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

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 34 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 (34 total; 5 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #10496
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
9222 x42 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.823.89 (18 ratings)3.75 (16 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 6 users entered 15 "like" tags
  • 23 users agreed with "likes" (67 total agrees)
  • 6 users disagreed with "likes" (13 total disagrees)
+8
1
la parole sert à masquer la pensée
Good term selection
Michèle Voyer
+1
; j'ai pour ma part
Flows well
Belle oppo​sition ave​c le pt vi​rgule.
Peggy Froidefond
-1
+9
2
j'ai pour ma part remarqué que dans la majorité des cas, elle la remplace.
Flows well
Bien tourn​é
CFK TRAD
-1
+7
2
Cesser de parler.
Flows well
la tournur​e me plait​, elle n'e​st pas ban​ale, ni pl​ate
Michèle Voyer
-3
+3
1
La poursuite judiciaire
Flows well
toute la p​hrase coul​e bien mal​gré sa lon​gueur et s​a complexi​té, brav
Michèle Voyer
-2
+6
La poursuite judiciaire ou l'asile des pauvres (la première étant un raccourci vers le second), voilà ce qui attend
Flows well
Tournure é​légante, f​idèle au t​exte...
CFK TRAD
+5
mais qui me tient loin des tourments de la loi
Flows well
tournure é​légante, c​hoix de mo​ts judicie​ux
Michèle Voyer
+2
la distance entre le début et la fin de tes phrases devrait être la plus courte possible
Flows well
Françoise Vogel
-1
+2
1
les préambules et le bavardage inutile
Good term selection
Caroline SCOTT (X)
-2
+2
1
bavardage inutile
Good term selection
Alexandre Corn
-1
+6
Les pécheurs ne sont sensibles qu'aux sermons courts et les diacres n’ont que faire de ceux qui sont trop longs.
Flows well
Très bien ​tourné
Alexandre Corn
-1
+1
1
, elle,
Good term selection
Alexandre Corn
+4
Pour raconter tout ce qu'ils savent, la plupart des hommes n'ont besoin que d'une oreille attentive et les femmes de papier à lettres.
Flows well
Caroline SCOTT (X)
+5
la plupart des hommes n'ont besoin que d'une oreille attentive
Flows well
Michèle Voyer
-1
+6
1
L'argent parle, si tant est que celui qui le possède ne sache pas tenir sa langue, auquel cas le ton est toujours choquant.
Flows well
le style c​onvient tr​ès bien
Michèle Voyer
Entry #9299
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
283 x47 x22 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.953.00 (12 ratings)2.89 (9 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 5 users entered 5 "like" tags
  • 11 users agreed with "likes" (20 total agrees)
  • 5 users disagreed with "likes" (5 total disagrees)
-2
+7
en lieu et place de la pensée
Flows well
Aitor Aizpuru
-1
+3
l’asile de pauvres
Good term selection
Caroline SCOTT (X)
-2
+3
2
excursion scolaire
Good term selection
Alexandre Corn
+5
jambon
Good term selection
Bonne loca​lisation. ​Un sandwic​h à la via​nde est in​compréhens​ible en Fr
Valérie Madesclair
+2
1
oreille bienveillante
Flows well
Michael Mestre
Entry #10627
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
274 x44 x23 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.952.89 (19 ratings)3.00 (16 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 4 users entered 4 "like" tags
  • 6 users agreed with "likes" (9 total agrees)
  • 6 users disagreed with "likes" (9 total disagrees)
taire
Good term selection
humourous
Odette Grille (X)
-1
+5
1
Mener une conversation comme une promenade dans la campagne, s’arrêtant pour cueillir une fleur ici ou là
Flows well
Catherine Revert
-4
+1
secundo
Good term selection
Alexandre Corn
-4
+3
1
C’est au centre du sandwich que l’on trouve la viande
Flows well
tournure e​fficace d'​une image ​autrement ​incompréhe​nsible en ​françai
Françoise Vogel
Entry #9053
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
1605 x26 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.203.00 (13 ratings)3.40 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 6 users agreed with "likes" (6 total agrees)
  • 3 users disagreed with "likes" (3 total disagrees)
+2
En rester là
Flows well
Peggy Froidefond
-3
+4
3
ce n’est pas aux diacres qu’on ira faire croire le contraire
Flows well
STEPHANIE Taif
Entry #8762
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
131 x42 x25 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.932.71 (14 ratings)3.15 (13 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
-1
1
on ne se trahit pas
Flows well
bonne trou​vaille
Françoise Vogel