巴拉第一夫人米歇尔-奥巴马在民主党全国大会上的演讲中英文对照版(辛苦整理)

第一夫人米歇尔-奥巴马在民主党全国大会上的

演 讲

 2012年9月4 日

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。

Thankyouso much,Elaine. . .we are so grateful foryourfamily's service and sacrifice. . .and we will always have yourb ac k.

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。

Over the past few years as First Lady, I have had theextraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country.

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。

And everywhere I've gone, in the people I've met,and thestories I've heard, I have seen the very best of the Americanspirit.

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。

I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth thatpeople have shown me and my family,especially our girls.

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。

I'veseenitinteachers inanear-bankrupt schooldistrictwho vowed to keep teaching without pay.

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。

I've seen it in people who become heroes at a moment'snotice,diving into harm's way to save others. . .flying across thecountry to put out a fire. . .driving for hours to bail out a floodedtown.

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……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。 ‖这样轻描淡写的话语中我看到了它。

And I've seen it in our men and women in uniform and ourproud military families. . .in wounded warriors who tell me they'renot just going to walk again, they're going to run,and they'regoing to run marathons. . .in the young man blinded by a bomb in

Afghanistan who said, simply, ". . .I'd give my eyes 100 timesagain to have the chance to do what I have done and what I canstill do."

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。

Every day, the people I meet inspire me. . .every day, theymake me proud. . .every day they remind me how blessed we areto live in the greatest nation on earth.

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。

Serving as your First Lady is an honor and a privilege. . .butback when we first came together four years ago, I still hadsome concerns about this journey we'd begun.

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。

While Ibelieved deeplyinmyhusband's visionforthiscountry. . .and I was certain he would make an extraordinary

President. . .like anymother, Iwasworriedabout what itwouldmean for our girls if he got that chance.

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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

How would we keep them grounded under the glare of thenational spotlight? Howwouldtheyfeel beinguprooted fromtheir school, their friends, andthe only home they'd everkno wn?

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。

Our life before moving to Washington was filled with simplejoys. . .Saturdays at soccer games, Sundays at grandma'shouse. . .and a date night for Barack and me was either dinner ora movie,because as an exhausted mom, I couldn't stay awakefor both.

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。

And the truth is, I loved the life we had built for our girls. . .Ideeply loved the man I had built that life with. . .and I didn't wantthat to change if he became President.

我爱的就是巴拉克原来的样子。

I loved Barackjust the way he was.

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那个仅有的一双体面的鞋子比自己的

脚还小了半号的男子。

You see,even though back then Barack was a Senator and

apresidential candidate. . .to me,he was still the guy who'dpicked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, Icould actually see the pavement going by through a hole in thepassenger side door. . .he was the guy whose proudestpossession was a coffee table he'd found in a dumpster,andwhose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small.

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。

But when Barack started telling me about his family–that's when I knew I had found a kindred spirit, someone whosevalue s and upbringing were s o much like mine.

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目标的机

会。

You see,Barack and I were both raised by families whodidn't have much in the way of money or material possessionsbut who had givenus something farmore valuable –theirunconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice,and the chance togo places they had never imagined for themselves.

我的父亲是城市水厂的一名水泵操作员在我和哥哥很小的

时候就被诊断出患有多发性硬化症。

My father was a pump operator at the city water plant,and

were young.

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。

And even as a kid, I knew there were plenty of days whenhe was in pain. . .I knew there were plenty of mornings when itwas a struggle for him to simply get out of bed.

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缓慢地刮好胡须扣

好制服。

But every morning, I watched my father wake up with asmile,grab his walker,prop himself up against the bathroomsink,and slowly shave and button his uniform.

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。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 he returned home after a long day's work,mybrother and I would stand at the top of the stairs to our littleapartment, patiently waiting to greet him. . .watching as hereached down to lift one leg,and then the other, to slowly climbhis way into our arms.But despite these challenges, my dadhardlyevermissed adayofwork. . .he andmymomwere

determined to give me and my brother the kind of educationthey could only dream of.

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。

And when my brother and I finally made it to college,nearlyall of our tuition came from student loans and grants.

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。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。

But my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuitionhimself.And every semester,he was determined to pay that billright on time,even taking out loans when he fell short.

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。

He was so proud to be sending his kids to college. . .and hemade sure we never missed a registration deadline because hischeck was late.

你们瞧对我的父亲来说这是身为一个男人的责任。

You see,for my dad, that's what it meant to be a man.

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。

Like so many of us, that was the measure of his success inlife–being able to earn a decent living that allowed him tosupport his family.

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。

And as I got to know Barack, I realized that even thoughhe'd grown up all the way across the country,he'd been broughtupjust like me.

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。

Barack was raised by a single mother who struggled to paythe bills,and by grandparents who stepped in when she neededhelp.

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。

Barack's grandmother started out as asecretary at acommunity bank. . .and she moved quickly up the ranks. . .but likeso many women, she hit a glass ceiling.

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。

Andforyears,mennomorequalified thanshewas–men she had actually trained –were promoted up the ladderahead of her,earning more and more money while Barack'sfamily continued to scrape by.

但一天又一天她仍然早起去赶公车……比其他任何人都早

到公司……她总是做到最好从不抱怨从不懊悔。

But day after day, she kept on waking up at dawn to catchthe bus. . .arriving atworkbefore anyone else. . .giving herbestwithout complaint or regret.

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。 ‖

And she would often tell Barack, "So long as you kids dowell,Bar, that's all that really matters."

就和许许多多美国家庭一样我们俩的家庭都知足常乐。

Like so many American families,our families weren't askingfor much.

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 didn't begrudge anyone else's success or care thatothers had much more than they did. . .in fact, they admired it.

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。

They simply believed in that fundamental Americanpromise that,even if you don't start out with much, if you workhardand do whatyou're supposedto do, thenyou shouldbeable to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life foryour kids and grandkids.

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。我们学会了做自尊正派的人——努力工作远比挣钱多少重