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

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 41 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 (41 total; 5 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #9901
Michael Schickenberg (X)
Michael Schickenberg (X)
Germany
Bettina Röhricht
Bettina Röhricht
United Kingdom
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
4910 x43 x23 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.533.69 (13 ratings)3.36 (11 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 5 users entered 6 "like" tags
  • 12 users agreed with "likes" (27 total agrees)
  • 4 users disagreed with "likes" (5 total disagrees)
-1
+6
1
Zeitgenossen
Good term selection
Katja Schoone
+5
Kaufmann
Good term selection
appropriat​e term giv​en the his​torical co​ntext
Johanna Timm, PhD
+2
darf die Unterhaltung ruhig einem Ausflug der Sonntagsschule gleichen, bei dem man unterwegs anhält, um Blumen zu pflücken
Flows well
Schön gelö​st.
Andrea Flaßbeck (X)
-3
+2
2
Pfarrer
Flows well
Endlich ma​l ein Pfar​rer und ke​in Diakon
David Seycek
-1
+9
2
Money talks“, heißt es, Geld kann sprechen, Geld regiert die Welt.
Other
Good solut​ion to thi​s difficul​t ambiguou​s bit
Michaela Pschierer-Barnfather
+3
Besitzer seine Zunge nicht in Zaum hält,
Flows well
Johanna Timm, PhD
Entry #8809
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
376 x45 x23 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.363.40 (15 ratings)3.31 (13 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 3 users entered 6 "like" tags
  • 6 users agreed with "likes" (17 total agrees)
  • 3 users disagreed with "likes" (3 total disagrees)
Spezies
Good term selection
gut gelöst
Franziska Witschel
+3
wobei ersteres der kürzeste Weg zu letzterem ist.
Flows well
Martina Koppelwieser
-2
+4
1
wenn das Gespräch wie bei einem Ausflug der Sonntagsschule abläuft, mit Zwischenstopps zum Blumenpflücken.
Flows well
Endlich ha​t mal jema​nd den Pun​kt richtig​ rübergebr​acht!
Martina Koppelwieser
+3
hör auf, bevor du zu "Zweitens"
Flows well
KKastenhuber
+4
1
Butter auf beiden Hälften
Good term selection
ja, genau!​ Nicht auf​ beiden Se​iten ...
Martina Koppelwieser
-1
+3
Denn wer zuhört, gibt nichts von sich preis und schmeichelt dabei dem, der das von sich aus tut
Flows well
KKastenhuber
Entry #9562
Ute Hilder
Ute Hilder
Germany
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
346 x45 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.083.25 (12 ratings)2.90 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 3 users entered 7 "like" tags
  • 7 users agreed with "likes" (12 total agrees)
  • 6 users disagreed with "likes" (9 total disagrees)
+3
manch einer benutze die Sprache, um zu verbergen, was er denke
Flows well
entspricht​ dem Duktu​s des Orig​inals
Johanna Timm, PhD
+4
Gesprächsgebaren
Good term selection
Treffende ​Wortwahl, ​d. d. anti​quierten S​til d. Ori​ginals ger​echt wird
Johanna Timm, PhD
-3
+3
Tieres Mensch
Good term selection
Andrea Flaßbeck (X)
-3
+2
2
Händler
Good term selection
historisch​ adäquater​ Begriff
Johanna Timm, PhD
-2
1
sie soll mich vom Gericht fernhalten
Flows well
gute Loesu​ng
RegineMac
Spar dir die Einleitung und die Zusammenfassung
Flows well
RegineMac
-1
1
Wer zuhört, kann sich nicht verplappern
Flows well
RegineMac
Entry #10306
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
316 x42 x23 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.073.25 (8 ratings)2.88 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 4 users agreed with "likes" (6 total agrees)
+3
1
wobei Ersteres auf schnellstem Weg zu Zweiterem führt
Flows well
gut gelöst
David Seycek
+3
Überlass Narren das erste und Frauen das letzte Wort.
Flows well
Good phras​eology.
Camilla Seifert
Entry #9385
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
306 x41 x24 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.253.37 (19 ratings)3.12 (17 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 6 users entered 10 "like" tags
  • 9 users agreed with "likes" (20 total agrees)
  • 6 users disagreed with "likes" (9 total disagrees)
+1
benutzen noch viel mehr die Sprache anstelle ihrer Gedanken.
Good term selection
Reinhold Wehrmann
+1
Die Rede eines Geschäftsmannes sollte durch weniger und einfachere Vorschriften geregelt sein
Flows well
Reinhold Wehrmann
-2
Funktion des Tieres „Mensch“
Good term selection
Elke Pahl
-3
+4
1
des Tieres „Mensch“.
Good term selection
Andrea Flaßbeck (X)
-2
+5
1
Loszulegen, bevor man weiß was man sagen will, und weiterzureden, nachdem man es gesagt hat, bringt einen Kaufmann entweder vor Gericht oder ins Armenhaus.
Flows well
Martina Koppelwieser
+1
Lasse den Dummen das erste und den Frauen das letzte Wort.
Flows well
Nikolett Sarkany
-1
+4
1
In der Kürze liegt die Würze, oder wie der Engländer sagt:
Other
Schöne Lös​ung für di​ese englis​che Metaph​er
Jule Eitel
-1
+2
Auch sollte man sich daran erinnern, dass es einfacher ist, weise zu wirken als Weisheiten zu verkünden.
Flows well
Reinhold Wehrmann
+1
Auch sollte man sich daran erinnern, dass es einfacher ist, weise zu wirken als Weisheiten zu verkünden.
Flows well
Nikolett Sarkany
+1
Auch Armut kann sprechen, aber niemand will hören was sie zu sagen hat.
Flows well
Nikolett Sarkany