5.26.2010

RECAPITULAÇÃO

Letters, abbreviations, and numerals. Capital letters used as words, abbreviations that contain no interior periods, and numerals used as nouns form the plural by adding s.
• the three Rs
• the 1990s
• IRAs for retirement
• vol., vols.
• URLs
• ed., eds.
BUT:
• p. (page), pp. (pages)
• n. (note), nn. (notes)
• MS (manuscript), MSS (manuscripts)

Use of apostrophe. To avoid confusion, lowercase letters and abbreviations with two or more interior periods or with both capital and lowercase letters form the plural with an apostrophe and an s.
• x's and y's
• M.A.'s and Ph.D.'s (or MAs and PhD's)

Words in quotation marks. The plural of a word or phrase in quotation marks may be formed by the addition of an apostrophe before the s, with the closing quotation marks following the s (though rewording is usually a better option). A plural ending should never follow closing quotation marks.
• How many more "To be continued's" can we expect? (not "To be continued"s)

Noun coinages. Words and hyphenated phrases that are not nouns but are used as nouns form the plural by adding s or es. To avoid an awkward appearance, an adjustment in spelling (or sometimes an apostrophe) may be needed.
• ifs, ands, or buts
• dos and don'ts
• threes and fours
• thank-yous
BUT
• maybe's
• yesses and noes (or yes's and no's, especially if maybe's is also used)
Source: Proofreading

5.21.2010

ESSA (anáfora) ou ESTA (catáfora)?

anáfora: algo dito anteriormente. A carta foi enviada ontem. ESSA carta tratava da compra.

catáfora: ESTA carta deve ser enviada hoje

5.11.2010

ON THE CONTRARY vs. TO THE CONTRARY

On the contrary introduces a statement that says the opposite of the last one:
      It must have been difficult. On the contrary it was easy.
To the contrary is when you prove the opposite:
      Show me some evidence to the contrary (which proves this is wrong).

5.08.2010

PAY US A VISIT

Estava eu lendo o blog do Danilo em que ele contava o "causo" do "Enforce the smoking prohibition." ("Tudo por causa de um cigarro" - http://www.tradutorprofissional.com/)

Daí lembrei que eu também tinha um causo parecido: Há uns trocentos anos, quando eu trabalhava em uma empresa brasileira, ouvi dois executivos conversando:

"Então a gente queria aproveitar a viagem para a Itália para conhecer a fábrica deles. Mandamos um fax para lá. E não é que esses italianos são uns folgados! Disseram para a gente pagar a viagem deles - olha aqui: "Pay us a visit!". Querem fazer turismo no Brasil às nossas custas. Nem vou responder!"

pay (someone or something) a visit and pay a visit to someone or something
pay (somebody/something) a visit (slightly formal) also pay a visit (to somebody/something)
to go to see someone or something; to visit someone or something.
Bill paid a visit to his aunt in Seattle.
Please pay a visit to our house whenever you are in town.
Yesterday a police detective paid us a visit and asked a lot of questions.
The three elderly women decided to pay a visit to a spa and had a great time.

5.07.2010

POLICY = GUIDELINES = STANDARD = PRINCIPLE = NORM

(noun) general principles applied by a government or company
"The company had a generous parental leave policy."
Synonyms
guidelines: "The Government has issued guidelines for the reporting of business expenses."
standard: "The case could set a national standard for how far school officials can go."
principle: "The Commission has always followed the principle that the public interest is best served when regulatory affairs are open to the fullest extent possible."
norm: "Trial by jury is set to become the norm in all major civil cases from July next year."
Common phrases
"The government's economic policies are very unpopular."
"The internal problems were affecting US foreign policy."
"The city made a policy decision not to enforce marijuana laws."
"Drug safety laws involve significant public policy issues."
"Government policy is to increase university attendance."
Source: Translegal

5.04.2010

Understanding the FREE in Freelance

By Alex Eames (Poland)
(...) A lot of people have a very wrong attitude towards what it means to be a freelancer. They don't seem to be living the part, although they probably harbour, somewhere at the back of their imaginations, the dream of somehow being FREE. But they don't actually live it out. They feel enslaved to accept the rates and onerous terms, that anyone wielding a job tries to slap upon them.
Now it may be partly to do with fear, or inability to negotiate, but I think it's also partly to do with not quite having grasped what the FREE in freelance actually means. Think for a moment. What are the benefits of being freelance? You are FREE to accept or reject any project which is offered to you. You are FREE to set your own rates (the client is FREE to accept or reject them). You are FREE to work (or not) for anyone you choose. You are also FREE to persuade clients to accept your higher rates and that you are worth what you are asking for.
Your Self-Worth Really Matters - But you won't be able to do that unless you truly believe it yourself.  In sales and marketing, a lot of importance is attached to your self- worth. It's talked about a lot in marketing courses. It's something very personal and it fluctuates during your life, according to your levels of confidence and your (often most recent) experiences. That's a bit like a free market. Free to rise and fall according to changing times, circumstances and situations.
(...)  You're a freelancer, a FREE agent. You are FREE. That means you are FREE to accept or reject any terms, any payment levels, any projects - and let's go further. You are also FREE to reject any crap from clients. If you decide "I'm not taking that" you can say "bye bye. I'm not working for you any more. Get lost!" I've done it before. And believe me, people aren't used to it.
(...)  Employment VS Freelance
What's the difference between employment and freelancing? Well the difference is huge actually. Your client won't pay you any benefits and won't deduct any of your taxes. They won't pay any of your insurance or pension contributions. They won't give you any perks. You tell them how much you want them to pay. If it's too much, they'll negotiate or walk away.
(...) But do you know what? Not everybody can handle the responsibilities that go with freedom. "Freedom is a battle that must be fought and won each day" (Sartre). It's the ultimate performance-related pay, but not everybody can cope with it alone. Not everybody is cut out to be a business person.
(...)
But it does require work, effort, sometimes a little bit of luck. But ALWAYS a lot of skill and a lot of hard application over a sustained period of time. And that's where many people fall by the wayside. Some FREE lance warriors get defeated and captured in battle.