| without | success, | so | that | one |
| has | wasted | one's | time | and |
| effort | one | has | worked | in |
| vain | when | one | has | done |
| so | without | achieving | the | intended |
| result, | because | of | the | defectiveness |
| of | the | work. | If | I |
| cannot | succeed | in | completing | a |
| piece | of | work, | I | am |
| working | vainly; | I | am | uselessly |
| wasting | my | time | and | effort. |
| If | the | work | I | have |
| done | does | not | have | the |
| result | I | was | expecting, | if |
| I | have | not | attained | my |
| goal, | I | have | worked | in |
| vain; | that | is | to | say, |
| I | have | done | something | useless.... |
| It | is | also | said | |
| that | someone | has | worked | vainly |
| when | he | has | not | been |
| rewarded | for | his | work, | or |
| when | this | work | has | not |
| been | approved; | for | in | this |
| case | the | worker | has | wasted |
| his | time | and | effort, | without |
| this | prejudicing | in | any | way |
| the | value | of | his | work, |
| which | indeed | may | be | very |
| good. Guy | Debord, | Paris, | February-April | 1988 Translator's |