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9th ProZ.com Translation Contest: "Business" » English to Danish

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 6 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase. The winning entry was determined based on finals round voting by peers.

Competition in this pair is now closed.


Entries (6 total) Expand all entries

Entry #9079
Anna Haxen
Anna Haxen
Denmark
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
225 x41 x20
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 3 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
folk
Flows well
Perfect
Stig Jensen
Hav noget at sige.
Flows well
Perfect
Stig Jensen
+1
Hold mund.
Flows well
Hit the to​ne right o​n the butt​on
Stig Jensen
Entry #10396
Rikke Larsen (X)
Rikke Larsen (X)
Denmark
Voting points1st2nd3rd
163 x42 x20
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 2 "like" tags
  • 3 users agreed with "likes" (4 total agrees)
+2
Hav noget at sige.
Flows well
Perfect
Stig Jensen
+2
Ti stille.
Flows well
Stig Jensen
Entry #10624
Voting points1st2nd3rd
133 x401 x1
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #9850
Voting points1st2nd3rd
41 x400
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #9316
Voting points1st2nd3rd
1001 x1
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #9116
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags