Grammar question

English translation: A few changes

13:00 Apr 1, 2004

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Government / Politics / Budgeting

English term or phrase: Grammar question

"For the last few centuries budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution initially being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets to evolve into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s".

There is something that bothers me here grammar-wise. Does it sounds OK to your ear and if not why?

Thank you.

Olga Simon KudoZ activity Questions: 48 (none open) (6 closed without grading) Answers: 1297 Hungary
Local time: 06:06

Selected answer:A few changes

Explanation:
Apart from a comma famine, it looks OK to me - here's a slightly reworded version.

"For the last few centuries, budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution, initially being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets and then evolving into a comprehensive line item-based system by the 1940s".

Selected response from:

IanW (X)
Local time: 06:06

Grading comment

Thank you.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +9

A few changes

IanW (X)

5 +5

most a problem of punction, although the wording is a bit awkward

Marian Greenfield

5 +3

Try this ...

Craft.Content

5 +2

another suggestion:

Daniel Mencher

3 +3

evolving from .... into

CLS Lexi-tech

reply

Henry Hinds

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +9

grammar question

A few changes

IanW (X)
Local time: 06:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Thank you.

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

grammar question evolving from .... into

Explanation:
not necessarily wrong, but not necessarily the best way to say it. Read it as: budgeting has undergone..., evolving from a set of rudimentary accounting sheets into a comprehensive system. Line item based is an apposition to system.

paola

CLS Lexi-tech
Local time: 00:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Italian

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

grammar question most a problem of punction, although the wording is a bit awkward

Explanation:
Try:

"For the last few centuries, there have been various budgeting cycles, with an initial set of rudimentary accounting sheets that evolved into a comprehensive line-item based system by the 1940s".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 31 mins (2004-04-01 13:32:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

oops, talk about awkward... I meant \"mostly\"...

Marian Greenfield
Local time: 00:06
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

grammar question Try this ...

Explanation:

"Over the last few centuries, the budgeting exercise has undergone quite a few cycles on the evolution path - from being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets, to a comprehensive line-item based system by the 1940s."

Craft.Content
Local time: 09:36
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Hindi

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

grammar question another suggestion:

Explanation:
Here's how I would re-word it:

For the last few centuries, budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution: starting out as a set of rudimentary accounting sheets, it evolved into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s.

Good luck!

-Dan

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 12 mins (2004-04-01 16:12:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

On second thought, I would insert a \'has\' between \'it\' and \'evolved\':

...accounting sheets, it HAS evolved into a comprehensive...

-Dan

Daniel Mencher
United States
Local time: 00:06
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English

3 days 18 hrs confidence:

grammar question reply

Explanation:
"During the last few centuries budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution, starting as a set of rudimentary accounting sheets that later evolved into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s".

I'd do it like that.

Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 22:06
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations

Grammar question

English translation: A few changes

Answers

KudoZ™ translation help

Your current localization setting

Select a language

Grammar question

English translation: A few changes

Answers

KudoZ™ translation help

You have native languages that can be verified

Your current localization setting

Select a language