A new ProZ.com translation contests interface is currently in development, and a preview contest is underway. Click here to visit the new interface »

Previous ProZ.com translation contests

Portuguese » English - 7 finalists


From "Reengenharia" (unknown writer). 342 words
Houve uma época em que só se falava em reengenharia.

Muitas empresas pagaram uma nota para implantar a novidade e alguns livros chegaram a se tornar bestsellers, o que comprova a falta de espírito crítico de um montão de executivos e empresários.

O conceito passou a ser aplicado extensivamente no mercado.

Algumas conseqüências dessa nova postura podem ser sentidas no exemplo a seguir:  

Uma empresa resolveu patrocinar a apresentação de uma famosa orquestra sinfônica. Do programa, constava a Sinfonia Número 8 em si menor de Schubert, a famosa Sinfonia Inacabada. Ingressos foram distribuídos entre as diretorias da empresa.

No dia do concerto, um dos diretores não pôde ir ao teatro e repassou ao reengenheirador-chefe o ingresso que havia recebido.  

Na manhã seguinte ao concerto, o diretor, que havia faltado à apresentação, e o re-engenheirador-chefe se encontraram e o diretor fez a clássica pergunta "Então, como foi?".

Em vez de responder, como faria qualquer pessoa normal, o reengenheirador-chefe entregou o seguinte relatório , dedicando-se sobretudo à análise da Sinfonia Inacabada.

“Por um considerável tempo, os trombonistas nada tinham o que fazer e ficavam só olhando os outros músicos tocarem. O número deles precisa ser reduzido e o pouco que lhes compete deve ser redistribuído entre os demais integrantes da orquestra.

Todos os doze violinos faziam os mesmos gestos e tocavam as mesmas notas. É uma duplicação totalmente desnecessária e o responsável por esse setor deve ser sumariamente demitido. Que se mantenha apenas um dos violinistas. Se for necessário um maior volume de som, que se usem amplificadores. Sai mais barato.

Essa Sinfonia - a número 8 - tem dois movimentos. Se o Sr. Schubert tivesse se dedicado mais e concentrado todo seu esforço no primeiro movimento, certamente o segundo movimento seria totalmente desnecessário. Isso traria consideráveis ganhos.

Seja como for, a falta de responsabilidade desse senhor fez com que a obra ficasse, até hoje, por concluir. Se tivesse seguido os nossos princípios e as nossas orientações, certamente teria conseguido terminar o trabalho no tempo que lhe foi destinado ao invés de deixá-lo inacabado.”

The winning and finalist entries are displayed below.To view the like/dislike tags the entries received simply click on the "view all tags" link on the right hand corner of each entry.

You can leave your feedback for this pair at the bottom of the page.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all the participants!






Entry #1 - Points: 15 - WINNER!
Marcos de Lima
Marcos de Lima
United Kingdom
View all tags
There was a time when Business Process Reengineering was all the rage.

Many companies spent a fortune implementing the new trend and some books on the subject even became bestsellers, which is evidence of the lack of critical thinking among a number of executives and business managers.

The concept started being extensively applied to the marketplace.

Some of the consequences of this new stance can be perceived in the following example:

A company decided to sponsor a concert by a well known orchestra. Included in the programme was Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor, the famous "Unfinished Symphony". Tickets were handed out among company directors.

On the day of the concert, one of the directors was unable to attend and passed his ticket on to the chief reengineering officer.

The morning after the concert, the director who had missed the performance and the chief reengineering officer met. “How was it?” asked the director.

Instead of simply answering the question as any normal person would, the chief reengineering officer handed in the following report, with particular focus on the "Unfinished Symphony":

“For a considerable period, the trombone players had nothing to do and would merely watch the other musicians play. Their number must be reduced and their duties, which are minor, should be shared out among the remaining members of the orchestra.

"All twelve violins performed the same movements and played identical notes. Such duplication is entirely unnecessary and the person responsible for this section should be summarily dismissed. Only one violinist should be kept. If an increase in the volume of sound is required, amplifiers should be used, which is much cheaper.

"This symphony – No. 8 – has two movements. Had Mr Schubert applied himself and concentrated all his efforts on the first movement, the second movement would undoubtedly be completely unnecessary. This would bring considerable gains.

"In any case, Mr Schubert’s lack of responsibility has caused the work to remain, to this day, incomplete. Had he followed our principles and recommendations, he would certainly have been able to finish the work in the time which was allocated to him instead of leaving it unfinished.”
Congratulations, noblelima. Nicely done!



Entry #2 - Points: 11
View all tags
There was a time when all you would hear about was reengineering.

Many companies paid a fortune to adopt the latest advances and some reengineering books even became best-sellers, evidence of the lack of a more critical approach among many executives and businessmen.

The concept was widely adopted by the market. Some of the results of this new approach are exemplified below:
A company decided to sponsor a concert being given by a famous symphony orchestra. The program included Schubert's 8th Symphony in B minor, popularly referred to as the Unfinished Symphony. Tickets were handed out to the sponsor’s management team.

On the day of the concert, one of the company directors was unable to make the concert and gave his ticket to the head reengineer.

The following morning, the director who had been unable to attend the concert met with the head reengineer and, as expected, asked him how the concert had gone.

Instead of answering like a normal person, the head reengineer handed in the following report which mainly focused on analyzing the Unfinished Symphony.

"For quite some time, the trombonists had nothing to do and simply watched the other musicians play. There should be fewer trombonists and the little they have to do should be redistributed among the other members of the orchestra.

All twelve violinists executed the same movements and played the same notes. This duplication is entirely unnecessary and the person in charge of this section should be fired immediately. Only one violinist should be kept on. If higher sound volumes are required, amplifiers should be used. This will be cheaper.

This Symphony - number 8 - has two movements. If Mr. Schubert had put in a little more effort and focused all of his work on the first movement, the second movement would clearly have been unnecessary. This would have led to substantial gains.

However, his failure to take responsibility means that the work remains incomplete. If he had applied our principles and guidelines, he would definitely have concluded it in the allotted time instead of leaving it unfinished."



Entry #3 - Points: 10
View all tags
There was a time when all anyone talked about was reengineering.

Many companies paid big money to implement this new idea, and some books even became bestsellers, which proves that vast number of executives and managers are disinclined to provide criticism.

The concept was put into wide use across the marketplace.

Some of the consequences of this new mindset can be seen in the following example:

One company decided to sponsor a concert by a famous symphony orchestra. The program included Schubert’s Symphony Number 8 in B Minor, the famous Unfinished Symphony. Tickets were distributed among the company’s departments.

On the day of the concert, one of the directors was unable to attend and gave his ticket to the chief reengineering specialist.

The morning after the concert, the director who had missed the event ran into the chief reengineer and asked the classic question: “So, how was it?”

Rather than answer the question, as any normal person would, the chief reengineer delivered the following report, focusing primarily on an analysis of the Unfinished Symphony.

“For quite some time the trombonists had nothing to do and just sat watching the other musicians play.” They should be reduced in number, and what little they have to do should be redistributed among the other members of the orchestra.

All twelve violinists made the same gestures and played the same notes. It is a totally unnecessary duplication of effort, and whoever is in charge of that section should be summarily fired. Only one violinist should remain. If a higher sound volume is necessary, let them use amplifiers. It’s cheaper that way.

That Symphony -- Number 8 -- has two movements. Had Mr. Schubert dedicated himself more and focused all his efforts on the first movement, certainly the second movement would be totally unnecessary. That would have brought considerable gains.

Be that as it may, the irresponsibility of that gentleman left the piece, even today, yet to be completed. If he had followed our principles and our guidelines, he surely would have been able to conclude the work within the time that he had left, rather than leaving it unfinished."



There was a time when all you heard about was reengineering.

A lot of companies paid big bucks for this novelty and several books became best sellers, which just goes to show that a lot of executives and business owners have no common sense.

The concept became widely used in the marketplace.

Some consequences of this new trend may be seen in the following example:

A company decided to sponsor the performance of a famous symphony orchestra. The program consisted of Schubert’s Eighth Symphony in B minor, the famous Unfinished Symphony. Tickets were distributed among the directors of the company.

On the day of the concert, one of the directors was unable to attend and passed along the ticket he had been given to the chief reengineer.

Next morning, the director who had missed the concert ran into the chief reengineer and asked the classic question: “So, how did it go?”

Instead of answering like any normal person, the chief reengineer handed over the following report, devoted to an analysis of the Unfinished Symphony:

“For a considerable period of time, the trombonists had nothing to do and just stood around watching the other musicians play. Their number needs to be reduced and what little they have to do should be redistributed among the other members of the orchestra.

All twelve of the violinists made the same gestures and played the same notes. This is a totally unnecessary duplication and the person responsible for this section should be summarily dismissed. Only one of the violinists should be kept. If more volume is needed, use amplifiers. It’s cheaper.

This symphony – the Number 8 – has two movements. If Mr. Schubert had been more dedicated and concentrated all of his efforts on the first movement, certainly the second movement would have been totally unnecessary. This would have been a considerably more profitable.

Nevertheless, the lack of responsibility on the part of this gentleman is the reason the work remains unfinished. If he had followed our principles and guidelines, he certainly would have managed to finish the work in the time he had available rather than leaving it unfinished.”



Entry #5 - Points: 7
anonymousView all tags
There was a time when all people talked about was reengineering.

A lot of companies paid a fortune implementing this new approach and some books even became bestsellers, which just goes to show the lack of critical spirit amongst all those managers and executives.

The concept was extensively applied in the market.

Some of the consequences of this new outlook can be appreciated from the following example:

A company decided to sponsor a performance by a famous symphony orchestra. On the programme was Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B Minor - the famous Unfinished Symphony. Tickets were distributed amongst the company directors.

On the day of the concert, one of the directors was unable to make it to the theatre, so he gave his ticket to the chief reengineer.

The following morning after the concert, the director, who had missed the performance, met up with the chief reengineer and asked the classic question, “So, how was it?”

Instead of replying, like any normal person would do, the chief reengineer handed over the following report, the majority of which was taken up by an analysis of the Unfinished Symphony.

“For a considerable amount of time, the trombonists had nothing to do and just watched the other musicians playing. They need to be reduced in number and the little work that falls under their responsibility should be redistributed amongst the other members of the orchestra.

All twelve of the violins carried out the same movements and played the same notes. This is a totally unnecessary duplication of work and whoever is responsible for this section should be summarily dismissed. Only two of the violins should be maintained. If greater volume is needed, then amplifiers should be used. This will be cheaper.

This Symphony – the No. 8 – has two movements. If Mr. Schubert had devoted more effort and concentration to the first movement, then, without doubt, the second movement would be totally unnecessary. This would bring considerable benefits.

As it stands, this man’s lack of responsibility has meant that the work remains, to this day, incomplete. If he had followed our principles and guidance, he certainly would have been able to conclude the work in the allotted time instead of leaving it unfinished.”



Entry #6 - Points: 4
anonymousView all tags
There was a time when people only talked about re-engineering.

Many companies paid a fortune to introduce this latest trend and some books managed to become bestsellers, which goes to show that a good number of executives and businessmen lack critical judgement.

The concept came to be used extensively in the market.

Some of the consequences of this new way of thinking can be seen in the following example.

A company decided to sponsor a concert by a well-known symphony orchestra. According to the programme, the orchestra was going to play Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor, the famous “Unfinished Symphony.” Tickets were distributed to the managers of the company.

On the day of the concert, one of the managers was unable to go and gave the ticket he had received to the head of re-engineering.

On the morning after the concert, the manager who had missed the presentation met the head of re-engineering and asked him the classic question, ‘So, how was it then?’

Instead of replying as any ordinary person would, the head of re-engineering gave the following account, where he concentrated particularly on an analysis of the “Unfinished Symphony.”

“For a considerable period of time the trombonists had nothing to do and just watched the other musicians play. The number of trombonists needs to be reduced and the little that they are responsible for should be redistributed amongst the other members of the orchestra.

All twelve violinists made the same gestures and played the same notes which is totally unnecessary repetition. The person responsible for that section should be dismissed immediately. Only one of the violinists should be retained. If greater volume is required, amplifiers should be used. This works out cheaper.

Symphony no. 8, has two movements. If Mr. Schubert had worked harder and had put of all of his effort into the first movement, the second movement would certainly be completely unnecessary. This would bring considerable gains.

However this gentleman's lack of responsibility caused the work to remain uncomplete until today. If he had followed our principles and guidance, he would undoubtedly have managed to finish the work in the allocated time instead of leaving it unfinished.”



Entry #7 - Points: 0
Marian Vieyra
Marian Vieyra
United Kingdom
View all tags
There was a time when the only thing anyone ever talked about was reengineering.

Many companies paid a fortune to introduce this new idea and some books became bestsellers, which confirmed the lack of critical spirit of a lot of executives and business managers.

The concept came to be widely used in the market.

Some consequences of this new approach can be observed in the following example:

A company decided to sponsor the performance of a famous symphony orchestra. The programme featured Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, the famous Unfinished Symphony. Tickets for the concert were distributed among the company directors.

On the day of the concert, one of the directors couldn’t attend and returned the ticket he had received to the reengineer-in-chief.

On the morning after the concert, the director who had missed the performance and the reengineer-in-chief ran into each other, and the director asked the usual question ” So, how was it?”

Instead of replying, like any normal person would, the reengineer-in-chief delivered the following report, with a special focus on the analysis of the Unfinished Symphony.

“For some considerable time the trombonists had nothing to do and were just watching the other musicians play. The number of trombonists should be reduced and the little they are responsible for should be redistributed among the other members of the orchestra.

All twelve violins performed the same actions and played the same notes. This is a completely unnecessary duplication and the person responsible for this sector should be dismissed at once. Only one of the violinists should be kept. If a greater volume of sound is required, they should use amplifiers. It would work out cheaper.

This Symphony, No. 8, has two movements. If Mr. Schubert had been more diligent and concentrated all his efforts on the first movement, there's no doubt the second movement would be totally unnecessary. This would lead to considerable savings.

In any case, this gentleman’s lack of responsibility has meant that to date, the work is still unfinished. If he had followed our principles and guidelines, he would certainly have managed to complete the work in the allotted time, instead of leaving it unfinished”.



« return to the contest overview



Translation contests
A fun way to take a break from your normal routine and test - and hone - your skills with colleagues.