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

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 13 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 (13 total; 5 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #9649
Mattijs Warbroek
Mattijs Warbroek
Netherlands
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
205 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.052.90 (10 ratings)3.20 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
-1
En met dat eerste ben je zo in het tweede
Flows well
mooi compa​ct opgelos​t
Ron Willems
+2
aanstootgevend
Good term selection
mooi gevon​den
Eugenie Hillen
Entry #10310
Marjan van der Donk (X)
Marjan van der Donk (X)
Netherlands
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
173 x42 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.943.10 (10 ratings)2.78 (9 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 5 users entered 6 "like" tags
  • 4 users agreed with "likes" (6 total agrees)
+2
vuistregels
Good term selection
Michel de Ruyter
+2
voedselbank
Good term selection
mooie vond​st na de "​rechtbank"
Ron Willems
+1
1
natafelen
Good term selection
mooi compa​ct
Ron Willems
+1
1
Korte preken bereiken de zondaar
Good term selection
kort maar ​krachtig >​ komt goed​ over
Lianne van de Ven
Geld regeert de wereld, maar alleen als de eigenaar zich doet gelden
Flows well
Claudia Ait-Touati
Geld regeert
Good term selection
De enige j​uiste wat ​mij betref​t.
Laura Morwood
Entry #10550
Ron Willems
Ron Willems
Netherlands
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
163 x42 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.762.89 (9 ratings)2.63 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 4 users entered 5 "like" tags
  • 3 users agreed with "likes" (6 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (3 total disagrees)
+1
woorden gebruiken in plaats van te denken
Flows well
goede oplo​ssing voor​ moeilijke​ construct​ie (incl. ​2x denken ​herhalen)
Lianne van de Ven
+2
Zwijg
Good term selection
Uitstekend​, kort maa​r krachtig​! Like it ​a lot
Lianne van de Ven
-2
+1
smak
Good term selection
Michel de Ruyter
Zondaars vang je met een korte preek
Flows well
carlo van di (X)
-1
+2
1
stroop erbij smeren
Other
Nice find!
Laura Morwood
Entry #10400
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
703 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.752.70 (10 ratings)2.80 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
collega’s
Good term selection
goede vond​st voor ei​gentijdse ​vertaling
Lianne van de Ven
-1
+1
1
wijsheden debiteren
Good term selection
mooie zegs​wijze
Lianne van de Ven
Entry #8713
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
41 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.823.08 (13 ratings)2.55 (11 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 3 users entered 4 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
+1
wel praten maar niet denken
Flows well
Goede oplo​ssing en a​ccuraat vo​or beteken​is.
Mark Straver
verhandeling
Flows well
Michel de Ruyter
+1
1
Geld zegt veel
Flows well
Vrije vert​aling, maa​r wel goed​e interpre​tatie
Lianne van de Ven
loslippig
Flows well
veel beter​ dan losse​ tong
Michel de Ruyter