职业运动员、宇航员、时尚设计师、超模……这些都是世人心中的理想工作，光鲜体面又多金，这样的好工作谁不想要呢？可是，在名利双收的背后，却隐藏着不为人所知的艰辛和无奈。
Model Bella Hadid presents a creation by designers Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler as part of their Fall/Winter 2020/21 women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France February 29, 2020. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
模特们也许会晒出自己奢华的生活方式，但现实是大量的辛苦工作、高强度的日程安排，而且收入也没你想的那么高。
Models may flaunt their luxury lifestyles, but the reality is lots of hard work, a highly demanding schedule, and not as much money as you might think.
模特们似乎总是在世界各地飞来飞去，享受游轮上的豪华假期，穿着设计师制作的最好的衣服。然而，模特们必须遵循高强度的日程安排，还要一直面对保持完美身材的压力。Models seem to be constantly jet-setting around the world, enjoying luxury vacations aboard yachts, and flaunting designers' best pieces. But they have to follow a demanding schedule and deal with constant pressure to stay in shape.在接受时尚杂志《Vogue》的采访时，贝拉·哈迪德坦承：“我每天早上都想哭，我午饭休息时间也想哭，我在睡觉前也想哭。我18岁时，连续四个月每天工作14个小时，有一段时间我的情绪非常不稳定。我想我只是需要喘口气。”In an interview with Vogue, Bella Hadid confessed, "I would cry every single morning, I would cry during my lunch breaks, I would cry before I slept. I was very emotionally unstable for a while when I was working 14-hour days for four months straight as an 18-year-old. I think I just wanted to breathe a little bit."此外，模特们的收入也没有你想的那么高。根据劳工统计局的数据，纽约的模特平均一年能挣48130美元（约合人民币33.4万元）。根据商业内幕网先前的报道，这只是曼哈顿人平均年薪的三分之一。 Plus, they don't earn as much as you might think. In New York, models earn $48,130 on average a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's only a third of the average annual Manhattanite salary, Business Insider previously reported.
Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash
职业品尝师的工作不是收钱去吃点心。现实是这份工作重复性高、技术性强。Being a professional taste-tester isn't just getting paid to snack. The reality is that the job is repetitive and highly skilled.小时候，大家都幻想做全职的冰淇淋和饼干品尝师。现实是，这份工作非常注重细节，而且重复性很高。As a kid, everyone fantasizes about getting to sample ice cream and cookies as a full-time career. The reality is the job is very detail-oriented and very repetitive.在评估一个产品时，品尝师不能单纯地给它贴上“好”或“坏”的标签。事实上，食品的每个方面都要用数字来打分，品尝师需要辨别出每种特定口感的程度。When evaluating a product, testers can't just label it as "good" or "bad." Instead, a mathematical score has to be given for every aspect of the food, with testers identifying the strength of each specific flavor.一名品尝师告诉今日网站说：“这需要注意力高度集中。”"It requires such a high level of concentration," one taste-tester told TODAY.com.有时一位品尝师需要连续数周品尝一种特定产品，比如一种曲奇饼或梳打饼。Sometimes a tester will have to sample a specific product, such as a cookie or cracker, for weeks on end.这位品尝师补充道：“你的工作表现会被考核，所以压力还挺大的。你想把工作做好，而且这完全是定量的工作。你进入的是测试模式。”"You're getting graded on what you do, so it's kind of stressful. You want to do a good job, and it's totally quantitative. You go into test-taking mode," the taste-tester added.
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash 任何看着《欲望都市》长大的人都梦想过上凯莉·布莱肖的生活。但现实是，你需要很多个人储备金才能支撑自己的写作事业。Anyone who grew up watching "Sex and the City" dreamed of living like Carrie Bradshaw, but in reality, you need plenty of personal funding to support a career as a writer.观众看到的是凯莉·布莱肖穿着名牌衣服在纽约市到处逛，喝香槟，靠写作的收入来生活。Viewers watched Carrie Bradshaw parade around New York City in designer clothing, sipping champagne, and living off a writer's salary.不幸的是，很少有人可以仅靠写作的收入来支撑这种生活方式。Unfortunately, it's rare to be able to support this lifestyle on a writer's salary alone.根据2018年的作家协会研究，2017年所有发表过作品的作家从事写作相关活动的中位收入是6080美元，相比2009年的10500美元下降了。In a 2018 Author's Guild Study, the median income of all published authors for all writing-related activity was $6,080 in 2017, down from $10,500 in 2009.通常来说，作家都要身兼多职，比如做审稿编辑，或靠着伴侣或家人的经济支持来追随自己的梦想。Oftentimes, writers have to work multiple jobs, copy edit, or rely on a partner or family's financial support to follow their dreams.历史小说《血防线》的作者内维尔·弗兰克尔建议作家们“住在阁楼或地下室；做任何糊口所需的工作。如果你足够幸运，有一个在职的伴侣或配偶，你们可以约定好经济上互相支持。”Neville Frankel, author of the historical novel "Bloodlines," recommends writers "live in the attic or the basement; do whatever jobs you need to make ends meet. If you're fortunate enough to have a partner or spouse with a job, make a deal to support each other financially."在作家林恩·斯蒂格·斯特朗为《卫报》写的一篇文章中，她解释道，许多作家都没有公开讨论他们是如何资助自己的事业的，营造出一种只要你努力就能以写作为生的假象。但是到头来，写作就是需要很多时间和空间——这两个因素是特权人士更容易获得的。In an article author Lynn Steger Strong wrote for the Guardian, she explains that plenty of writers don't openly discuss how they are funding their careers, creating an illusion that making a living off writing is possible, as long as you put in the work. But at the end of the day, she says writing simply requires a lot of time and space — two factors that a person of privilege has way more access to.
Photo by Florian Olivo on Unsplash 以打游戏为生很可能是每个孩子的梦想，但这一事业会让人极端孤立。
Playing video games for a living is probably every kid's dream, but the career can be extremely isolating.能够以打自己最爱的游戏谋生听起来像是梦想成真。但是，一旦它成为全职的事业，这种生活方式会让人孤立，压力也很大。Getting to play your favorite video game for a living sounds like a dream come true. However, once it becomes a full-time career, the lifestyle can be isolating and stressful.职业游戏玩家肖恩·加拉格尔（又名格拉德）告诉商业内幕网说，游戏会让你忽视你所爱的人，你会以订阅用户为重，因为他们是你的收入来源。Professional gamer Sean Gallagher, aka "Gladd," told Business Insider that gaming can cause you to lose sight of your loved ones and prioritize subscribers, which help boost your income.在这个行业，玩家们每天打12到14个小时的游戏，压力迫使你不能离开屏幕。莱恩·怀特（又名真先锋）说，游戏社区是一个“看不见你就会忘记你”的行业。在他培养了三年粉丝群后，他决定休一周假，结果他在流媒体平台Twitch上失去了将近两年才能培养起来的粉丝量。In an industry where some gamers are playing for 12-14 hours a day, there's also pressure never to leave your screen. Ryan Wright, aka "True Vanguard," said the gaming community is a very "out of sight, out of mind" kind of industry. When he decided to take a week-long vacation after three years of growing his community, he lost almost two years' worth of growth on Twitch, a live-streaming platform.除了要面对精神上的压力，玩家们身体上也会受伤。根据哥伦比亚广播公司新闻报道，有些玩家报告称患上了腕管综合症（手腕受伤）。As well as taking on this mental strain, players can end up hurt physically, too. Some have reported carpal tunnel syndrome or injured wrists, according to CBS News.
Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash 任何曾参与服务行业的人很可能都幻想过开一家自己的餐厅，但许多餐厅老板都是艰难求存。Anyone who has been involved in the service industry has probably fantasized about opening up a restaurant of their own, but many struggle to stay afloat.失败的餐厅比成功的餐厅多，这是因为在这一行成功不是易事。There are more restaurant failures than successes, and that's because succeeding in the industry is no easy feat.旅游指南网站Thrillist与多家餐厅和酒吧老板交谈，问他们这份工作最难的部分是什么。他们的抱怨包括没有社交生活、一天工作18个小时、没有收入、又脏又累的苦力活、员工总是不停发问，以及未知的前景。Thrillist spoke with multiple restaurant and bar owners and asked them the hardest parts about the job. Among their complaints were a nonexistent social life, 18-hour days, no income, gruesome dirty work, a constant stream of questions from the entire staff, and knowing that continued success is never guaranteed.
来源：中国日报网英语点津 翻译：丹妮