1、米歇尔奥巴马演讲稿First Lady Michelle Obama:Thank you so much, Elainewe are so grateful for your familys service and sacrificeand we will always have your back.非常感谢，伊莲，我们非常感谢来自你家庭的服务和牺牲，我们永远支持你。Over the past few years as First Lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country.
2、过去的几年来，借由作为第一夫人的非凡殊荣，我几乎游遍了整个美国。And everywhere Ive gone, in the people Ive met, and the stories Ive heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit.而无论我去到哪里，从我所见到的人们，所听到的故事中，我都看到了最真切的美国精神。I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that people have shown me and my family, especially
3、 our girls.在人们对我和我的家庭，特别是我的女儿们那难以置信的友善和热情中，我看到了它。Ive seen it in teachers in a near-bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay.在一个濒临破产的学区的教师们不收分文、坚持执教的誓言中，我看到了它。Ive seen it in people who become heroes at a moments notice, diving into harms way to save othersflying across the coun
4、try to put out a firedriving for hours to bail out a flooded town.在人们在突如其来的紧急召唤下化身英雄，纵身扑向灾害去拯救他人飞过整个国家去扑灭大火驱车数小时去援助被淹没的城镇时，我看到了它。And Ive seen it in our men and women in uniform and our proud military familiesin wounded warriors who tell me theyre not just going to walk again, theyre going to run, an
5、d theyre going to run marathons 在我们身着军装的男女军人和自豪的军属身上在受伤的战士们告诉我他们不仅会再次站立行走，而是会奔跑，甚至参加马拉松时in the young man blinded by a bomb in Afghanistan who said, simply, “Id give my eyes 100 times again to have the chance to do what I have done and what I can still do.”在一位于阿富汗因炸弹而失明的年轻人“为了我所做的和我还将要做的，我宁愿失去我的眼睛一百次
6、。”这样轻描淡写的话语中，我看到了它。Every day, the people I meet inspire meevery day, they make meproudevery day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth.每一天，我所见到的人们都鼓舞着我每一天，他们都令我骄傲每一天，他们都在提醒我，能够生活在这地球上最伟大的国度中是多么的幸福。Serving as your First Lady is an honor and a privilegebut back when
7、we first came together four years ago, I still had some concerns about this journey wed begun.成为诸位的第一夫人，是我的荣耀和幸运但当我们四年前首次聚在一起的时候，我仍对我们即将展开的旅程心怀疑虑。While I believed deeply in my husbands vision for this countryand I was certain he would make an extraordinary Presidentlike any mother, I was worried abo
8、ut what it would mean for our girls if he got that chance. 对我丈夫心中的祖国愿景，我满怀信心对他将成为一位出色的总统，我也深信不疑但是就像所有的母亲一样，我也曾担心如果他当选，这对我们的女儿们意味着什么。How would we keep them grounded under the glare of the national spotlight? 身处万众瞩目的聚光灯下，我们要如何让他们保持脚踏实地？How would they feel being uprooted from their school, their friend
9、s, and the only home theyd ever known?当他们被迫离开从小熟悉的家、学校、和朋友时，会有什么感受？Our life before moving to Washington was filled with simplejoysSaturdays at soccer games, Sundays at grandmas houseand a date night for Barack and me was either dinner or a movie, because as an exhausted mom, I couldnt stay awake for
10、 both.在搬到华盛顿之前，我们的生活充满简单的快乐周六参加足球赛，周日则在祖母家还有巴拉克和我的约会之夜，我们要么出去晚餐，要么去看场电影，因为作为一个筋疲力尽的老妈，我实在没法同时去晚餐和电影还不打瞌睡。And the truth is, I loved the life we had built for our girlsI deeply loved the man I had built that life withand I didnt want that to change if he became President.说真话，我爱我们为女儿们所创造的生活我深爱和我一起创造这生活
11、的男人而且我不愿意让这一切因为他当了总统而发生变化。I loved Barack just the way he was.我爱的就是巴拉克原来的样子。You see, even though back then Barack was Senator and a presidentialcandidateto me, he was still the guy whod picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a ho
12、le in the passenger side doorhe was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table hed found in a dumpster, and whose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small.你们瞧，即便当时巴拉克已经是一名参议员兼总统候选人了对我而言，他仍是那个开着辆锈迹斑斑的破车来接我去约会的男子，我几乎都能透过乘客这侧车门上的破洞看到飞逝而过的路面他仍是那个把一张从垃圾箱里翻出来的咖啡桌当做自己最了不起的财产的男子，那个仅有的一双
13、体面的鞋子比自己的脚还小了半号的男子。But when Barack started telling me about his family thats when I knew I had found a kindred spirit, someone whose values and upbringing were so much like mine.然而，当巴拉克开始向我讲述他的家庭时就在那一刻，我明白我遇到了一个志同道合的灵魂，他的价值观和成长经历与我惊人地相似。You see, Barack and I were both raised by families who didnt ha
14、ve much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves. 如你们所知，养育巴拉克和我的两个家庭都没有太多金钱或物质财富，但是，他们却给予了我们更为珍贵的东西无条件的爱，大无畏的牺牲，以及到达他们自己从未想象过的
15、目标的机会。My father was a pump operator at the city water plant, and he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when my brother and I were young.我的父亲是城市水厂的一名泵浦操作员，在我和哥哥很小的时候就被诊断出患有多发性硬化症。And even as a kid, I knew there were plenty of days when he was in painI knew there were plenty of mornings when it was
16、 a struggle for him to simply get out of bed.即使当时还小，我也知道他常常被病痛折磨我知道有许多清晨，仅仅连起床对他来说都是一场痛苦挣扎。But every morning, I watched my father wake up with a smile, grab his walker, prop himself up against the bathroom sink, and slowly shave and button his uniform.然而每天早晨，我都看到父亲面带微笑地醒来，抓紧他的助步器，用浴室的洗脸池支撑着自己的身体，缓慢地
17、刮好胡须，扣好制服。And when he returned home after a long days work, my brother and I would stand at the top of the stairs to our little apartment, patiently waitingto greet himwatching as he reached down to lift one leg, and then the other, to slowly climb his way into our arms.然后，当他在漫长的一天工作后，我和哥哥会站在通往我家小公寓
18、的楼梯顶上，耐心地等着迎接他回家 我们注视着他弯下腰，举起一条腿，然后是另一条腿，慢慢地爬上楼梯，迎向我们的怀抱。But despite these challenges, my dad hardly ever missed a day of workhe and my mom were determined to give me and my brother the kind of education they could only dream of.然而无论多么艰难，我父亲从未请过一天假他和我母亲决心要让我和哥哥受到他们梦寐以求的教育。And when my brother and I f
19、inally made it to college, nearly all of our tuition came from student loans and grants.当哥哥和我终于升上大学的时候，我们几乎所有的学费都来源于学生贷款和补助金。But my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuition himself. 但是我父亲仍不得不自己掏腰包来支付我们学费中的一小部分。And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time, even taki
20、ng out loans when he fell short.每个学期，他都坚持按时支付学费账单，在他捉襟见肘的时候，他甚至宁可去贷款。He was so proud to be sending his kids to collegeand he made sure we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late. 能送自己的子女去上大学，他是如此地骄傲他从未让我们因为父亲姗姗来迟的支票而错过任何一个报到截止日期。You see, for my dad, thats what it meant to be
21、a man.你们瞧，对我的父亲来说，这是身为一个男人的责任。Like so many of us, that was the measure of his success in life being able to earn a decent living that allowed him to support his family.就和我们中的很多人一样，这就是他衡量生命成功与否的方式能否靠工作让自己的家庭过上体面的生活。And as I got to know Barack, I realized that even though hed grown up all the way acro
22、ss the country, hed been brought up just like me. 当我逐渐开始了解巴拉克之后，我发现虽然他在美国的另一头长大，他的成长经历却和我惊人地相似。Barack was raised by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills, and by grandparents who stepped in when she needed help.巴拉克成长在一个单亲家庭里，他的母亲依靠努力工作来维持家庭生活，在她实在无力支持的时候，祖父母也会伸出援手。Baracks grandmother starte
23、d out as a secretary at a community bankand she moved quickly up the ranksbut like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling.巴拉克的祖母最初在社区银行当秘书她升职很快但就和其他许多女性一样，她的升职最终还是受到了性别限制。And for years, men no more qualified than she was men she had actually trained were promoted up the ladder ahead of her, earning
24、more and more money while Baracks family continued to scrape by.数年间，那些不如她有能力的男性员工事实上，还是她亲手培训的男性员工都被提升到了比她高的职位，挣的钱越来越多，而与此同时，巴拉克一家只能勉强度日。But day after day, she kept on waking up at dawn to catch the busarriving at work before anyone elsegiving her best without complaint or regret. 但一天又一天，她仍然早起去赶公车比其他
25、任何人都早到公司她总是做到最好，从不抱怨，从不懊悔。And she would often tell Barack, “So long as you kids do well, Bar, thats all that really matters.”而且，她常常这样告诉巴拉克：“只要你的孩子过得好，巴，其他什么都不重要。 ”Like so many American families, our families werent asking for much. 就和许许多多美国家庭一样，我们俩的家庭都知足常乐。They didnt begrudge anyone elses success or
26、 care that others had much more than they didin fact, they admired it.他们并不嫉妒其他人的成功，也不在意其他人是否比他们拥有更多事实上，他们为此心存感激。They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that, even if you dont start out with much, if you work hard and do what youre supposed to do, then you should be able to build a
27、decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids.他们就是心怀着最根本的美国希望，即是说，哪怕你出身贫寒，只要你努力工作，做好本职，那么你就能让自己过上体面的生活，而你的子女和他们的孩子也会过得越来越好。Thats how they raised usthats what we learned from their example. 他们就是这样把我们养育成人 并且成为了我们的学习榜样。We learned about dignity and decency that how hard yo
28、u work matters morethan how much you makethat helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.我们学会了做自尊正派的人努力工作远比挣钱多少重要帮助别人比自己争先更有意义。We learned about honesty and integrity that the truth mattersthat you dont take shortcuts or play by your own set of rulesand success doesnt count unless you
29、 earn it fair and square.我们学会了做诚实守信的人要讲究真相不能妄图走捷径或耍小伎俩以及公平争取来的成功才算数。We learned about gratitude and humility that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school cleanand we were taught to value everyones contribution and treat everyone
30、with respect.我们学会了感激和谦卑我们的成功依靠许多人的帮助，从启迪我们的老师到保持学校整洁的校工我们学会珍惜每个人的贡献，并以尊重待人。Those are the values Barack and I and so many of you are trying to pass on to our own children.这些是巴拉克和我以及在场的众多人士都试图传递给子女的价值观。Thats who we are.我们就是这样的人。And standing before you four years ago, I knew that I didnt want any of th
31、at to change if Barack became President.四年前，站在你们面前的我知道，如果巴拉克成为总统，我不愿意这些价值观产生任何改变。Well, today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesnt change who you are it reveals who you are.
32、那么，今天，在那么多的艰苦奋斗和胜利，以及我的丈夫所经历过的那么多我从未想象过的考验之后，我亲眼认识到，当总统并不会改变一个人它只会揭示一个人。You see, Ive gotten to see up close and personal what being president really looks like.你们瞧，我有幸能近距离亲眼观察当总统是怎么一回事。And Ive seen how the issues that come across a Presidents desk are always the hard ones the problems where no amoun
33、t of data or numbers will getyou to the right answerthe judgment calls where the stakes are so high, and there is no margin for error.我发现放到总统桌上的问题总是难题那些无论多少数据或数字都无法得出正确答案的难题那些风险如此之高的选择，根本容不得一星半点的差错。And as President, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people. 还有，作为总统，你会收到各种各样的人向你发出的各种各
34、样的建议。But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President, all you have to guide you are your values, and your vision, and the life experiences that make you who you are.但是到最后，需要做出决定的时刻，作为总统，你所拥有的全部指引就是你的价值观，判断力，以及那些对你影响深远的成长经历。So when it comes to rebuilding our economy,
35、 Barack is thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother.因此，当说到重建经济的时候，巴拉克想到的是像我的父亲和他的祖母一样的人们。Hes thinking about the pride that comes from a hard days work. 他想到的是一天辛勤工作所带来的自豪感。Thats why he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work.这就是为什么他签署了莉莉?列得贝
36、塔同工同酬法案，以帮助女性得到同工同酬的公平权利。Thats why he cut taxes for working families and small businesses and fought to get the auto industry back on its feet.这就是为什么他为工作家庭和小型企业削减了税负，并努力让汽车工业重新起步。Thats how he brought our economy from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again jobs you canraise a family on, good jo
37、bs right here in the United States of America. 这就是他如何将我们的经济从崩溃的边缘拉回并使其重新开始创造工作机会让人们能够养家糊口的工作，这些好工作就在这里，在美利坚合众国。When it comes to the health of our families, Barack refused to listen to all those folks who told him to leave health reform for another day, another president.至于我们的家庭健康问题，巴拉克拒绝听从所有那些要他暂缓医疗
38、改革，把问题留给下一任总统的人。He didnt care whether it was the easy thing to do politically thats nothow he was raised he cared that it was the right thing to do.他不在乎这在政治上是不是一件容易的事这不是他所受到的教育他在乎的是：做正确的事。He did it because he believes that here in America, our grandparents should be able to afford their medicineour
39、kids should be able to see a doctor when theyre sickand no one in this country should ever go broke because of an accident or illness.他这样做，是因为他坚信在美国，我们的祖父母们应该能够负担自己的医药费用我们的孩子生病时必须能够去看医生而且，在这个国家里，没有人应该因为一场意外或疾病而破产。And he believes that women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bo
40、dies and our health carethats what my husband stands for. 他还相信，女性完全有能力对自己的身体和医疗做出选择这就是我丈夫的立场。When it comes to giving our kids the education they deserve, Barack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never couldve attended college without financial aid.关于给予我们的孩子应有的教育，巴拉克知道，就像我和你们中的许多人一样，如果没有
41、助学金，他永远也不可能完成大学学业。And believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.而且，不管你们信不信，我们刚结婚的时候，我们的学生贷款账单合起来比我们的房贷还要高。We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.我们是那么年轻，那么相爱，又是那样的负债累累。Thats why Barack has fought so hard to inc
42、rease student aid and keep interest rates down, because he wants every young person to fulfill their promise and be able to attend college without a mountain of debt. 这就是为什么巴拉克努力增加助学金，并保持低贷款利率的原因，因为他想让每个年轻人都能达成所愿，而不需要为了进入大学而背负山一样沉重的债务。So in the end, for Barack, these issues arent political theyre pe
43、rsonal. 所以归根结底，对巴拉克来说，这些并非政治问题而是个人问题。Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.因为巴拉克知道一个家庭挣扎度日意味着什么。He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids.他知道想要让下一代和下下一代过上更好的生活意味着什么。Barack knows the American Dream because hes lived itand he wants everyone in this
44、country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where were from, or what we look like, or who we love.巴拉克懂得什么是美国梦，因为他正用一生去实践它而他想让生活在这个国度里的每一个人都拥有同样的机会，无论我们是谁，无论我们从哪里来，无论我们肤貌如何，无论我们爱的对象。And he believes that when youve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of oppo
45、rtunityyou do not slam it shut behind youyou reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.而且他认为，当你努力工作，获得成功，并且跨越了那扇机遇的大门之后你不应该砰地一声关上身后的大门你应该伸出援助之手，将成功的机会同样给予后来之人。So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that wh
46、en it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.因此，当人们问我，入主白宫是否改变了我的丈夫的时候，我可以诚实地说，无论是从他的性格，他的信念，他的心灵来看，巴拉克-奥巴马都仍是许多年前我所爱上的那个男人。Hes the same man who started his career by turning down high paying jobs and ins
47、tead working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get folks back to workbecause for Barack, success isnt about how much money you make, its about the difference you make in peoples lives.他仍是那样一个人，会在自己的事业起步期拒绝高薪工作，而走入一个因钢铁厂的倒闭而陷入困境的社
48、区，为社区的重建和人们重获工作而奋斗因为对巴拉克来说，成功并不等于你挣的钱，而是你给人们的生活带来的改变。Hes the same man who, when our girls were first born, would anxiously check their cribs every few minutes to ensure they were still breathing, proudly showing them off to everyone we knew.他仍是那样一个人，当我们的女儿刚出生的时候，隔不了几分钟就急匆匆地查看摇篮，确认她们仍在好好呼吸，并骄傲地向我们认识的
49、每个人展示自己的宝贝女儿。Thats the man who sits down with me and our girls for dinner nearly every night, patiently answering their questions about issues in the news, and strategizing about middle school friendships.他还是那个几乎每晚都会坐下来陪我和女儿们吃晚餐，耐心地回答她们关于新闻事件的问题，并为中学生间的友谊问题出谋划策的人。Thats the man I see in those quiet moments late at night, hunched over his desk, poring over the letters people have sent him.他还是那个，我常常看到在万籁俱寂的深夜里，仍
