Texts for translation

Text 1

Matching the man and the right job

Art Buchwald

Vice President

Glucksville Dynamics

Glucksville, California

Dear Sir:

I am writing in regard to employment with your firm.

I have a B.S. from USC and a Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of Technology.

In my previous position I was in charge of research and development for the Harrington Chemical Co. We did work in thermo-nuclear energy, laser beam refraction, hydrogen molecule development, and heavy water computer data.

Several of our research discoveries have been adapted for commercial use, and one particular breakthrough in linear hydraulics is now being used in every oil company in thecountry.

Because of the cutback in defense orders, the Harrington Co. decided to shut down its research and development department. It is for this reason I am available for immediate employment.

Hoping to hear from you in the near future, I remain Sincerely yours,

Edward KASE

Dear Mr. Kase:

We regret to inform you that we have no positions available for someone of your excellent qualifications. The truth of the matter is that we find you are "overqualified" for any position we might offer you in our organization. Thank you for thinking of us, and if anything comes up in the future, we will be getting in touch with you.

Yours truly,

Merriman HASELBALD

Administrative Vice President

Personnel Director

Jessel International Systems

Crewcut, Mich.

Dear Sir:

I am applying for a position with your company in any responsible capacity. I have had a college education and have fiddled around in research and development. Occasionally we have come up with money-making ideas. I would be willing to start off at a minimal salary to prove my value to your firm.

Sincerely yours,

Edward KASE

Dear Mr. Kase:

Thank you for your letter of the 15th. Unfortunately, we have no positions at the moment for someone with a college education. Frankly, it is the feeling of everyone here that you are "overqualified", and your experience indicates that you would be much happier with a company that could make full use of your talents.

It was kind of you to think of us.

Hardy LANDSDOWNE

Personnel Dept.

To whom it may concern

Geis & Waterman, Inc.

Ziegfried, III.

Dere Ser,

I'd like a job with your outfit. I can do anything you want me to. You name it, Kase will do it. I ain't got no education and no experience, but I'm strong and I got moxy an I get along great with people. I'm ready to start any time because I need the bread. Let me know when you want me.

Sincerely yours,

Edward KASE

Dear Mr. Kase

You are just the person we have been looking for. We need a truck driver, and your qualifications are perfect for us. You can begin working in our Westminster plant on Monday. Welcome aboard.

Carson PETERS,

Personnel

Text 2 talking like your parents? you could do worse

John Rosemond

In this time of widespread parent-bashing, it's risky to be writing a column in praise of the attitudes my parents' generation brought to the job of raising children, but I've always been a risk-taker, so...

Like most parents, mine were imperfect. But despite their inadequacies and excesses, their neuroses and worse, they had some good ideas about raising children. Their child-rearing philosophy - the same philosophy subscribed to by most parents of their generation (and previous ones) - consisted of a handful of sayings which they often quoted in my presence. Needless to say, these "parenting proverbs" - or, more accurately, "pre-parenting proverbs" - never failed to irritate me. It took me two children of my own to adjust my idealism to the realities of child-rearing and begin to appreciate what my parents were trying to express.

Perhaps the most irritating of all was "because I said so". So irritating, in fact, that young Willie and John Rosemond pledged never to say those four words to their children. It wasn't long before we found ourselves in a constant state of verbal warfare with one child or another. It finally dawned on us that "because I said so" is a statement of fact, nothing more. It says, "You must do what you are told, not because I am successful at explaining myself to you, but because I tell you." In other words, authority is not up for grabs in the family. Parents are in charge. Children are free to disagree, but not to disobey.

Then there was "children should be seen and not heard”, the lynchpin of an all-but-lost child-rearing philosophy. Specifically, this meant that when in the company of adults, children were to pay attention, not clamor for it. In other words, children should look up to adults more than adults look down at children. More generally, "seen and not heard" meant that adults should supervise children well, but not become highly involved with them. They were to maintain a certain respectful distance from children, thereby enabling children to learn, by trial and error, how to stand on their own two feet. Both of these understandings have since been turned upside-down. These days, parents seem to believe more attention should go from parent to child than from child to parent. Then they wonder why children ignore them when they speak. This generation of parents believes the more you close the distance between yourself and your child, the better parent you are. They then wonder why children don't want to face challenges on their own. I also heard "you can't get something for nothing" a lot. This was sometimes expressed as "you have to earn your keep around here." Translate: Children should be fully responsible, contributing members of the family. As a child, I had responsibilities, and I had freedoms. If I wanted my freedoms, I had to be responsible. Give and take. Reciprocity. Simple as that. Many of today's kids lack this fundamental moral. They benefit from membership in their families, but are rarely, if ever, required to put effort of any sort back into the system. No surprise, then, that employers often tell me many young people want a full paycheck for less than a full day's work. A child's lessons - whatever they are - always begin at home.

Text 3