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Glossary entry

Portuguese term or phrase:

melhor

English translation:

best

Added to glossary by Carlos Barros
Jun 29, 2014 14:48
9 yrs ago
Portuguese term

melhor

Portuguese to English Social Sciences Economics Social Economy.
A frase é: "Para o autor a maior vantagem desta sobre a taxação é que cada um paga o que acha melhor."

Eu estava a pensar traduzir como "For the author the biggest advantage of this one over taxation is that one pays whatever it feels ...." e bloqueei aqui porque não sei se deva usar "best" ou "better", e como preciso de uma tradução precisa decidi pedir ajuda. Se me puderem explicar porquê seria óptimo.
Proposed translations (English)
5 +3 best
4 +2 (...pays what they feel) is right/they should
4 +1 what they (he) judge(s)/deem(s) best
4 +1 pays at their discretion
5 better
4 appropriate
4 whatever he chooses
4 whatever best pleases him
3 as much as he wishes
3 people pay what they want
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Mario Freitas, Tom Jamieson

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Discussion

airmailrpl Jul 1, 2014:
Yatch?? Yacht
Ship class
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and ... Wikipedia
Mario Freitas Jun 30, 2014:
If you have a Yacht, I'm in!
Richard Purdom Jun 30, 2014:
meet half way?
Georgia Morg (X) Jun 30, 2014:
Like I wanted to "like" your sardines and tinto comment, Douglas, and then remembered we weren't on Facebook!
Douglas Bissell Jun 30, 2014:
I'd love a BBQ with beer in Brazil, not sure I can afford it either, We may have to take a rain check :-)
Mario Freitas Jun 30, 2014:
"One" is a good choice, as suggested by Richard, though many people don't like that either. "One pays whatever one judges best" or in this case (just thought of it) "whatever one judges adequate/fit". As to the sardines with tinto, I can't afford the air fare, so either you change it to barbecue with beer in Brazil, or I'll have to decline.
Douglas Bissell Jun 30, 2014:
With so many of the most frequent 'answerers' all huddled around this question, I reckon we should get ourselves a couple of kilos of sardines and a 'garrafão' to tintol to resolve the problem once and for all. I'll supply the charcoal, you supply the air fares?
R. Alex Jenkins Jun 30, 2014:
Definitely not "it". Let's establish that :)
Richard Purdom Jun 30, 2014:
airmail There are three good suggestions, no point me adding to them. I think its mis-posted anyway, translation of 'maior' is 'major', was the asker looking to end the sentence?
Mario, I don't think you'll find 'they' in formal documents, but I'm probably wrong
Mario Freitas Jun 30, 2014:
Carlos mentioned the client does not wish any "he" or "she" in the translation, as he does not want to characterize the gender. That's why I suggested "they". I don't like it much, either, but it wuld be a solution here.
airmailrpl Jun 30, 2014:
Whatever works for you !! Looking forward to seeing your suggestion for the query!!
Richard Purdom Jun 30, 2014:
each one? each one what? That is why we have words like 'everybody' and 'everyone'...
airmailrpl Jun 30, 2014:
EACH one pays whatever THEY choose ...." "For the author the biggest advantage of this one over taxation is that EACH one pays whatever THEY choose ...."
Richard Purdom Jun 30, 2014:
... and in fact literal translation of maior, 'major' is most appropriate
R. Alex Jenkins Jun 30, 2014:
...each person pays what he/she deems appropriate.

Or, as Nick Taylor posted:

...each person pays at his/her discretion.
Richard Purdom Jun 30, 2014:
I would say
'For the author, the biggest advantage of this over taxation is that everybody...'
followed by one of the three I agreed with.
Leave out the 'one' !
Richard Purdom Jun 30, 2014:
formally, 'he or she' is better than 'they'
Mario Freitas Jun 30, 2014:
Quanto ao "better" ou "best", o original não deixa dúvidas, dada a presença do artigo "o" antes. "Melhor" sem o artigo seria "better", mas com o artigo (o melhor), rerquer superlativo, ou seja "best".
Mario Freitas Jun 30, 2014:
@ Carlos, como o cliente pediu para não deixar transparecer nenhum gênero (ele ou ela), sugiro o uso de "they", que é aceitável nesses casos: "whatever they judge best".

Proposed translations

+3
2 hrs
Selected

best

Não tenho dúvida alguma que entre os dois, é "best".
better= improving (compared to another)
best= highest level (either of all things or of a specific group)

better presume sempre uma comparação, que aqui não existe de todo.
Independentemente do resto da frase/tradução, julgo muito pertinente que mantenha o termo "best" porque realmente é o que confere o sentido desejado.
Peer comment(s):
agree Tom Jamieson : "best", porque a frase precisa de um superlativo e melhor é um comparador.
1 hr
agree Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
4 hrs
agree Dr Lofthouse
19 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you so much all the other answers were just not what I expected."
12 mins

as much as he wishes

a suggestion...
Note from asker:
Eu procuro uma linguagem neutra, o autor do texto pediu-me para deixá-lo o mais neutro possível, de modo a que não pareça que se esteja a falar para um homem ou mulher em específico.
Something went wrong...
+1
41 mins

what they (he) judge(s)/deem(s) best

Sugestão
Peer comment(s):
agree Richard Purdom : 'he or she'
22 hrs
The client does not want "he" or "she", that's why I suggested "they". Thank you!
Something went wrong...
+2
47 mins

(...pays what they feel) is right/they should

It depends a lot on the formality of the texto...
Peer comment(s):
agree Richard Purdom
22 hrs
Thanks Richard
agree Georgia Morg (X)
23 hrs
Thanks Georgia
Something went wrong...
1 hr

appropriate

Nice and simple :)
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

pays at their discretion

pays at their discretion
Peer comment(s):
agree Richard Purdom
22 hrs
Thanks Richard
Something went wrong...
8 hrs

better

It may be colloquial to say 'best', but it's not grammatically correct. The person is choosing between two options, one of which is *better* than the other. You wouldn't say it's *best* than the other. That's the essence of it, regardless of what people may say.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2014-06-29 23:13:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It's a pretty safe bet that when "a/o" precedes "melhor," the translation is 'best' and when it's absent, the translation is 'better'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2014-06-29 23:15:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

BTW, I don't understand the 'it' in your draft translation. You would want to say 'whatever feels better' or 'whatever he/she thinks/feels is better'.
Something went wrong...
16 mins

whatever he chooses

"For the author the biggest advantage of this one over taxation is that EACH one pays whatever he chooses ...."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs (2014-06-30 04:04:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"For the author the biggest advantage of this one over taxation is that EACH one pays whatever THEY choose ...."
Note from asker:
Eu procuro uma linguagem neutra, o autor do texto pediu-me para deixá-lo o mais neutro possível, de modo a que não pareça que se esteja a falar para um homem ou mulher em específico.
Something went wrong...
18 hrs

whatever best pleases him

auto-explicativo... Ou sendo politicamente correto (utilizando o 'Singular They' largamente aceito pelas Academias atualmente), 'whatever best pleases him/her or them'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2014-06-30 10:03:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, correcting word-order: 'whatever pleases her/him (or them) best.
more formal: 'whatever suits her/him (or them) best'.
Something went wrong...
23 hrs
Portuguese term (edited): cada um paga o que acha melhor

people pay what they want

e.g.

Charity: In a 2010 study, Gneezy tried selling people photos of themselves at an amusement park under four different conditions. In one, the photos were priced at a flat fee of $12.95, and only 0.5 percent of people bought one. That increased to only 0.57 percent when people were told half the price went to charity. When people could pay what they want for the photos, many more were sold, but at unsustainably low prices. When people could pay what they wanted and half the price went to charity, Gneezy made the most profit, and generated lots of money in donations as well.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/14/d...

or
"people pay as they see fit"

e.g.
Radiohead may be giving us a lesson in marketing (and not one of them has an MBA). Digital downloads are virtually zero marginal cost, put it out there, let people pay as they see fit.
Radiohead may be giving us a lesson in marketing (and not one of them has an MBA). Digital downloads are virtually zero marginal cost, put it out there, let people pay as they see fit.




Something went wrong...
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