目前，搭建脚手架的工人严重短缺。我实在想不明白为什么会出现这种情况——这份工作不仅体力要求极高，报酬也很低，而且需要掌握真正的技能才能胜任。我的父亲和祖父都从事过搭建脚手架的工作，所以我也曾尝试做过一段时间，不过做得相当糟糕。经过几个月的努力，我的体力终于有所增强，终于能够为这项工作做出一些贡献了。
There’s a shortage of scaffolders. I can’t think why. It’s incredibly hard physical work, doubtless doesn’t pay enough and requires real skill to get right. Scaffolding was part of my dad’s and grandad’s business, so I did it for a while, rather badly. After a torrid few months, I slowly got strong enough to make a contribution.
当我第一次独自抬起一根21英尺长的脚手架杆时，那确实是一个让我感到自豪的日子。然而现在，我甚至连从卡车上卸下一根脚手架杆都做不到……我之所以知道这一点，是因为我曾经试过，而且我还习惯于向那些有空闲时间与我聊天、并嘲笑我技术差的工人们请教他们。
The first time I lifted a 21ft scaffold pole on my own was a proud day indeed. Now, I can’t even pull one off the back of a truck – this I know, because I’ve tried, being in the habit of talking to any scaffolders who can spare the time for a chat and enjoy scoffing at my weakness. They’re a breed of their own and, alarmingly, a dying one.
搭建脚手架的工人属于一个特殊的职业群体，而且这个群体正面临着逐渐消失的危险。今年3月，英国国家脚手架与高空作业联合会表示，英国急需额外增加4万名这类工人。如果这种短缺状况得不到解决，我们将不得不建造大量低层建筑。
In March, the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation said the UK needed as many as 40,000 more scaffolders. Unless this shortfall is filled, we’re going to be putting up a lot of low-rise buildings. As someone who went off to do something else with his life and has just pointed out what a tough line of work it is, I’m hardly well placed to speak up for the profession, but I’ll give it a bash.
作为一个已经转行从事其他工作的人，我其实并不适合为这个行业发声……但我还是想说几句。在当今这个时代，这份工作有一个显著的优势：人工智能根本无法替代它。那些自认为无所不能的科技巨头或许可以宣称他们能够治愈癌症或毁灭人类，但我从未听过他们中有任何人声称自己能够负责搭建一个高达10层楼的建筑物的脚手架结构。
For starters, it has the considerable merit in this day and age of being a job that AI can’t do. The technogarchs may claim they can do everything from curing cancer to destroying humanity, but I’ve yet to hear one of them say their clever-dickery extends to erecting a massive Meccano set around a 10-storey housing development.
此外，这份工作也是英国成功故事的一部分——因为我认为我们在搭建脚手架方面做得比任何其他国家都要好。无论我去哪里旅行，都会发现其他地方的脚手架搭建质量远远不如我们的。在某些地方，整个脚手架结构几乎看不到一个标准的直角……我正要说，如果有一项国际脚手架锦标赛，英国肯定会轻松夺冠。然而，事实证明真有这样的比赛，叫做ScaffChamp，而我们今年没能赢。
Also, it’s a chance to be part of a British success story, in that I reckon we do it better than anyone else. Wherever I go on my travels, I always think the scaffolding isn’t a patch on ours. In some places, you can barely see a decent right angle on the whole rig. I was just about to say that if there were an international scaffolding championship, the UK would win hands down. However, it turns out that there is such a thing, called ScaffChamp, and we didn’t win it this year.
一家立陶宛公司夺得了冠军，但他们拥有主场优势，因为比赛是在维尔纽斯举行的。不过，还是要为来自曼彻斯特的AK Scaffolding，以及由北爱尔兰和苏格兰全体学徒组成的A-Team点赞，他们为英国扛起了旗帜。我相信荣耀很快就会属于我们。脚手架要回家了。阿德里安·奇尔斯是一位广播员、作家，也是《卫报》的专栏作家
A Lithuanian firm did, but they had home advantage, as it was held in Vilnius. Props, though, to AK Scaffolding, from Manchester, and the A-Team, an all-apprentice squad from Northern Ireland and Scotland, for flying Britain’s flag. I’m confident glory will be ours before long. Scaffolding’s coming home. Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist