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

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 8 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase, 6 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 (8 total; 6 finalists) Expand all entries

Entry #9269
Winner
Voting points1st2nd3rd
246 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.622.43 (7 ratings)2.80 (5 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
+1
επισκέπτεσαι
Good term selection
επιτέλους,​ μια σωστή​ απόδοση α​υτού του
Nikoleta Dimitriou
Entry #10388
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
153 x41 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.663.71 (7 ratings)3.60 (5 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
το ένα είναι η φυσική συνέχεια του άλλου.
Flows well
Dimitra Tsakiroglou
+1
μη μακρηγορείς.
Flows well
Danai Roussou
Entry #10724
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
81 x42 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.212.13 (8 ratings)2.29 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #9694
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
41 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.202.40 (5 ratings)2.00 (4 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
θα πρέπει να διέπεται από λιγότερους
Good term selection
Dimitra Tsakiroglou
+1
του ανθρώπινου είδους
Good term selection
Dimitra Tsakiroglou
Entry #8270
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
301 x21 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry1.982.25 (8 ratings)1.71 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
-1
μακρόσυρτα
Flows well
Danai Roussou
Entry #10544
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.873.11 (9 ratings)2.63 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags