: Internship 实习；见习。 Apprenticeship 做学徒工。They are usually
low-paid 低薪的or unpaid 没有薪水的。
Finn: This way, he says, you can attach yourself to people in another
kind of trade or occupation or profession and learn a completely
new skill.
Yang Li: Trade 一般来说是指需要技巧而非高深学问的职业或手艺。Occupation 指
一个人经常做的工作和职业。Profession 作 “职业” 解释时，通常指那些必须
受到特殊教育及训练才可胜任带有专业性质的工作，多为创造性的脑力劳动。
Finn: When you're made redundant, you often get what we call a lump
sum of money – that's a certain amount of money in one go, a
lump sum.
Yang Li: 就是被裁人员的一次性补偿费。 Does Charles think it's a good idea to
spend that lump sum on a holiday? Listen for the answer.
Insert
Lucky you, you are being made redundant, you will get a lump sum of some sort
– that's your investment in yourself. Now don't go and blow it on a cruise or a
holiday, put it into something – and I'm not saying necessarily a course – but
some experience that will help you into a next kind of life.
Finn: Did you get the answer? Charles said no, don't go and blow that
lump sum on a holiday. To blow money.
Yang Li: To blow money means 挥霍浪费金钱。
Finn: Instead, put it into an experience or some training that will help
you.
Yang Li: Some people have made very good use of the lump some to get
them started in their new life and career. Listen to Yvonne.
Insert
I took voluntary redundancy almost four years ago now. I saw that as an
opportunity to number one, to get rid of some debts so I paid off some bills. And
that financial freedom then allowed me to developed some new skills, find out
what I enjoyed in life, things that I was good at. And basically I have now
developed what they call a career portfolio. And that means instead of being able
to do just one job in life you are able to do more than one.
Yang Li: Yvonne took voluntary redundancy. Voluntary 就是主动自愿的。其反
义词是被迫的，强制的。The opposite is compulsory.
Finn: Yes, we do hear the term compulsory redundancy as well. Now,
taking voluntary redundancy was a good thing for Yvonne because
she was able to use her compensation money, that’s the lump sum,
to get rid of her debts and develop new skills.
Yang Li: And she has now developed a career portfolio. Portfolio 是明细表的意
思，此处指她积累了多种技能, 成为了一个多才多艺的人。
Finn: Another person who benefited from redundancy is Helen.
Insert
In some ways I was very happy that I was made redundant, because not only
have I received some money, I received compensation but I also I’ve got a great
job now that I really enjoy.
Finn: So according to Helen, redundancy was good for her because she
got both compensation and found a better job.
Yang Li: Yes. I have read a lot of stories about how people rediscover their
own talents after having been made redundant.
Finn: So how about this; rather than seeing it as the end of one’s career,
redundancy could be a wonderful new start in life, right Li?
Yang Li: Yes I think so. As Charles points out, redundancy is often a great
chance to reinvent yourself and do what you always wanted to do.
Insert
I suspect, somewhere at the back of your mind you have a little dream of what
you could have been and this is your time to be what you could have been.
Finn: So Li do you have a little dream that you never quite made into
reality?
Yang Li: Well, I do.
Finn: Do you? Are you going to tell me?
Yang Li: Well, I think I will keep it a secret for the time being, but what I am
going to tell you is that I have a philosophy. My philosophy is,
always enjoy my career and be prepared for changes in life.
Finn: Well Li, I think that sounds like a very mature philosophy. Very
nice. And on that note we will bid you a fond goodbye from London.
Yang Li: We hope to see you soon.