經(jīng)典兩分鐘演講稿———奧巴馬就職演講稿(中英文對照)

This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our

resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic

recovery has begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all

the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive;

diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.

My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long

as we seize it together.

這一代美國人經(jīng)歷了危機的考驗，經(jīng)濟危機堅定了我們的決心，證明了我們的恢復(fù)力。長達十年的戰(zhàn)爭正在結(jié)束，經(jīng)濟的復(fù)蘇已經(jīng)開始。美國的可能性是無限的，因為我們擁有當今沒有邊界的世界所需要的所有品質(zhì)：年輕與活力、多樣性與開放、無窮的冒險精神以及創(chuàng)造的天賦才能。我親愛的同胞們，我們正是為此刻而生，我們更要在此刻團結(jié)一致，抓住當下的機會。

For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a

shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that

America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle

class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and

pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the

brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the

bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else,

because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes

of God but also in our own.

因為我們，美國人民，清楚如果只有不斷萎縮的少數(shù)人群體獲得成功，而大多數(shù)人不能成功，我們的國家就無法成功。我們相信，美國的繁榮必須建立在不斷上升的中產(chǎn)階級的寬闊臂膀之上，我們知道美國的繁榮只有這樣才能實現(xiàn)。只有當每個人都能找到工作中的自立與自豪時才能實現(xiàn)。只有當誠實勞動獲得的薪水足夠讓家庭

擺脫困苦的懸崖時才能實現(xiàn)。我們忠誠于我們的事業(yè)，保證讓一個出生于最貧窮環(huán)境中的小女孩都能知道，她有同其他所有人一樣的成功機會。因為她是一個美國人，她是自由的、平等的。她的自由平等不僅由上帝來見證，更由我們親手保護。

We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our

time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp

our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they

need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will

change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination

of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will

give real meaning to our creed.

我們知道，我們已然陳舊的程序不足以滿足時代的需要。我們必須應(yīng)用新理念和新技術(shù)重塑我們的政府，改進我們的稅法，改革我們的學(xué)校，讓我們的公民擁有他們所需要的技能，更加努力地工作，學(xué)更多的知識，向更高處發(fā)展。這意味著變革，我們的目標是：國家可以獎勵每個美國人的努力和果斷。這是現(xiàn)在需要的。這將給我們的信條賦予真正的意義。

We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure

of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of

health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America

must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and

investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the

lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a

child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this

country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We

recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at

any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a

terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and

Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they

strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the

risks that make this country great.

我們，人民，仍然認為，每個公民都應(yīng)當獲得基本的安全和尊嚴。我們必須做出艱難抉擇，降低醫(yī)療成本，縮減赤字規(guī)模。但我們拒絕在照顧建設(shè)國家的這一代和投

資即將建設(shè)國家的下一代間做出選擇。因為我們記得過去的教訓(xùn)：老年人的夕陽時光在貧困中度過，家有殘障兒童的父母無處求助。我們相信，在這個國家，自由不只是那些幸運兒的專屬，或者說幸福只屬于少數(shù)人。我們知道，不管我們怎樣負責任地生活，我們?nèi)魏稳嗽谌魏螘r候都可能面臨失業(yè)、突發(fā)疾病或住房被可怕的颶風(fēng)摧毀的風(fēng)險?！∥覀兺ㄟ^醫(yī)療保險、聯(lián)邦醫(yī)療補助計劃、社會保障項目向每個人做出承諾，這些不會讓我們的創(chuàng)造力衰竭，而是會讓我們更強大。這些不會讓我們成為充滿不勞而獲者的國度，這些讓我們敢于承擔風(fēng)險，讓國家偉大。