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

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 15 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase, 4 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 (15 total; 4 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #8426
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
388 x42 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.073.21 (14 ratings)2.92 (13 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 3 users agreed with "likes" (3 total agrees)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (2 total disagrees)
-1
تقيني شرور المحاكم
Good term selection
Amal Ibrahim
-1
+3
1
من سَمِعَ سلم ولم يفصح عن مكنون نفسه وأغبط مُحدِّثهُ
Good term selection
Mohamed Kamel
Entry #9937
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
346 x45 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.443.60 (15 ratings)3.27 (15 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 4 "like" tags
  • 6 users agreed with "likes" (8 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (3 total disagrees)
+1
يقيني شر المثول أمام المحاكم
Flows well
Amal Ibrahim
-1
+1
كفّ عن الكلام قبل أن تصل إلى النقطة الثانية
Flows well
Amal Ibrahim
+6
لا ضير
Good term selection
Taoufik Chaouachi
-2
لا يبدي ما في جعبته كما أن في إصغائه إطراء على محدثه
Flows well
Amal Ibrahim
Entry #10835
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
326 x43 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.692.69 (13 ratings)2.69 (13 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 5 "like" tags
  • 4 users agreed with "likes" (14 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (6 total disagrees)
-1
+2
أنا أحرص على وجود إدارة شئون قانونية
Good term selection
Abdallah Ali
-2
+3
1
ولكنها تقيني شر الذهاب إلى المحاكم
Good term selection
Abdallah Ali
-1
+2
تلاطف فتاة
Good term selection
Abdallah Ali
-1
+3
وامسك لسانك دون الإسهاب
Good term selection
Abdallah Ali
-1
+4
كن مستمعاً جيداً لمعظم الرجال واجعل نفسك مدونة لمعظم النساء وسيخبرونك بكل ما يعرفونه
Flows well
Abdallah Ali
Entry #10271
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
131 x42 x25 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.832.82 (11 ratings)2.83 (12 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 3 "like" tags
  • 4 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (3 total disagrees)
+4
يستعيضون باللغة عن التفكير
Good term selection
Taoufik Chaouachi
-1
تلجأ إلي بعض الإطراء
Good term selection
Amal Ibrahim
-2
1
ن كنت تتحدث إلي من يحب أن تطريه
Flows well
Amal Ibrahim