1.31.2011

"I Love New York (Except For Resolving Global Disputes)"

International arbitration has never been hotter and New York is sick of being the sixth most favorite place for companies trying to resolve disputes. London is still the most widely used seat of arbitration. After all, roughly 90% of cross border transactions are negotiated and drafted in English and when companies choose the laws they want to govern their contracts, English law is still the most common. New York has begun working with the New York State Bar to establish an international arbitration center in the city. The bar wants to do away with fragmented arbitration facilities by creating a single location where international arbitrators can meet to decide cases. But while New York is trying to catch up to London, it also has to keep an eye on other venues. Geneva, Paris and Tokyo are slightly more popular for dispute resolut ions. So is Singapore, which has been aggressively promoting itself as a lower-cost, more convenient alternative to other venues with its "International Arbitration Centre," whose tagline is "Where the World Arbitrates."
Source: Migalhas International

1.25.2011

ENJOIN

proibir (por ordem judicial)
for a court to order that someone either do some specific act, stop doing something or be prohibited from doing something; to prohibit, forbid or restrain by an injunction:

"The restraining order enjoins unauthorized dealers from selling counterfeit goods near rock concert venues."
"The company was enjoined from selling its stock"
Source: Translegal

1.21.2011

FORE AND AFT = PROA E POPA

proa (frente) e popa (atrás) [motor de popa]
double-headed: Warship having SAM systems both fore and aft of central superstructure.

HAURIR

v.td. - 1 Retirar alguma coisa de dentro de onde estava: Hauriu todo o ouro da mina
2 Consumir ou gastar algo completamente; ESGOTAR: Hauriu toda a bebida que havia na adega
3 Absorver por aspiração ou sucção; SORVER: Hauria o ar puro
4 Colher, recolher: Hauria novas forças para voltar à luta
[F.: Do lat. haurire.]
...recebendo, desde aqueles tempos "que os anos não trazem mais", as contínuas e sólidas lições hauridas, ainda solicitador-acadêmico, quando do inesquecível convívio no escritório dos professores...
Fonte: Aulete e Migalhas

1.19.2011

Siglas - CND’S ou CNDs?

...2) ...parece integralmente aceitável a lição de Napoleão Mendes de Almeida de que se pluralizam as siglas pelo acréscimo de um s minúsculo às letras já integrantes delas: CEPs, CICs, R.Gs.
3) Desse entendimento também é Arnaldo Niskier, para quem "não há motivos para não marcar o plural das siglas com um s minúsculo".
4) Regina Toledo Damião e Antonio Henriques também partilham do mesmo entendimento, ao lecionaram que, "com respeito ao plural das siglas, aceita-se o uso do s (minúsculo) para efeito de pluralização: PMS, INPMs, MPs".
5) E Edmundo Dantes Nascimento leciona que tal uso de um s minúsculo ao final da sigla "é uma solução gráfica sem aprovação de convenção acerca do assunto, mas que resolve o caso".
6) Ora, a junção do s minúsculo à sigla visa a levá-la ao plural. Isso significa que se deve unir o s sem artifício algum, como é o caso do apóstrofo. Só para exemplificar, ninguém pensaria em dizer o plural de caneta como caneta’s.
Fonte: Gramatigalhas

CAPITAL LETTERS

            Are you ever confused when it comes to capitalizing certain words? For example, when referring to a certain liquor from Scotland, does one drink Scotch or scotch? Is it Brussels sprouts or brussels sprouts? Is it a Homeric effort or just a homeric effort? Inquiring minds want to know!
            Authoritative sources vary. The Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary calls for capping Scotch before you drink it, and cites (but does not rule on) a capital B often for the sprouts. However, our standard here at ProofreadNOW.com is the Chicago Manual of Style, and here's a partial list of words they prefer to see in lower case:
           morocco leather, brussels sprouts, scotch whisky, french fries, french dressing, frankfurter, brie, india ink, homeric, herculean, pasteurize, manila envelope, arabic numerals, french windows, venetian blinds, quixotic, roman numerals and roman type, dutch oven, and bohemian, among others. Oh - and there's also italic type (named for Italy, don't you know).
          Other examples are mixed.
• the Bureau of the Census; census forms; the census of 2010
• the Department of the Interior; the Interior
• the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the bureau (note lowercase); the FBI
• the United States (or US) Supreme Court; the Supreme Court; but the court
• the District Court for Southern California; the district court
• the Circuit Court of Lake County, Family Division (Illinois); family court
• the Chicago City Council; the city council
• administration; the Reagan administration
• federal; the federal government; federal agencies
• nazi tendencies; the Nazi Party; Nazi(s); Nazism
• the African National Congress party (party is not part of the official name); the ANC
• civil service
• the Left; members of the left wing; left-winger; on the left
• the Far Left; the Far Right; the radical Left
• the New York Stock Exchange; the stock exchange
Source: Proofread

1.18.2011

CRYSTALLIZATION

The act of selling and buying stocks almost instantaneously in order to increase or decrease book value. This is a routine method used by many investors and companies to change book values without changing beneficial ownership.

The directors were asked to confirm that no events had led to the crystallisation of any floating charges. 
(a floating charge is a security interest that hovers above the debtor's assets until some event causes the charge to become fixed or crystallized on those assets)
Investopedia Says:
An example of this occurs when an investor needs to take a capital loss for a particular stock, but still believes the stock will rise. Thus, he/she would crystallize the paper loss by selling the stock and buying it back right away.
Most tax agencies have regulations (such as the wash-sale rule) to prevent taking a capital loss in this fashion.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/crystallization#ixzz1BPDeLgpA

FORMAL VS. INFORMAL WRITING


This video is presented by TransLegal - the world leader in Legal English

1.15.2011

"You know you're a freelance translator when...

…you consider yourself really lucky, because you work at home and have a ten-foot commute.
…you consider yourself really unlucky, because you work at home, so you never get to go home from work.
…coffee is a legitimate business expense.
…you have not actually laid eyes on any of your clients.
…you think of time as an elastic concept that will stretch to cover whatever crazy amount of work you take on.
"...you have four projects due at 6 PM ... fortunately, one is 6 PM Eastern Standard Time, one is 6 PM Berlin time, one is 6 PM Moscow time, and one is 6 PM Tokyo time.
…you would give your right butt cheek for a comfortable office chair.
…you can sleep sitting up and type with your eyes closed— all at the same time.
…your idea of exercise is getting up to refill your coffee mug, and of a good workout is when you forget to take the coffee mug with you the first time so you have to return to get it.
"...you finish chatting with the barista at Starbucks and know that that's going to be the extent of your conversation for the day.
"...a little break from work usually involves dishes or laundry or cat litter.
"...a T-shirt and sweatpants constitute formal business attire; for casual Fridays, you just stay in your pajamas."
"...one word can require hours of research, but despite getting paid just a few cents for that one word, you do the research anyway.
...not only you do know the difference between a participle and a gerund - you actually care."
- How true!
Source: http://www.proz.com/forum/translation_theory_and_practice/177064-slavfile_newsletter%3A_you_know_youre_a_freelance_translator_when.html

1.10.2011

The Stylistics - You Make Me Feel Brand New

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyD5tAGBP9U

COMMUNAL AREAS

áreas comuns: é assim que se chama a área comum do seu prédio.
Fire safety – Don’t get a red card
The Fire Safety Act 2005 places a duty on the council to make sure that all communal areas in blocks of flats are kept completely clear of items that could burn, at all times.
To help us carry out this duty we have introduced a card system.
White: This card lets residents know that we think items in the communal areas belong to them and gives them a chance to move them.
Yellow: This is a reminder to move the items before you pay the price as we will charge them if we have to move the items.
Red: Your last chance. 24 hours left for you to remove them.
Items that cannot be kept in communal areas include:
Pushchairs, Furniture, Bicycles, Motorcycles, Mobility scooters, Plants, Rubbish bags

1.05.2011

ANNUAL MEETING (US) / ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (UK)

(noun) yearly meeting, usually of shareholders (US term) "The shareholders elected the members of the board of directors at the annual meeting."
Synonyms: annual general meeting (AGM): used in the UK
Common phrases:
"The issue will be put before shareholders at the annual meeting."
"The minutes of the annual meeting were reviewed and signed."
"We will hold the annual meeting on May 15, 2010."
"Please state whether you intend to attend the annual meeting."
Related phrases:
special meeting (US) - any general meeting of the company other than an annual meeting
extraordinary general meeting (UK) - any general meeting of the company other than an annual general meeting
Common mistake:
One sometimes hears "annual meeting of shareholders". However, the use of the phrase "of shareholders" is unnecessary. [vivendis & aprendendis!]

1.03.2011