7. Too many cooks spoils the broth!

人多手杂反坏事

When people are working on an issue or problem, it sometimes is the case that more labor is better. If there are more people working on something, they are more likely to come up with a great solution.

当人们在处理一个问题或问题时，有时更多的劳动会更好。如果有更多的人在做某件事，他们更有可能想出一个很好的解决方案。

However, it could also be the case that too many people trying to work together creates many more problems than it solves. Instead of coming to a conclusion quickly, it could result in a lot of deliberation and slow progress.

然而，也有可能是因为太多人试图一起工作，造成的问题比解决的问题多得多。它不会很快得出结论，而是可能导致大量的深思熟虑和缓慢的进展。

In addition, some people may think that the other people on the task force will solve the problem, and they will not take responsibility.

此外，有些人可能会认为，专案组的其他人会解决问题，他们不会承担责任。

Or, it could be that too many people creates problems with communication and coordination, so that people who work together many not be up to date on the problem’s progress.

或者，可能是太多的人在沟通和协调方面造成了问题，使得许多人一起工作的人不能及时了解问题的进展。

In this case, we can say that too many cooks spoils the broth. In other words, sometimes too many people trying to do something can ruin it. This is the case even if we have the best cooks in the world.

在这种情况下，我们可以说太多的厨师坏了汤。换言之，有时候太多人试图做某事会毁掉它。即使我们有世界上最好的厨师，情况也是如此。

The basketball team clearly had the people with the most talent. However, they won fewer games than all the other teams! Looking back, it must have been that too many cooks spoils the broth, and all the superstars could not work well together.

篮球队显然拥有最有天赋的人。然而，他们赢的比赛比其他球队都少！回首往事，一定是厨师太多，汤坏了，所有的巨星都不能很好地合作。

Some big, successful companies such as Google have teams of only a dozen people, maximum. They call this the “two pizza principle”, that teams should be able to be fed with just two pizzas. This is because too many cooks spoils the broth, and larger teams are very difficult to manage.

一些成功的大公司，比如谷歌，最多只有十几个人的团队。他们称之为“双比萨饼原则”，即团队只需吃两个比萨饼。这是因为太多的厨师坏了汤，更大的团队很难管理。

8. We never miss water until the well runs dry!

失去才懂得后悔！

When you have all the things you want, it is hard to appreciate everything. This is in part because some of the enjoyment you get out of something comes from the anticipation, or the time that you don’t have it but you are thinking about it.

当你拥有所有你想要的东西时，很难欣赏所有的东西。这在一定程度上是因为你从某件事中得到的一些快乐来自于你的期待，或者是你没有它却在思考它的时候。

However, it is very easy to take things for granted. Instead of appreciating something that you have while you have it – such as the love of your family members, your significant other, money, or a safe place to live – you think that you are entitled to these things.

然而，很容易把事情想当然。与其欣赏你拥有的东西，比如你家人的爱，你重要的另一半的爱，金钱，或者一个安全的生活场所，不如认为你有权拥有这些东西。

It is only when you no longer have these things that you miss them. The next time that you hear this proverb, you know that someone does not appreciate what they have until they lose it.

只有当你不再拥有这些东西时，你才会想念它们。下次你听到这句谚语的时候，你就会知道有些人直到失去了它才懂得珍惜他们所拥有的。

Larry wished that he had appreciated his wife more when they had a good relationship. This is because ever since she decided to leave him, he had realized her worth. He never missed water until the well ran dry!

拉里希望他妻子关系好的时候他能更感激她。这是因为自从她决定离开他，他就意识到了她的价值。直到井干了他才放水！

When Bart moved away from home to go to college, he found it very challenging to cook and clean for himself, especially since he had a large course load. It was only that he realized how much work his mother helped him with back home. He never missed water until the well ran dry!

当巴特离开家去上大学时，他发现为自己做饭和打扫很有挑战性，特别是因为他有一大堆课程。只是他意识到母亲在家里帮了他多少忙。直到井干了他才放水！

9. Do not bite off more than you can chew!

别贪多嚼不烂！

Biting off more than you can chew means taking on more than you can handle. For example, it would be too much for someone to handle more than three or four projects at once.

咬掉你吃不完的东西意味着你承受不了的东西。例如，一个人同时处理三到四个以上的项目就太多了。

Trying to complete any more than that is biting off more than you can chew. In other words, it means trying to do too much at once. If someone feels overwhelmed by all that they have to do, tell them not to bite off more than they can chew!

想要完成更多的事情，就等于咬掉了你无法咀嚼的东西。换言之，这意味着一次做太多。如果有人觉得被他们必须做的事压得喘不过气来，告诉他们不要吃得太多！

Before the semester started, I told my best friend Ruth not to bite off more than she could chew. However, she insisted, and decided to take six classes, accept a part time job, and was president of the dance club. Halfway through the semester, she was completely exhausted but she only had herself to blame.

在学期开始前，我告诉我最好的朋友露丝不要贪多嚼不烂。然而，她坚持，决定上六节课，接受一份兼职工作，并担任舞蹈俱乐部的主席。学期进行到一半时，她筋疲力尽，但她只能怪自己。

It is good for companies to try many different projects at once, especially if they have the resources to do it. On the other hand, it is not wise to give any single employee to many things to do at once. Do not let individuals bite off more than they can chew!

对公司来说，一次尝试许多不同的项目是有好处的，特别是如果他们有足够的资源去做的话。另一方面，让一个员工同时做很多事情是不明智的。不要让个人咬得太多而嚼不动！

10. Half a loaf is better than none!

少胜于无

If you are looking around your house for something good to eat, it is better to have half a loaf of bread than none at all.

如果你在家里四处寻找好吃的东西，吃半条面包总比一条也不吃好。

Even if it does not fill you up completely, you can feel less hungry if you have something to eat rather than nothing. Likewise, in many situations, it is better to have something than nothing, even if that means you did not finish.

即使它不能完全填满你的肚子，如果你有东西吃而不是什么都没有，你也会觉得不那么饿。同样地，在很多情况下，有总比没有好，即使那意味着你没有完成。

Our boss will get mad at you if you have not finished your project by the deadline, but at least you can show him the progress you have made. Half a loaf is better than none!

如果你没有在截止日期前完成你的项目，我们的老板会生你的气，但至少你可以向他展示你所取得的进展。半个面包总比没有好！

If you have some things left to do at the end of the day, it could be better to just start on it rather than leave it all for tomorrow. After all, half a loaf is better than none!

如果你在一天结束的时候还有一些事情要做，最好还是从现在开始，而不是把一切都留给明天。毕竟，半个面包总比没有好！

11. A watched pot never boils!

心急水不开！

This is a very common proverb. It can be used for parents or bosses who want to know everything about something, rather than checking in every once in a while.

这是一句很常见的谚语。它可以用于家长或老板谁想知道的东西的一切，而不是每隔一段时间检查。

It means that if you keep paying attention to something and hoping that it will happen, it will never happen!

这意味着，如果你一直关注某件事，并希望它会发生，它永远不会发生！

Instead, if you set it aside and come check back on it later, it will happen. This is likely because watching something too closely means that you miss big developments.

相反，如果你把它放在一边，稍后再来查看，它就会发生。这可能是因为看得太近意味着你错过了大的发展。

As a teacher, I tell my overeager parents that a watched pot never boils. After all, constantly having their parents hovering over them will make any child nervous!

作为一名老师，我告诉我那些过于热情的父母，眼睁睁的锅永远不会沸腾。毕竟，不断让父母在他们身边徘徊会让任何孩子感到紧张！

Nancy was surprised to find that the police officers made almost all their progress on solving the case when she was not bothering them about it. She finally learned that it takes up the officers’ time if she kept asking questions, and that a watched pot never boils!南希惊讶地发现，警察在破案方面几乎取得了所有的进展，而她却不去打扰他们。她终于明白，如果她不停地问问题，会占用军官们的时间，而且被监视的锅永远不会沸腾！

12. Jump from the frying pan into the fire!

跳出油锅又入火坑

If you are already in the frying pan, that means there is heat on you – or pressure to perform. If you go from a stressful situation to an environmental that is even more stressful – the fire – you go from a bad situation to a worse one.

如果你已经在煎锅里了，那就意味着你身上有热气，或者说有压力。如果你从一个有压力的环境变成一个更为有压力的环境——火灾——你就会从一个糟糕的环境变成一个更糟糕的环境。

Our working group avoided jumping from the frying pan into the fire when we decided to abandon the project that was not going well instead of spending more valuable time and resources to save it.

当我们决定放弃进展不顺利的项目，而不是花费更多宝贵的时间和资源来挽救它时，我们的工作组避免了从煎锅跳到火里。

His parents thought that sending Justin to live with his grandparents during the week would help reduce his stress in school. However, his grandparents put even more pressure on him to get great grades and become captain of the basketball and debate teams – asking him to jump from the frying pan into the fire!他的父母认为让贾斯汀在一周内和爷爷奶奶住在一起有助于减轻他在学校的压力。然而，他的祖父母给了他更大的压力，要他取得好成绩，成为篮球队和辩论队的队长——让他从煎锅里跳进火里！

（来源：网络）