Japan has a culture of long working hours, but even in this generally tough and stressful working environment some companies stand out because of the complete disregard for their employees’ well-being. They are known as “black companies” and anyone who has ever wanted to experience what working for such organizations is like, without actually getting a job at one, can find out by applying for a special event called “The Black Holiday”.
日本素来有工作时间长的传统，但即使在这种普遍严苛高压的工作环境下，仍然有一些公司“脱颖而出”，因为它们完全不在乎员工幸不幸福。这种公司被称为“黑公司”，任何想体验在黑公司工作的感觉，又不想真的在那里就职的人，可以通过申请“黑色假日”的特别活动来实现。
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It’s hard to imagine anyone ever wanting to experience what a ‘black company’ is like, but especially so on Friday, November 23, when Japan celebrates Labor Thanksgiving Day. It’s a national holiday and a rare opportunity to enjoy a long weekend free of work-related stress. But that’s exactly why the organizers of The Black Holiday chose this date for their special event. What better way to emphasize just how bad working for a black company can be than having you do it on your day off, right?
难以想象会有人想体验在“黑公司”工作是什么样，尤其是在11月23日(刚好是星期五)——日本的勤劳感谢日这一天。这是日本的国家法定节日，也是难得能享受没有工作压力的长周末的机会。但这正是“黑色假日”的组织者要选择这一天来举办特别活动的原因。还有什么比在勤劳感谢日为黑公司打工更能凸显恶劣工作条件的呢?
Super Miracle Happy, the fictitious black company that 30 “lucky” applicants will have the chance to work for during The Black Holiday, is actually made up of a group of Japanese actors who will do their best to replicate the working environment of real black companies. It’s unclear what exactly these volunteers will experience during their one-day employment, but we do know that the actors’ performances will be based on true stories from people who have worked in Japanese black companies.
这个虚拟的“黑公司”名为“超 级奇迹快乐”，将录用30名“幸运的”求职者在勤劳感谢日为其工作。这个虚拟公司实际上是由一群日本演员组成的，他们将尽力模仿真实黑公司的工作环境。目前还不清楚这些志愿者在一天的打工过程中将经历什么，但我们知道的是演员的表演将基于曾在日本黑公司工作人员的真实故事。
"If my boss didn’t like you, he’d make you stand by his desk while he ignored you and fiddled with his PC for four to six hours,” one former black company employee said.
一名黑公司的前职员说：“如果我的老板不喜欢你，他会让你站在他的桌子旁，然后一边无视你一边摆弄他的电脑，就这样持续四到六个小时。”
"For a required ‘development retreat,’ we were confined in a tiny one-room apartment near our office for several hours,” another person said.
另一个人说：“为了参加强制的‘职业发展退修会’，我们被关在公司附近一个狭小的一居室公寓中长达数小时。”
"One of the members of the board of directors (the president’s son) took me to a private room at a bar where he spent two hours trying to convince me to go on a travel date to Okinawa with him, then got angry at me for being indecisive when I tried to dodge the question of whether or not I would go with him.”
“一名董事会成员(董事长的儿子)带我去酒吧的一个包间，在那里他花了两个小时试图说服我和他去冲绳岛旅游，后来又因为我犹豫不决回避去不去的问题而发火。”
According to a promotional job ad, Super Miracle Happy is a company from the medical devices sector looking to higher people who “have stamina, endurance, and never complain”. The poster shows an shadowy and frankly creepy manager welcoming applicants to “the company that people most want to quit from in all the world.” Super Miracle Happy is looking for 30 new employees who will have to work in two 90-minute shifts, one starting 1 pm, and the other at 6 pm, but keep in mind that this is a black company, so expect some mandatory overtime.
根据该公司的“招聘广告”，“超 级奇迹快乐”是一家医疗设备领域的公司，寻求“精力充沛、忍耐力强、从不抱怨”的高端人才。广告中，一个脸上蒙着阴影、看上去让人毛骨悚然的经理欢迎求职者来到“全世界人们最想离职的公司”。“超 级奇迹快乐”公司招聘的30名新员工要两班倒，每一班时长90分钟，一班从下午1点开始，另一班从下午6点开始，但记住这是一家黑公司，所以将会有强制加班。
IT Media reports that selected applicants are likely to see other employees of Super Miracle Happy resting in sleeping bags when they first enter the company’s office, and can expect to be yelled at and scolded for much of their 90-minute shifts. The organizers acknowledge that the stress of working for a Japanese black company, even for one day, could be a bit too much for some people, so they urge selected candidates that their bosses are really just paid actors playing a role. Instead of resorting to any kind of violence, stressed-out employees are invited to offer a letter of resignation if at any point they want to cut their experience short and go home.
据IT Media网站报道，被录用的求职者刚进入公司的办公室时将可能看到“超 级奇迹快乐”公司的其他职员在睡袋中睡觉，而且在他们90分钟的工作中将有很大一部分时间被吼骂斥责。组织者承认，在日本黑公司的工作压力，即使只有一天，也可能让某些人承受不了，所以他们会提醒被选中的求职者，他们的“老板”其实只是拿钱扮演角色的演员。为了避免人们诉诸于暴力，如果职员在任何时候不堪重负想提前结束经历回家，组织者欢迎职员提交辞呈。
While The Black Holiday sounds like a special event for masochists, SoraNews24 claims that it is actually aimed at two categories of people: employees dissatisfied with their current jobs, but hesitant to look for something better (employees hope that the experience will inspire them to look for better employment opportunities), and managers and executives (organizers hope that they will have greater empathy for their employees after spending a day in their shoes).
尽管“黑色假日”听起来像是为受虐狂准备的特别活动，SoraNews24网站指出，这一活动实际上针对的是两类人：一类是对目前的工作不满但又拿不定主意是否要另谋高就的职员(希望这段经历能启发他们去寻找更好的工作机会)，另一类是经理和高管(组织者希望在体验了一天员工疾苦后他们能对自己的下属有更强的同理心)。
