"The masters, being fewer in number, can combine much more easily: and the law, besides, authorises, or at least does not prohibit, their combinations, while it prohibits those of the workmen. We have no acts of parliament against combining to lower the price of work, but many against combining to raise it. In all such disputes, the masters can hold out much longer. A landlord, a farmer, a master manufacturer, or merchant, though they did not employ a single workman, could generally live a year or two upon the stocks, which they have already acquired. Many workmen could not subsist a week, few could subsist a month, and scarce any a year, without employment."
- Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations
For more selections from Wealth of Nations, see “The Invisible Adam Smith”.
Showing posts with label Labor Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Labor Day. Show all posts
Monday, September 01, 2014
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Fun with computer translations
To make some small improvement in our Italian skills, we go to a monthly conversation group. Each month, the organizer emails a reminder, and this last time she asked us to let her know if we'll be coming.
I can read Italian books and newspapers with so-so comprehension, but I have trouble coming up with the simplest everyday phrases, especially if they are not in the present tense. So, I called on the friendly, knowledgable folks at Google Translate.
"We will be there" -> "Ci saremo"
That's OK, but do I want to make a statement of certainty?
"We plan to be there" -> "Pensiamo di esserci"
But that seems to me to mean "we're thinking of being there", implying we haven't made up our minds yet.
"We hope to be there" -> "Speriamo di esserci"
Naw! Hope is not as certain as plan. I guess I'll go with "Ci saremo" and hope that our plans work out:)
Interestingly, Google translated "Pensiamo di esserci" to "We plan to be". My goodness, we plan to be lots of places for many years to come!
Oh yeah! Since May 1 is Labor Day all over Europe, I asked Google to translate "labor day" into Italian. It gave, I kid you not, "Labor day", and pronounced it "lahbor die". However, if I put in "festa dei lavoratori" it gives "labor day".
Ciao!
I can read Italian books and newspapers with so-so comprehension, but I have trouble coming up with the simplest everyday phrases, especially if they are not in the present tense. So, I called on the friendly, knowledgable folks at Google Translate.
"We will be there" -> "Ci saremo"
That's OK, but do I want to make a statement of certainty?
"We plan to be there" -> "Pensiamo di esserci"
But that seems to me to mean "we're thinking of being there", implying we haven't made up our minds yet.
"We hope to be there" -> "Speriamo di esserci"
Naw! Hope is not as certain as plan. I guess I'll go with "Ci saremo" and hope that our plans work out:)
Interestingly, Google translated "Pensiamo di esserci" to "We plan to be". My goodness, we plan to be lots of places for many years to come!
Oh yeah! Since May 1 is Labor Day all over Europe, I asked Google to translate "labor day" into Italian. It gave, I kid you not, "Labor day", and pronounced it "lahbor die". However, if I put in "festa dei lavoratori" it gives "labor day".
Ciao!
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