Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
as they are reinforced
English answer:
because tools are made even more powerful (by addition of...)
Added to glossary by
Yvonne Gallagher
Aug 29, 2019 09:22
4 yrs ago
English term
as they are reinforced
English
Other
Government / Politics
Hello everyone,
From the book Thank You for Being Late by Thomas Friedman.
I realize that in the dizzying moment we’re experiencing right now, both blue-collar and white-collar workers in the developed and developing world feel like they are just one small step ahead of a machine or robot making their job obsolete. I understand that in such a transition it is much easier for humans to visualize what they will lose than all the benefits they will gain, or already have gained.
But it is impossible for me to believe that with so many more people now empowered to invent, compete, create, and collaborate, with so many more cheap and powerful tools enabling us to optimize social and commercial and governmental interactions, that we won’t develop the capability to solve the big social and health problems in the world and that, in the process, we won’t also find ways for humans to become even more resilient, productive, and prosperous ***as they are reinforced*** by intelligent machines.
Does as in "as they are reinforced" mean "because" or is it a conjunction of time reflecting two gradual processes - one of becoming more resilient... and the other of being reinforced by intelligent machines?
I asked this quesion on another forum (more than 12 hours ago), but, unfortunately, no answers so far.
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/as-they-are-reinforc...
Thank you.
From the book Thank You for Being Late by Thomas Friedman.
I realize that in the dizzying moment we’re experiencing right now, both blue-collar and white-collar workers in the developed and developing world feel like they are just one small step ahead of a machine or robot making their job obsolete. I understand that in such a transition it is much easier for humans to visualize what they will lose than all the benefits they will gain, or already have gained.
But it is impossible for me to believe that with so many more people now empowered to invent, compete, create, and collaborate, with so many more cheap and powerful tools enabling us to optimize social and commercial and governmental interactions, that we won’t develop the capability to solve the big social and health problems in the world and that, in the process, we won’t also find ways for humans to become even more resilient, productive, and prosperous ***as they are reinforced*** by intelligent machines.
Does as in "as they are reinforced" mean "because" or is it a conjunction of time reflecting two gradual processes - one of becoming more resilient... and the other of being reinforced by intelligent machines?
I asked this quesion on another forum (more than 12 hours ago), but, unfortunately, no answers so far.
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/as-they-are-reinforc...
Thank you.
Responses
Change log
Aug 30, 2019 14:02: Yvonne Gallagher Created KOG entry
Sep 1, 2019 15:20: Yvonne Gallagher changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/1300525">Yvonne Gallagher's</a> old entry - "as they are reinforced"" to ""because tools are made even more powerful by addition of intelligent machines""
Responses
3 hrs
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
56
Selected
because tools are made even more powerful by intelligent machines
I am taking a different view here. I believe the word "reinforce" relates to the tools that enable people. Yes it's a bit further back in the sence but the subclauses can be removed
But it is impossible for me to believe that with so many more people now empowered to invent, compete, create, and collaborate, with so many more cheap and powerful tools enabling us to optimize social and commercial and governmental interactions,[ ... ]we won’t also find ways for humans to become even more resilient, productive, and prosperous as they =tools are reinforced by intelligent machines.
I really can't see "reinforced" as referring to humans. It just isn't the right word to use.
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Note added at 3 hrs (2019-08-29 13:19:08 GMT)
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Otherwise I would agree with David in DBOX that the the writer wanted to get tha idea of humans being "supported and indeed displaced by..." machines but then the rest of the sentence doesbn't really work. I think "they" has to refer to the tools and not the humans. It's rather clumsily written...
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Note added at 4 hrs (2019-08-29 13:28:06 GMT)
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in other words, the intelligent machines added to (reinforcing) the already-existing tools will give humans even more ways "to become even more resilient, productive, and prosperous..."
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Note added at 4 hrs (2019-08-29 13:29:11 GMT)
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just notice typo in 1st line "sence"> SENTENCE
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Note added at 1 day 4 hrs (2019-08-30 14:01:21 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to help
But it is impossible for me to believe that with so many more people now empowered to invent, compete, create, and collaborate, with so many more cheap and powerful tools enabling us to optimize social and commercial and governmental interactions,[ ... ]we won’t also find ways for humans to become even more resilient, productive, and prosperous as they =tools are reinforced by intelligent machines.
I really can't see "reinforced" as referring to humans. It just isn't the right word to use.
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Note added at 3 hrs (2019-08-29 13:19:08 GMT)
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Otherwise I would agree with David in DBOX that the the writer wanted to get tha idea of humans being "supported and indeed displaced by..." machines but then the rest of the sentence doesbn't really work. I think "they" has to refer to the tools and not the humans. It's rather clumsily written...
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Note added at 4 hrs (2019-08-29 13:28:06 GMT)
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in other words, the intelligent machines added to (reinforcing) the already-existing tools will give humans even more ways "to become even more resilient, productive, and prosperous..."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2019-08-29 13:29:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
just notice typo in 1st line "sence"> SENTENCE
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Note added at 1 day 4 hrs (2019-08-30 14:01:21 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to help
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Yvonne. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Yvonne."
9 mins
airmailrpl
Brazil
Brazil
Native in English
&
English
Brazil
Technical - Fast - good price - accurate
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
, Portuguese (Variant: Brazilian)
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English, English, and 1 more.
English term (edited):
***as they are reinforced*** by intelligent machines.
as intelligent machines give them more capabilities and capacities to act
***as they are reinforced*** by intelligent machines. => as intelligent machines give them more capabilities and capacities to act
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Robert. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
philgoddard
: Mikhail is asking about the meaning of "as", so you can't repeat that word in your definiton.
3 hrs
|
|
I can repeat any word that I choose in my "Suggestion" - and the asker can decide if it helps his understanding - or not
|
12 mins
Larissa Hanko
Germany
Germany
Specializes in field
Germany
Political and general translations
Native in: German (Variant: Germany)
Works in: English to German, German, English
because they are reinforced
Since the point of the sentence is that technological development is empowering people to make life better, I'm pretty sure what he means is "because". Intelligent machines are supporting human inventiveness and productivity, that's the point he makes.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Larissa. |
34 mins
Erta Zykaj
Canada
Canada
Canada
Biology/Medicine Specialized Translator
Native in: Albanian
Works in: English to Albanian, Italian to Albanian
being reinforced
I think that the phrase "as they are reinforced" refers to all these capabilities of humans (more resilient, productive and prosperous) being reinforced by intelligent machines.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Erta. |
1 hr
while they are reinforced
<in the process, we won’t also find ways for humans to become even more resilient, productive, and prosperous ***as they are reinforced*** by intelligent machines.>
It means "at the same time as being reinforced", or "while" they are reinforced. This is due to the author having previously written "in the process" - the author is describing a process of more than one thing happening at the same time.
It means "at the same time as being reinforced", or "while" they are reinforced. This is due to the author having previously written "in the process" - the author is describing a process of more than one thing happening at the same time.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Nina. |
4 hrs
Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
Mexico
Mexico
Works in field
Mexico
Confianza, certeza, creatividad.
Native in: Spanish (Variant: Mexican)
Works in: English to Spanish, Italian to Spanish, French to Spanish, and 6 more.
as they are made/become more effective
... by intelligent machines.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Juan. |
Discussion
I think the word "reinforced" was a very poor choice of word here.