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

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 entries have been announced in this pair.

There were 14 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase, 7 of which were selected by peers to advance to the finals round. The winning entries were determined based on finals round voting by peers.

Competition in this pair is now closed.


Entries (14 total; 7 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #10013
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
223 x44 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.103.20 (10 ratings)3.00 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 3 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (4 total disagrees)
-1
+1
1
велелюдна більшість
Flows well
Olga Derenko
-2
+2
2
Знай, що сказати
Flows well
Olga Derenko
-1
+1
1
виклав суть справи
Flows well
Olga Derenko
Entry #10847
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
224 x42 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.223.44 (9 ratings)3.00 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 3 "like" tags
  • 4 users agreed with "likes" (8 total agrees)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (3 total disagrees)
-1
+4
1
Комерсант
Good term selection
Alexander Onishko
-1
+2
1
веде пряма доріжка.
Flows well
Lydia Polyak
-1
+2
1
коротка проповідь напоумить грішника
Flows well
Lydia Polyak
Entry #10354
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
174 x401 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.303.22 (9 ratings)3.38 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 5 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
  • 5 users disagreed with "likes" (16 total disagrees)
-4
+1
2
квіточок,
Good term selection
Lydia Polyak
-4
1
відстань між крапками твоїх речень
Flows well
Olga Derenko
-2
достукатись до грішників
Good term selection
Lydia Polyak
-4
1
вона себе не виказує та лестить своєму співрозмовнику.
Flows well
Lydia Polyak
-2
+1
2
те, що вони говорять, завжди прикро чути.
Flows well
Lydia Polyak
Entry #9943
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
122 x41 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.353.44 (9 ratings)3.25 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #10583
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
91 x42 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.673.73 (11 ratings)3.60 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 3 "like" tags
  • 7 users agreed with "likes" (11 total agrees)
  • 5 users disagreed with "likes" (8 total disagrees)
-1
довгі не потрібні навіть
Flows well
Попри неві​рний перек​лад deacon​s
Marina Aleyeva
-3
+6
1
Дай дурням вискочити з першим словом, а жінкам залишити за собою останнє
Flows well
Marina Aleyeva
-4
+5
3
слухач не обмовляє себе і водночас лестить оповідачеві
Flows well
Nelya Plakhota
Entry #10103
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
71 x41 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.012.88 (8 ratings)3.14 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 3 "like" tags
  • 3 users disagreed with "likes" (7 total disagrees)
-2
1
Більше нічого не говоріть.
Other
a thoughtf​ul way to ​give the a​uthor's me​ssage
Lydia Polyak
-2
1
улеслює
Other
good term ​selection ​inspite of​ wrong gra​mmar (righ​t: улещує)
Vassyl Trylis
-3
2
Гроші говорять тільки якщо власник цих грошей не може тримати язик за зубами, але і тоді гроші завжди говорять образливо. Бідність говорить також, але ніхто не бажає її слухати.
Flows well
distinct t​ranslation
Lydia Polyak
Entry #10009
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
1001 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.053.00 (11 ratings)3.10 (10 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
або жебрацьку торбу
Good term selection
Alexander Onishko