 Member since Mar '04
Working languages: English to Portuguese
Spanish to Portuguese
Portuguese (monolingual)
French to Portuguese
Portuguese to English |
|    Maria Eugenia Farre
Tough job? Been there done that
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Local time: 10:25 BRT (GMT-3)
Native in: Portuguese  | | |
The greatest enemy of clear language is insincerity | Freelancer,  Verified member, ProZ.com Moderator | | Translation, Interpreting, Editing/proofreading, Website localization, Software localization, Project management | | Specializes in: | | Computers: Hardware | Computers: Software | | Computers: Systems, Networks | Journalism | | Medical: Instruments | Marketing / Market Research | | IT (Information Technology) |
| Also works in: | | Management | Environment & Ecology | | Finance (general) | Forestry / Wood / Timber | | Games / Video Games / Gaming / Casino | Geography | | Government / Politics | International Org/Dev/Coop | | Internet, e-Commerce | Law (general) | | Law: Contract(s) | Law: Patents, Trademarks, Copyright | | Retail | Textiles / Clothing / Fashion | | Cosmetics, Beauty | Certificates, Diplomas, Licenses, CVs | | Biology (-tech,-chem,micro-) | Economics | | Business/Commerce (general) | Electronics / Elect Eng | | Engineering: Industrial | Energy / Power Generation | | Human Resources | Insurance | | Mathematics & Statistics | Medical: Health Care | | Telecom(munications) | Advertising / Public Relations | | Agriculture | Tourism & Travel |
More Less | | Questions answered: 197, Questions asked: 12 Easy / 45 PRO, PRO-level points: 317 | Sample translations submitted: 1| English to Portuguese: The oracle strikes back (Economist, published translation) | Source text - English
5787
The oracle strikes back
Mar 15th 2001
From The Economist print edition
As storm clouds continue to gather over technology companies, one investor at least can be forgiven for feeling pleased with himself: Warren Buffett.
THE Dairy Queen ice cream will taste particularly sweet at next month’s “Woodstock for Capitalists”, as the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway is affectionately known. Only a year ago, Warren Buffett, who runs the investment firm (which owns Dairy Queen, among others), was being written off everywhere as the once-great investor who simply didn’t get the “new economy”. How could the legendary Oracle of Omaha admit to not understanding technology companies, when everybody else was successfully betting their shirts on JDS Uniphase, Qualcomm and the like, firms that were going to do something very important and new? (What was it, again?)
It is Mr Buffett who is laughing now. The day the Nasdaq peaked at 5,100 last March marked the point at which Berkshire’s share price touched a low from which it has since risen steadily (see chart). Mr Buffett’s latest annual letter to shareholders, always a treat to read, mixed his hallmark folksy, gently self-deprecating style with a loud shout of “I told you so”. “We have embraced the 21st century by entering such cutting-edge industries as brick, carpet, insulation and paint. Try to control your excitement,” he urged. Berkshire, he explained, is now one of very few authentic “clicks and bricks” businesses, thanks to the Internet activities of GEICO, an insurance business, and the purchase of Acme, a brick firm—a deal that “you can bet...is making them sweat in Silicon Valley.”
To Mr Buffett—who now dares disagree?—last year’s Nasdaq surge was a bubble destined eventually to meet with a deadly pin. This bubble caused a massive transfer of wealth from the public to the promoters of companies, “designed more with an eye to making money off investors rather than for them”. But investors large and small must share the blame, he writes: like Cinderella, they knew that midnight would bring on pumpkins and mice but, hating to miss a second of a great party, they stayed too long. They have now learnt, or should have, some old lessons. First, Wall Street will sell investors anything. Second, speculation is most dangerous when it looks easiest.
Mr Buffett does not dismiss the new economy entirely—he accepts that much real value has been created in the past decade by new or young businesses. He is saying merely that he is not “smart enough” to pick the “few winners that will emerge from an ocean of unproven enterprises”.
Mr Buffett’s comeback is in many ways a triumph for the view that, ultimately, share prices reflect a company’s fundamentals rationally. This was an argument made by Benjamin Graham, author of “Security Analysis”, perhaps the greatest book on investing ever written. Mr Buffett joined Mr Graham’s famous class at Columbia University exactly 50 years ago.
Yet there is more to Mr Buffett’s success than solid analysis of companies’ fundamentals. For one thing, he is not always the amiable, uncomplicated 70-year-old suggested by his carefully cultivated public persona. He can be as tough as the cowboy boots that one of his companies sells. He made plenty of enemies while saving Salomon Brothers, an investment bank, from bankruptcy in the early 1990s. More recently, he intervened at the last minute to stop Coca-Cola, one of his biggest and earliest investments, pursuing its planned takeover of Quaker Oats, which he considered too pricey. That left Coke’s boss, Douglas Daft, looking embarrassed. Even Mr Buffett’s recent opposition to the abolition of estate taxes may not have been the selfless gesture it appeared: a big loser from the taxes’ demise would be the insurance industry, in which Berkshire is a leading firm.
The way Mr Buffett invests has also been crucial to his survival in bad times. Unlike many other “value” investors, last year Berkshire did not engage in the expensive and risky activity of shorting shares that looked overvalued. Nor did it have to win mandates from, say, pension-fund trustees who felt that Nasdaq was the only show in town. Nor, for that matter, did it have to meet cash demands from investors by selling poorly performing stakes in companies such as Coca-Cola, Gillette and Disney, just at the point when they were worth least.
Cash cushion
Mr Buffett has been cushioned from short-term pressures by his insurance businesses, which account for roughly half of Berkshire’s profits. The insurance industry may be largely populated by dull, unimaginative sorts, but for a financial wizard such as Mr Buffett its tax advantages and cash generation offer huge opportunities. The cash allows him to invest when rival investors are unable to raise money, enabling him to buy at low prices. Last year, for instance, the drying-up of the junk-bond market meant Berkshire faced little competition when making a series of acquisitions.
Berkshire’s liquidity may be the key to Mr Buffett’s success, reckons Myron Scholes, a Nobel prize-winning economist, and a former partner in Long-Term Capital Management, a failed hedge fund that Mr Buffett tried unsuccessfully to buy in 1998. But can Berkshire continue to spew cash? Its performance in insurance underwriting has been disappointing of late. If this continues, it could hamper Mr Buffett. Moreover, even at today’s lower prices, he does not think that shares are an exciting prospect. Private purchases of firms are more attractive, he says, but even they are unlikely to offer “really juicy” results until capital markets get very tight.
If things go on as they are, that day may not be far off—in which case, Mr Buffett’s prospects will be better than ever. More ice cream, sir?
| Translation - Portuguese
5787
A vingança do oráculo
15 de março de 2001
The Economist, edição impressa
Nuvens de tormenta continuam a se formar sobre as companhias de tecnologia, mas pelo menos um investidor está rindo sozinho. Seu nome é Warren Buffett
OS sorvetes da Dairy Queen jamais serão saboreados com tanto prazer como no próximo mês, durante o “Woodstock dos Capitalistas”, apelido carinhoso da assembléia anual dos acionistas da Berkshire Hathaway. Há apenas um ano, Warren Buffett, presidente da firma de investimentos que é dona da Dairy Queen, entre outras empresas, recebeu a pecha de gênio ultrapassado das finanças por não entender "a nova economia". Como era possível que o famoso Oráculo de Omaha admitisse não entender as companhias de tecnologia enquanto todos apostavam suas fichas e lucravam com as ações da Uniphase, Qualcomm e outras novas e admiráveis companhias destinadas a cumprir uma missão revolucionária? (qual mesmo, hoje se perguntam muitos investidores desiludidos).
Mas como diz o ditado, quem ri por último ri melhor. Longe vai o legendário dia de março de 2001 em que o índice Nasdaq chegou ao pico de 5.100 pontos e as ações da Berkshire desceram a seu ponto mais baixo (seguido por uma recuperação gradual). Na tônica da mais recente carta aos acionistas, sempre um convite para uma leitura descontraída e irônica, pode-se ouvir um sonoro "Eu bem que avisei". "Decidimos entrar no século 21 investindo em setores de alta tecnologia como tijolos, tapetes, materiais de vedação e tinta. Eu sei que vocês não estão cabendo em si de empolgação diante da notícia, mas por favor tentem moderar seu entusiasmo", pediu aos acionistas. A Berkshire, explicou, é um das raras firmas capazes de conjugar "tijolos e cliques" , uma referência às atividades da GEICO, companhia de seguros tradicional com forte presença na Internet, e à compra da Acme, fabricante de tijolos—acordo "que deve estar tirando o sono do pessoal do Vale do Silício".
Segundo Buffett—e hoje ninguém se atreve a contestá-lo—a loucura da Nasdaq no ano passado era uma bolha que explodiria assim que se chocasse contra um alfinete fatídico. O frenesi provocou maciça transferência de riqueza do público para os que promoviam companhias "pensadas como um imã para o dinheiro dos investidores e não como um meio de gerar lucros para eles". Porém, tanto os pequenos como os grandes investidores são culpados, escreve. Como Cinderela, sabiam que à meia-noite as carruagens virariam abóboras e os lacaios camundongos, mas para não perder um minuto do baile, ficaram até depois da última badalada. Agora, espera-se que os investidores tenham aprendido duas velhas lições. Primeiro, que Wall Street não se peja de vender ações de qualquer tipo. Segundo, quanto mais fácil tudo parece, maiores são os riscos da especulação.
Buffett não renega totalmente a nova economia. Ele concorda que muito valor real foi criado na última década por novas empresas e jovens empresários. Diz apenas que lhe falta a "esperteza" necessária para escolher "os raros vencedores em um mar de empresas ainda não submetidas à prova do mercado".
A virada de Buffett representa o triunfo da visão que prega que, em última análise, o preço de uma ação reflete os fundamentos de uma companhia. Esse argumento foi proposto por Benjamin Graham, autor de "Security Analysis" (Analisando ações, sem tradução em português), talvez o melhor livro sobre investimentos jamais publicado. Buffett assistiu às famosas aulas de Graham, na Universidade Columbia, há exatamente 50 anos.
Mas o sucesso de Buffett não pode ser atribuído exclusivamente à análise racional dos fundamentos empresariais. Para início de conversa, ele não é exatamente o que sua persona pública levaria a crer: um sujeito de 70 anos, simples e amigável. Ele pode ser tão implacável como as botas de cowboy vendidas por uma de suas companhias. No começo da década de 1990, ele fez dúzias de inimigos ao salvar o banco de investimentos Salomon Brothers da falência. Mais recentemente, fez uma intervenção de último minuto para impedir que a Coca-Cola, um de seus investimentos mais antigos e importantes, levasse adiante o plano de encampar a Quaker Oats, empresa que considerava cara demais. Isso foi motivo de constrangimento para o chefão da Coca-Cola, Douglas Daft. Até a recente oposição à proposta de abolir os impostos sobre espólios não é o gesto desprendido que aparenta ser. Um dos maiores prejudicados com a medida seriam as companhias de seguros, setor em que a Berkshire ocupa posição de destaque.
A lógica que rege os investimentos de Buffett foi essencial para a sobrevivência em tempos difíceis. Ao contrário de certos investidores que se guiam pela premissa “valor”, a Berkshire não se arriscou com a venda a descoberto de ações supervalorizadas. Também não precisou obter autorização de administradores de fundos de pensão, para quem a Nasdaq era a única atração do mercado, ou ainda, vender sua participação em companhias de fraco desempenho e cotação em baixa, como Coca-Cola, Gillette e Disney, para pagar os pedidos de resgate de seus investidores.
Reservas monetárias
Buffett conseguiu se proteger das pressões mais imediatas do mercado graças às companhias de seguros, que representam cerca de 50% dos lucros da Berkshire. O setor de seguros sempre foi povoado por tipos insossos e pouco imaginativos, mas um gênio das finanças como Buffett soube tirar o máximo das vantagens fiscais e oportunidades do segmento. A disponibilidade financeira permite-lhe investir em ações a baixo preço enquanto seus rivais ainda lutam para levantar fundos. No ano passado, por exemplo, a estiagem no mercado de títulos de alto risco, possibilitou que a Berkshire fizesse uma série de aquisições sem enfrentar adversários.
A liquidez da Berkshire talvez seja a chave do sucesso de Buffett, acredita Myron Scholes, economista laureado com o Nobel, e ex-sócio da Long-Term Capital Management, um fundo de hedge mal sucedido que Buffett tentou comprar em 1998. A grande pergunta é: a Berkshire vai continuar jorrando dinheiro? Seu desempenho em subscrição de seguros tem sido decepcionante nos últimos tempos. Se persistir, essa situação pode constituir um empecilho para a empresa. Além disso, Buffet não acredita que os investimentos em ações são uma opção interessante hoje, apesar da queda dos preços. As aquisições de companhias privadas são mais atraentes, afirma, mesmo que resultados polpudos só comecem a aparecer quando o mercado de capitais estiver passando por uma fase de aperto.
Ao que tudo indica, esse dia parece não estar muito distante. E bem poderia ser a cerejinha em cima do sorvete de Buffet.
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More Less | | Compressors, Goldratt's Theory of Constraints, Medical Glossary, Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems | | BA-FAAP | | Years of translation experience: 12. Registered at ProZ.com: Nov 1999. Became a member: Mar 2004. | English to Portuguese (Junta Comercial do Estado de SP- Sworn Translator, verified)
English to Portuguese (Cambridge University (ESOL Examinations, External, Misc.), verified)
English to Portuguese (Associação Alumni- Translator and Interpreter, verified)
Portuguese to English (Associação Alumni- Translator and Interpreter, verified)
| | ATA, APIC | | Adobe Acrobat, Catalyst, DejaVu, FrameMaker, IBM CAT tool, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Foreign Desk CAT Tool, Frame Maker 5.5 and 7.0, MS Office 95/98/2000, Page Maker 6.5, Powerpoint, SDL TRADOS, SDLX, Uniscape CAT tool, Wordfast | | | | http://mefarre.googlepages.com/home2 | | CV available upon request | | Maria Eugenia Farre endorses ProZ.com's Professional Guidelines. | | About me
Freelance Brazilian Portuguese certified and sworn translator and interpreter with 12 years of experience in technical translation.
Translation and Interpretation Certificate from Alumni, Brazil.
Sworn Translator and Court Interpreter (Jucesp 1321) accredited by the São Paulo Commercial Registry.
B.A. in Marketing and Advertising from Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado.
Founder of GlossPost, the mailing list of glossary URLs for translators.
Fields of expertise: Software Localization, Medical Technology, Telecommunications, Websites, Marketing, Advertising and Journalism.
Wide translation and interpreting experience in the following areas:
* Telecommunications
* IT, software, Hardware, Systems Integration, Advanced Imaging Systems
* Medical Devices and Systems
* Consumer Electronics
* Engineering
* Manufacturing
* Paper and Pulp
* Health Environment and Safety
* Transportation
* Business
* Marketing and Advertising
* Human Resources
* Journalism
* NGOs and Foundations
Interpreting
Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpreter at world conferences and business meetings in Brazil or abroad. Trained at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Portable and standard simo equipment available. Please visit my website to find out more about the interpreting services I provide.
Recent Translation Projects: Translation of brochures for Busch Anheuser entertainment parks (Sea World, Busch Gardens, etc). Translation of PR pitches for Imagem Corporativa. Translation of messaging platform and brand user guides for Pfizer Animal Health. Translation of messaging platform and brand user guides for St. Jude Medical. Translation of white paper for CNET. Editing of cordless VOIP phone User Manual for Philips. Translation of course descriptions for Naval Postgraduate School (UN peacekeeping missions). Glossary maintenance and updating for Varian Medical Systems. Translation of hangtags and marketing brochures for Camelbak.Translation of marketing brochures for UBS. Translation of ABN AMRO Bank's Sustainability Report. (30,000 words). Translation of Equity Research Brochure for a Integrated Logistics Company. (15,000 words). Funding Proposal for Certification of Sustainable Coffee Initiative for NGO Imaflora. (10,000 words). Call Center Business Requirements (30,000 words).
Other Projects: Lead Brazilian Portuguese localizer for Netscape 6.2 and 7.0 (80,000 words). Translation of TCO Study comparing Microsoft XP and Conectiva 8.0 (12,000 words). Translation of spec sheets for radiation therapy devices (30,000 words). Localization of cell phone prompts and user manual (15,000 words). Translation of newsletter/catalogue for natural cosmetics brand (60,000 words, team leader). Editing and Linguistic Testing of Human Resources software (9,000 words). Update of Check Printer software (3,000 words). Localization and linguistic testing of Flash games for the Barbie website. Industrial Measurement and Control System- Operator Manual (22,000 words in FrameMaker 7.0). Website of major Canadian law firm (10,000 words). Information and Security Policy and Standards for major US financial institution (14,000 words). Articles for newswire (up to 1,000 words with 3 hour turnaround). Cell phone user guide (9,000 words). UNESCO declaration and recommendation concerning the status of artists. Technical documents collected at the discovery phase of a patent breach lawsuit from Portuguese into English (35,000 words). Project coordinator. Translation of voiceover script for Intel desktop boards promotional CD. 3,900 words. Localization, final proofreading and review implementation of software and documentation for brachytherapy software. Localization of software, help and linguistic testing of Human Resources web-based application (25,000 words software, 60,000 words help). Cultural consulting: evaluation of brandnames for personal care industry manufacturer.
Older projects: (1998-2002) Translator of TIME magazine, The New York Times, Boston Globe, Financial Times, Business Week and The Economist on a weekly basis for Seção UOL Jornais, Valor Econômico newspaper and US based translation agency.
Presentations in Translation Conferences.
- "An Overview of Software Localization. Associação Alumni, 2003.
- "Searching for Online Glossaries" and "Translating Journalism". Segundas Jornadas para Traductores y Intérpretes. Rosario, Argentina, 2001.
- "Collaborative Terminology Networks". 42nd ATA Annual Conference, Los Angeles, EUA, 2001.
- "Searching for Online Glossaries". II CITI. São Paulo, Brazil, 2000.
Daily output: 2,500- 3,000 words. Translation, editing,
proofreading, quality assurance and linguistic testing. Experienced CAT tool user: TRADOS 5.0, IBM Translation Manager, ForeignDesk, Catalyst and other tools. Services include cultural consulting of brandnames and taglines. Advanced computer user: HTML, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, FrameMaker, Adobe Acrobat, PageMaker, ForeignDesk, etc. To check on availability and rates or to request a resume, please send an e-mail to mefarre@gmail.com.
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This user has reported completing projects in the following job categories, language pairs, and fields.
| Project History Summary |
|---|
| Total projects | 29 | | With client feedback | 0 | | Corroborated | 0 | | | 0 positive (0 entries) |  positive | 0 |  neutral | 0 |  negative | 0 |
| Job type | | Interpreting | 19 | | Translation | 8 | | Proofreading/editing | 2 | | | Language pairs | | English to Portuguese | 25 | | Portuguese to English | 4 | | | Specialty fields | | IT (Information Technology) | 4 | | Computers: Software | 3 | | Human Resources | 3 | | Finance (general) | 3 | | Management | 3 | | Government / Politics | 2 | | Advertising / Public Relations | 2 | | Mathematics & Statistics | 1 | | Law: Contract(s) | 1 | | Journalism | 1 | | Textiles / Clothing / Fashion | 1 | | Certificates, Diplomas, Licenses, CVs | 1 | | Insurance | 1 | | Electronics / Elect Eng | 1 | | Energy / Power Generation | 1 | | Medical (general) | 1 | | Real Estate | 1 | | International Org/Dev/Coop | 1 | | Retail | 1 | | | Other fields | | Cooking / Culinary | 1 | | Medical: Pharmaceuticals | 1 | | Food & Dairy | 1 | | Computers (general) | 1 | | Metallurgy / Casting | 1 | | Education / Pedagogy | 1 | | Livestock / Animal Husbandry | 1 |
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Keywords: medical technology radiation therapy software localization IT information networks networking technology browsers imaging software hardware UI help manuals marketing advertising telecommunications journalism time magazine proofreading editing DTP skills HTML website simultaneous interpreting cultural consulting TRADOS CAT tools glossary management brand names technical translator IBM Translation Manager linguistic testing tradutor intérprete conference interpreter
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