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

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 27 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase, 5 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 (27 total; 5 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #10555
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
5311 x43 x23 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.483.88 (16 ratings)3.07 (14 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 3 users entered 3 "like" tags
  • 3 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
  • 4 users disagreed with "likes" (4 total disagrees)
-4
+2
3
《戒子書》
Good term selection
most candi​date copis​ miss this​ title out​...
Vincent Sun
+1
曾憶
Flows well
Good choic​e of style​ for this ​writing, c​onsidering​ its backg​round..
Jingjing Yu (X)
+1
知無不言,言無不盡
Good term selection
Grace Liu
Entry #9481
Grace Liu
Grace Liu
Canada
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
234 x43 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.053.00 (10 ratings)3.09 (11 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 5 users entered 5 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (4 total disagrees)
+1
吃官司
Good term selection
Jason Young
-1
+2
喋喋不休
Good term selection
Emtrans CN
+1
摆出一副聪明相容易,而出言睿智则难得多
Flows well
wonita (X)
-2
1
给大多数男人当个好听众,给大多数女人纸和笔,他们会把一切都告诉你。
Flows well
Huijun Suo
-1
贫穷虽然也能使鬼推磨
Good term selection
Similar to​ the trans​lation of ​*money tal​ks*
Jason Ma
Entry #8861
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
143 x41 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.163.15 (13 ratings)3.17 (12 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 6 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
  • 3 users disagreed with "likes" (13 total disagrees)
-2
+1
商人信口开河、喋喋不休的后果不是吃官司,就是破产进济贫院
Flows well
Good wordi​ng
Jingjing Yu (X)
-2
1
我之所以花大钱为公司供养一个法律部,就是为了避免打官司。
Flows well
Jingjing Yu (X)
+1
直接了当,言简意赅
Good term selection
Jingjing Yu (X)
-3
2
砍掉开场白和结束语,事情说完及时打住,不要节外生枝
Flows well
Jingjing Yu (X)
-3
1
学智者一脸深沉比当大师口吐莲花更容易
Flows well
Jingjing Yu (X)
-3
盛气凌人
Good term selection
Jingjing Yu (X)
Entry #9479
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
142 x42 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.313.33 (15 ratings)3.29 (17 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 5 users entered 13 "like" tags
  • 5 users agreed with "likes" (13 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (10 total disagrees)
+2
有些人假借言語來掩蔽他們的思維,然而我的經驗是為數更多的人言語的時候根本不假思索
Flows well
Jingjing Yu (X)
-2
1
適時封口
Flows well
看得出作者讲的准则是​依照讲话时的顺序列出​的。首先是心里有话要​说的时候,然后说出来​,最后是适时闭嘴。本​句翻的恰到好处。
windtraveller
讓商賈落得官司纒身或棲身救濟院
Good term selection
windtraveller
-1
+2
1
尚未斟酌措辭之前就貿然開口
Flows well
wonita (X)
沿途隨興駐足採花
Good term selection
windtraveller
-1
1
惜言如金,力求言簡意賅
Good term selection
windtraveller
-1
+2
1
要讓罪人幡然悔悟,講道必須簡短有力
Flows well
Huijun Suo
-1
1
說話的重點和三明治的肉片一樣:精華永遠都放在最中間。不可諱言的,在開場白還有結尾的部分說些討喜的話也無傷大雅 – 如果你說話的對象就是喜歡被灌迷湯的話。
Flows well
把三明治肉片和黄油这​个比喻的真正含意点出​,让读者掌握住重点,​读来更觉顺畅。若是直​接翻译三明治如何如何​,反而让人觉得突兀,​并且一时无法体会含意
windtraveller
+2
裝出一副智者的模樣要比口出“慧”語更容易
Flows well
This part ​flow well.
Jason Ma
-1
+2
1
因為當你洗耳恭聽的時候,才不會自暴其短,這時反而可以讓那位正在自暴其短的仁兄覺得他備受尊崇
Good term selection
The first ​accurate t​ranslation​ I've seen​ so far fo​r this sen​tence.
Jingjing Yu (X)
+2
知無不言,言無不盡
Good term selection
windtraveller
-2
2
財大聲音大
Good term selection
windtraveller
-1
+1
貧民也想要出聲,但是大家充耳不聞。
Flows well
wonita (X)
Entry #10117
wqxm922
wqxm922
China
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
101 x42 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.083.08 (13 ratings)3.07 (15 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (2 total disagrees)
-1
+2
对于人类的其他活动,生意人谈话的规则应该更为精简
Flows well
Jingjing Yu (X)
-1
+2
别忘了,三明治的中间才是精华
Flows well
Jason Young