(CNN) — To answer [atender; responder] or not to answer? It’s just one of many questions that boggle the minds [confundem] of cell phone users and raise the ire [irrita muito, causa enorme irritação] of those around them [daqueles à sua volta].
Cf. Vocabulário: Elementar
There’s [Há, Existe] a fair chance [boa probabilidade] that anyone reading this column has been annoyed [já foi incomodado] by a cell phone at least [pelo menos] once [uma vez]. My personal pet peeves [bronca, calo (inf.)] are ringing phones [telefones que tocam] in movie theaters [cinemas] and people who insist on sharing [compartilhar, dividir] their lives [suas vidas] with the entire public transportation system. I ignore my phone [não atendo meu telefone] on the bus. It feels strange [É esquisito] to have a conversation with half the city listening in [ouvindo, prestando atenção]. Yes, I keep it on [deixo ligado], but it’s always on “vibrate” or in “silent mode.”
Cf. Falsos Cognatos: THEATER
When phones ring [tocam] in the movie theater, it’s even [ainda mais] more frustrating. A few years ago [Há alguns anos, Alguns anos atrás], it seemed [eu tinha a impressão, parecia que] the owner [o dono] of a ringing cell phone [um celular que tocava] was often embarrassed [ficava quase sempre sem graça] about disrupting [por atrapalhar] the film. The offending communicator [falante infrator] was quickly silenced [rapidamente silenciado], and after a few hisses [alguns assobios], the theater was quiet again [o silêncio voltava a reinar no cinema]. These days, I seem to choose [acho que acabo escolhendo] the same theaters as people who not only [não apenas] answer their phones, but then proceed to have a conversation [continuam conversando]!
Luckily [Felizmente], I’ve never been anywhere that a ringing phone has led to [causou, resultou, terminou em, gerou] violence. Earlier this month [No início do mês], a Massachusetts man was charged with [foi acusado de] assault and battery [praticar vias de fato] with a dangerous weapon [arma] after he allegedly [supostamente] stabbed [golpear (com instrumento cortante ou perfurante), esfaquear, apunhalar] a fellow movie-goer [um também frequentador de cinemas] in the foot. The other audience [plateia] member reportedly asked [teria pedido] the 27-year-old to turn off [desligar] his ringing cell phone. The man has pleaded innocent [alegou inocência] to the charges [acusações].
Cf. Falsos Cognatos: ASSAULT
Cf. Falsos Cognatos: BATTERY
Still [Ainda assim], is this what we’ve been reduced to [será que chegamos a esse ponto; estamos reduzidos a isto (lit.)]? It was bad enough [Já era suficientemente ruim] when people talked in the theater [no cinema; no teatro], but at least it didn’t turn violent [descambava para a violência].
A recent survey [pesquisa] from Cingular Wireless found [descobriu, constatou] that practices considered “proper [adequadas, próprias] and courteous [corteses, elegantes]” vary by region. In the South, cell phone users are more likely to [costumam] silence their phones in church. Westerners [Os moradores da costa oeste] are most likely to turn a phone off in libraries [bibliotecas] , theaters, restaurants and schools. Midwesterners [Os americanos do meio-oeste] hit the off switch [desligam] in retail stores [lojas (de varejo); estabelecimentos comerciais].
At Yale University, some are taking the matter into their own hands [fazem "justiça com as próprias mãos"]. I found [encontrei] an article online from the Yale Daily News extolling [exaltando] the virtues of efforts at the school to teach cell phone etiquette. The new regulations [normas] of one of the school’s residential colleges [uma das faculdades que têm alunos residentes no campus da instituição], Saybrook, prohibit the use of mobile phones in its library, and asks that students keep their phones on silent [no modo silencioso] — not vibrate [vibracall]. In the dining hall [restaurante, refeitório], students are asked to keep phones on silent or vibrate, and take any calls [atender as ligações] in a common room [sala comum].
Perhaps [Talvez] it’s time for Emily Post to tackle [enfrentar, encarar] this one. The emilypost.com site offers tips [dá dicas] for basic “Netiquette” and video conferencing, why not cell phones? Dr. Phil tackled it on his show October 10, which makes me think [que me faz acreditar] mainstream education [educação das massas] may be [talvez esteja] only a ring or two away [somente um ou dois toques de distância].
Cf. O que “TACKLE” significa?
Cf. Como traduzir “MAINSTREAM”?
In the meantime [Enquanto isso], I’ll do my best [farei o possível] not to offend the masses, and I can only hope [só me resta ter esperança de que] others will try to do the same [tentem fazer o mesmo].
Gostou do texto? O que você acha de quem fala no celular em lugares públicos? Já viveu alguma experiência semelhante? Conte sua história na seção de comentários abaixo. Sinta-se à vontade para também dar outras sugestões de tradução. Obrigado!
