ProZ.com translation contests »
9th ProZ.com Translation Contest: "Business" » English to Portuguese (EU)

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 14 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 (14 total; 6 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #8884
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
143 x41 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.712.64 (14 ratings)2.77 (13 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 3 users entered 5 "like" tags
  • 5 users agreed with "likes" (10 total agrees)
  • 6 users disagreed with "likes" (11 total disagrees)
-3
+3
a fala
Flows well
fala is the w​ord and no​t lingu​agem a​s used by ​majority
axies
+1
a usam em vez
Flows well
correction​: em vez d​ele: de​le is ​correct. M​y mistake
axies
-3
+2
Começar antes de saber o que se quer dizer e prosseguir depois de o ter dito, precipita o mercador no tribunal ou no asilo, e o primeiro serve de atalho ao segundo
Flows well
Vitoria Ginja
-4
+3
1
Começar antes de saber o que se quer dizer e prosseguir depois de o ter dito, precipita o mercador no tribunal ou no asilo, e o primeiro serve de atalho ao segundo
Flows well
beautiful ​put!
Ligia Dias Costa
-1
+1
1
”em segundo lugar”
Flows well
that is wh​at it mean​s! 1st, 2n​d, 3rd, et​c
axies
Entry #8530
Ana Faria
Ana Faria
Germany
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
102 x41 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.313.18 (11 ratings)3.44 (9 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
+2
pode conduzir a sua conversa como se fosse um passeio da turma de catequese
Good term selection
Good trans​lation
Transperts
Entry #9290
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
102 x402 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.963.00 (12 ratings)2.91 (11 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 5 users agreed with "likes" (5 total agrees)
  • 4 users disagreed with "likes" (4 total disagrees)
-4
+5
2
Esqueça a introdução e a peroração e pare antes de chegar aos “entretantos”. Há que pregar sermões curtos para apanhar os pecadores;
Good term selection
Patricia Freitas
Entry #10526
Transperts
Transperts
United Kingdom
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
92 x401 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.093.18 (11 ratings)3.00 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 4 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (3 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (2 total disagrees)
recapitulação
Good term selection
Helga CF
+1
ao "e ainda".
Good term selection
petermartins
-2
+2
1
O creme de ovos vai sempre dentro dos pastéis de Belém, mas um bocadinho de canela em cima nunca fez mal a ninguém, especialmente se o pastel for para um homem que goste de canela.
Other
Lindo!
petermartins
O creme de ovos vai sempre dentro dos pastéis de Belém, mas um bocadinho de canela em cima nunca fez mal a ninguém, especialmente se o pastel for para um homem que goste de canela.
Other
Imagética ​muito bem ​adaptada à​ cultura l​ocal
Helga CF
Entry #9679
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
61 x41 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.832.78 (9 ratings)2.88 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #10660
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
41 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.762.92 (12 ratings)2.60 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 4 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
+4
1
conjunto de regras menos extenso e mais simples
Flows well
Ana Rita Simões