ProZ.com translation contests »
9th ProZ.com Translation Contest: "Business" » English to Swedish

Competition in this pair is now closed.

Source text in English

I remember reading once that some fellows use language to conceal thought, but it's been my experience that a good many more use it instead of thought.

A businessman's conversation should be regulated by fewer and simpler rules than any other function of the human animal. They are:

Have something to say.

Say it.

Stop talking.

Beginning before you know what you want to say and keeping on after you have said it lands a merchant in a lawsuit or the poorhouse, and the first is a short cut to the second. I maintain a legal department here, and it costs a lot of money, but it's to keep me from going to law.

It's all right when you are calling on a girl or talking with friends after dinner to run a conversation like a Sunday-school excursion, with stops to pick flowers; but in the office your sentences should be the shortest distance possible between periods. Cut out the introduction and the peroration, and stop before you get to secondly. You've got to preach short sermons to catch sinners; and deacons won't believe they need long ones themselves. Give fools the first and women the last word. The meat's always in the middle of the sandwich. Of course, a light butter on either side of it doesn't do any harm if it's intended for a man who likes butter.

Remember, too, that it's easier to look wise than to talk wisdom. Say less than the other fellow and listen more than you talk; for when a man's listening he isn't telling on himself and he's flattering the fellow who is. Give most men a good listener and most women enough note-paper and they'll tell all they know. Money talks -- but not unless its owner has a loose tongue, and then its remarks are always offensive. Poverty talks, too, but nobody wants to hear what it has to say.

The winning entry has been announced in this pair.

There were 13 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase, 6 of which were selected by peers to advance to the finals round. The winning entry was determined based on finals round voting by peers.

Competition in this pair is now closed.


Entries (13 total; 6 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #10241
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
184 x41 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.303.43 (7 ratings)3.17 (6 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
+2
När man besöker en flicka eller språkar med vänner efter middagen går det för sig att föra en konversation som liknar en söndagsskoleutflykt,
Flows well
och bra or​dval. Mena​r hela men​ingen, men​ de har en​ 200 tecke​n-gräns
Mårten Engelberg
Entry #8453
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
163 x42 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.153.43 (7 ratings)2.86 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
-1
+1
1
Syndare måste fångas med korta predikningar och helgonen tror sig själva inte behöva några långa sådana.
Flows well
Stilig lös​ning!
lillkakan
Entry #9013
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
71 x41 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.093.00 (6 ratings)3.17 (6 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 4 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
+2
1
man som affärsman
Flows well
Vera Schoen
+2
kortaste möjliga avståndet mellan två punkter
Other
Bra lösnin​g.
Ulf Samuelsson
Entry #8950
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
61 x402 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.373.33 (6 ratings)3.40 (5 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
  • 3 users disagreed with "likes" (3 total disagrees)
-3
+1
2
bara ett stenkast
Good term selection
Annika Hedqvist
Entry #10114
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
41 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.063.29 (7 ratings)2.83 (6 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
-1
1
matnyttigaste
Good term selection
Annika Hedqvist
Entry #10366
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
1001 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.673.83 (6 ratings)3.50 (6 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags