A subcontractor is the person or company hired to do a piece of a bigger job that someone else promised to finish.

A subcontractor a subcontractor is是 the person or company那個人或公司 hired to do a piece of a bigger job被請來做一個更大工程裡的一部分，that someone else而那個更大的工程 promised to finish是別人答應要完成的。

If a large firm agrees to build an office tower, the tiler, the lift engineer and the security-system company working on that tower are all subcontractors. The customer often never meets them; they answer to the main contractor, and the main contractor answers to the customer.

If a large firm agrees to build an office tower如果一家大公司答應要蓋一棟辦公大樓，the tiler, the lift engineer貼磁磚的、電梯工程師、and the security-system company還有做保全系統的公司，working on that tower在那棟大樓上工作，are all subcontractors都是subcontractors。The customer客戶 often never meets them常常根本沒見過他們；they answer to the main contractor他們對主承包商負責，and而 the main contractor answers to the customer主承包商才對客戶負責。

Sometimes people shorten it in speech to 'sub' — 'we've got three subs on site today.' The word belongs to construction above all, but it has spread wherever big projects are broken into pieces: film production, software, defence, delivery, call centres.

Sometimes people shorten it in speech to 'sub'有時候口語會簡稱成'sub'——'we've got three subs on site today.'「我們今天工地上有三個sub。」The word這個字 belongs to construction above all最主要是屬於營建業的，but但 it has spread它已經擴散到 wherever big projects are broken into pieces任何把大案子拆成一塊塊的地方：film production, software, defence, delivery, call centres電影製作、軟體、國防、外送、客服中心。

It matters legally, because a subcontractor is usually not an employee. No sick pay, no company pension, paid per job — which is why news reports about poor conditions or unpaid wages so often turn on the word.

It matters legally這在法律上很重要，because因為 a subcontractor a subcontractor is usually not an employee通常不算員工。No sick pay, no company pension,沒有病假薪水、沒有公司退休金，paid per job按件計酬——which is why這就是為什麼 news reports about poor conditions or unpaid wages關於惡劣工作環境或欠薪的新聞報導 so often turn on the word常常都圍繞著這個字。

Being a subcontractor can mean a good, free, well-paid working life, or a precarious one; the word itself does not tell you which. A useful mental picture: the work goes down in layers, and a subcontractor may even hire subcontractors of their own.

Being a subcontractor當一個subcontractor can mean可能代表 a good, free, well-paid working life一種自由、薪水又不錯的工作生活，or也可能是 a precarious one一種不穩定的生活；the word itself這個字本身 does not tell you which沒辦法告訴你是哪一種。A useful mental picture一個有用的畫面是：the work goes down in layers工作是一層一層往下分的，and而 a subcontractor一個subcontractor may even hire甚至可能自己再去請 subcontractors of their own屬於他自己的subcontractors。