El domingo 22 de marzo de 2009 a las 0:39, Sue escribió:

> Sounds good to me, but you can still use "courtesy calls."
> Translation makes one think!!!!!

Absolutely. It was a challenging exercise!

> But instead of saying, "to content others," I would be more
> likely to say "to please others," or " to satisfy others." We
> don't usually use "content" in this way.

I see. Thank you very much, Sue, for your corrections!

Here is my attempt, corrected.


En los pueblos que por su magnitud y por su vecindario no son
grandes ni pequeños, el trato de las gentes suele ofrecer varias
dificultades, porque se sujetan las comunicaciones a una especie
de reglamento oficial de cumplimientos insoportables.
Entre los diversos inconvenientes que ofrece al hombre de
carácter franco y tranquilo y de índole sosegada, el trato con
los hombres, el más enfadoso, el más insufrible es el de los
cumplimientos, y entre las distintas especies de cumplimientos no
hay ninguno más intolerable que el de "las visitas de
cumplimiento".
La feliz invención de la tarjeta ha ido poco a poco simplificando
esa fórmula fastidiosa del trato de las gentes; así es que en
Madrid ha desaparecido la visita personal de cumplimiento, bajo
el poder cómodo y comunicativo de la cartulina; y teniendo por
poco dinero un ciento de tarjetas, y con un ciento de tarjetas
cien visitas recibidas o devueltas, nadle se toma el trabajo de
perder el tiempo haciendo personalmente visitas inútiles.

José Selgas, *Las visitas de cumplimiento* (primera parte)


Courtesy calls

In towns that, because of their magnitude and their neighborhood,
are neither big nor small, dealing with people usually presents
various difficulties, because communication is subject to some
sort of official regulation of intolerable obligations to please
others.
Among the diverse inconveniences that dealing with men offers to
the man of frank and relaxed character and calm nature, the most
annoying, the most insufferable is that of obligations, and among
the different types of obligations, there is none more unbearable
than that of "courtesy calls."
The fortunate invention of the card has been simplifying little
by little that tiresome formula of dealing with people; thus, the
personal courtesy call has disappeared in Madrid, under the
comfortable and communicative power of the card; and having a
hundred cards for little money, and with a hundred cards a
hundred visits received or returned, nobody takes the trouble to
waste time paying useless visits personally.


Ignacio