Oct 27, 2005 17:13
18 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Portuguese term
17 yrs in international development
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English
know how
Portuguese to English
Tech/Engineering
Petroleum Eng/Sci
independent energy companies
Even though this is an English term, I'm wondering if there isn't a better, more professional sounding translation for this expression in English. It is part of an ad for a Brazilian energy company, and "know how" in English just sounds a bit informal for an ad. Any thoughts?
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +7 | expertise |
Fred Neild (X)
|
| 3 +1 | know how, skill |
Neva M.
|
| 4 | skills and competencies |
CMJ_Trans (X)
|
| 4 | know how (see expl) |
Chris Williams
|
Proposed translations
+7
8 mins
Selected
expertise
i've seen this term in many recent translations of corporate marketing material
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you- I think I'll go with your answer."
+1
3 mins
know how, skill
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Amilcar
: I do not know how else one could translate know-how INTO En. But in a world (Br) where it is thought necessary to switch into En to say know-how everything is possible. Know-how is perfectly appropriate in an advert, regardless of target audience.
4 hrs
|
43 mins
skills and competencies
but it would have been nice to have the whole sentence
1 hr
Chris Williams
Native in English
Fast work personal service.
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English, English to Spanish, and 1 more.
know how (see expl)
I think "know how" is meant to feel "friendly and accessible" whereas more formal phrases and words like expertise and skill level might sound a little "intellectual". In anglophonic culture formal speech can sound intellectual and this can seem superior. I'm not sure this same effect occurs in romance languages.
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