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what does "initiative" refer to?


Kenny同志

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Here it means 主动. I would translate it as something like "....在多种不同的情况下,都能主动、灵活地解决问题“ , though you don't necessarily have to translate it as "solving problems". Maybe "taking advantage of opportunities" is even better if you can find the right words.

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Quote:

leaders at all levels

If this isn't a translation from Chinese, I'll eat my 军帽.

Haha, well, it is exactly what's in the original. Somehow 各级领导 automatically came to my mind. It saved some mental effort. Thanks go to the forward composer.

Edited by kenny2006woo
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This piece of text reminds me of the admonition against jargon in The Economist's style guide:

Avoid it. [...] Avoid, above all, the kind of jargon that tries to dignify nonsense with seriousness. The appointee...should have a proven track record of operating at a senior level within a multi-site international business, preferably within a service- or brand-oriented environment, declared an advertisement for a financial controller for The Economist Group.

[...]

Or simply to obfuscate: A multi-agency project catering for holistic diversionary provision to young people for positive action linked to the community safety strategy and the pupil referral unit. was how Luton Education Authority described go-karting lessons.

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Hmm, how does Kenny's employer got hold of this army manual??? Oh no, the employer didn't do a "google" by any chance? :) That would be so unheard of!

But, actually, i side with Roddy's observation. This sounds very much like a translation from the Chinese.

Being far from an army lover, i sincerely doubt that any army manual in the US sounds quite as constipated as this. I can't imagine US high brass saying things like, "the Army will need to assist friends, reassure and protect populations..."

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Being far from an army lover, i sincerely doubt that any army manual in the US sounds quite as constipated as this. I can't imagine US high brass saying things like, "the Army will need to assist friends, reassure and protect populations..."

Hehe, I bet the quoted passage is precisely the Commanding General's words. You can google it.

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animal world, army officers who went to West Point and then to some prestigious private university for an advanced degree are capable of using highly convoluted academic jargon.

Have a look at the COIN manual whose publication was overseen by General Petraeus. I find the language used in that document quite ok.

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Hehe, I bet the quoted passage is precisely the Commanding General's words. You can google it

So, is this really your translating job or is it just homework? If the former, this sounds like an odd assignment.

I doubt the Commanding General wrote this pamphlet unless he was quoted verbatim in it. I did a google and read the beginning of this pamphlet for a while. What i saw was in understandable and quite acceptable English. Stopped reading and didn't see the quoted passage.

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