這篇是 Proz.com 主辦的翻譯競賽題目，下方是從７篇決賽譯文中脫穎而出的贏家，大家覺得如何？
From "Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son" by George Horace Lorimer. 320 words
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.
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.
以下是勝出的中國譯者 James Xia 的譯文：
《戒子書》
—— 喬治•H•洛裏默（George Horace Lorimer）
曾憶書中有雲：人或以語言掩飾其思想。然，據吾之經驗，以語言取而代之者為數尤眾。
大凡經商之士，談話應以簡要規矩範之，此或更勝於人類之其他動物本能。亦即：
言之有物；
言之；
言畢。
若非有備而論，人之恣言妄行均難逃牢獄之苦，亦或有傾家之虞，且前者距後者僅一步之遙。吾備有一法律部屬，其耗資不菲，然可解司法之憂。
約訪異性談話，或餐後朋友閒聊，一如週末校外出遊，於路邊擷花，皆人之常情。然處公事之際，所言宜簡明意賅。免套語，忌拖遝。稍事停頓，而後續談。循循勸導 以代問責之詞，雖的近（Deacons）律政之輩，亦厭長篇噫語。談話宜先易後難，如三明治之中夾肉，勞費心思者置於其間。誠然，順其所好，略表溢美之詞 亦無傷大雅。
裝 腔作勢易，言之有物難。與人交談，少言已事，多聞他人心聲。蓋人於傾聽之時，未嘗自言他顧，以顯對話者應有之尊重。若同為男士商談，宜多傾聽；遇女士論 事，則需備足筆墨。唯此，話者當知無不言，言無不盡。恰逢權貴之人，若非委實健談者，所作之任何評論均有失偏頗。適遇貧寒之士亦如此，惟無人在乎所言之實 質。囑此勿忘。
—— 喬治•H•洛裏默（George Horace Lorimer）
曾憶書中有雲：人或以語言掩飾其思想。然，據吾之經驗，以語言取而代之者為數尤眾。
大凡經商之士，談話應以簡要規矩範之，此或更勝於人類之其他動物本能。亦即：
言之有物；
言之；
言畢。
若非有備而論，人之恣言妄行均難逃牢獄之苦，亦或有傾家之虞，且前者距後者僅一步之遙。吾備有一法律部屬，其耗資不菲，然可解司法之憂。
約訪異性談話，或餐後朋友閒聊，一如週末校外出遊，於路邊擷花，皆人之常情。然處公事之際，所言宜簡明意賅。免套語，忌拖遝。稍事停頓，而後續談。循循勸導 以代問責之詞，雖的近（Deacons）律政之輩，亦厭長篇噫語。談話宜先易後難，如三明治之中夾肉，勞費心思者置於其間。誠然，順其所好，略表溢美之詞 亦無傷大雅。
裝 腔作勢易，言之有物難。與人交談，少言已事，多聞他人心聲。蓋人於傾聽之時，未嘗自言他顧，以顯對話者應有之尊重。若同為男士商談，宜多傾聽；遇女士論 事，則需備足筆墨。唯此，話者當知無不言，言無不盡。恰逢權貴之人，若非委實健談者，所作之任何評論均有失偏頗。適遇貧寒之士亦如此，惟無人在乎所言之實 質。囑此勿忘。
值得一提的是，原文才短短３２０字的譯文，竟被其他譯者指出１１處可能的錯誤（誤譯、錯字、漏譯、其他），這可是贏家的作品哦！請千萬別誤以為是在嘲諷，沒有譯者敢誇口自己絕不犯錯，少錯就不簡單了！偶而會遇到以薄弱證據（或毫無證據）就嚴詞譴責的人，這種情況笑笑就算了。若遇到用心的批評者，例如提出這１１處可能錯誤的６位，當然要奉為貴人，因為他們會讓自己成為更好的譯者。
我懂得看文言文但寫不慣，因為喜歡這篇短文，也為了給看不慣文言文的讀者參考，就花了點時間將原文用現代白話翻譯如下：
《白手起家的富爸爸給兒子的信》
作者：George Horace Lorimer
相較於其他行業，商場上要遵守的談話規則就這麼幾條：
有話要說；
直切重點；
說完閉嘴。
生意人沒準備就信口開河，或是話說完了還絮絮不休，會落得官司纏身甚至破產，而打官司更是破產的捷徑。我的公司設有法律部門，儘管所費不貲，卻可避免吃法律的虧。
跟女生講話或跟朋友餐敘，大可如週末出遊般天南地北隨便聊。但在辦公室，說話得盡量簡短。省去繁枝末節直入重點，一件事說完頓一下，才接著說下一件事。傳教要感化罪人得要言不煩，沒人愛聽冗長的說教。開頭第一句要讓所有人明白，結尾要細膩溫暖，中間部分永遠是主軸。當然囉，對方若愛聽好話，頭尾加點無妨。
此外，看起來睿智比談論深奧哲理容易多了。與人交談少說多聽。人在傾聽時，不僅無須曝短，還能使對方樂於分享。對大多數的男人，只要洗耳恭聽，對大多數女人，只要備好紙筆，他們就會知無不言，毫無保留。有錢人愛說，不過就那些天生大嘴巴，這種人說話總會得罪人。窮人也愛說，不過沒人願意聽罷了。切記！
細心的讀者會發現兩篇譯文差異頗大；越瞭解翻譯，越覺得翻譯很難。隨時歡迎指正錯誤。
不曉得上篇勝出的譯者花了多少時間翻譯？我光翻譯就花了２小時，修文沒算。譯者靠賣字為生，可惜願意支付合理稿費的客戶相當少（歡迎糾正），還好有宅神翻譯《魔戒》的百萬美金版稅當激勵，呵呵，開心就好。加油加油！