米歇爾·奧巴馬在英國倫敦女校演講

Remarks by America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, Islington, U.K.
April 3, 2009

美國第一夫人米歇爾•奧巴馬在英國倫敦伊斯靈頓 伊麗莎白•安德森女校的演講
2009年4月3日

This is my first trip. My first foreign trip as a first lady. Can you believe that? (Applause) And while this is not my first visit to the U.K., I have to say that I am glad this is my first official visit. The special relationship between the United States and the U.K. is based not only on the relationship between governments, but the common language and the values that we share. And I'm reminded of that by watching you all today. During my visit I've been especially honored to meet some of Britain's most extraordinary women. Women who are paving the way for all of you.
這是我的第一次出訪。 是我作爲第一夫人的第一次外事出訪。 你們能相信這個事實嗎？ （掌聲） 雖然這不是我第一次來英國， 我必須說很高興我的首次官方訪問是來英國。 美國和英國之間的特殊關係，不只是基於政府之間的關係， 而且基於我們有共同的語言和價值觀。 看見你們大家就使我想到這一點。 在訪問期間我特別榮幸地會見了英國一些最出色的女士。 這些女士在爲你們所有女孩子鋪路。

And I'm honored to meet you, the future leaders of Great Britain and this world. And although the circumstances of our lives may seem very distant, with me standing here as the First Lady of the United States of America, and you, just getting through school. I want you to know that we have very much in common. For nothing in my life's path would have predicted that I'd be standing here as the first African-American First Lady of the United States of America. There is nothing in my story that would land me here. I wasn't raised with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of. I was raised on the South Side of Chicago. That's the real part of Chicago. And I was the product of a work.ng-class community. My father was a city worker all of his life. And my mother was a stay-at-home mom. And she stayed at home to take care of me and my older brother. Neither of them attended university. My dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the prime of his life. But even as it got harder for him to walk and get dressed in the morning -- I saw him struggle more and more -- my father never complained about his struggle. He was grateful for what he had. He just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder. And my brother and I were raised with all that you really need: love, strong values and a belief that with a good education and a whole lot of hard work, that there was nothing that we could not do.
我也很榮幸見到你們， 這些英國和世界未來的領導者。 雖然我們的生活境況好像相差很遠， 我作爲美國第一夫人站在這裏， 而你們還正在上學。 我想讓你們瞭解我們有很多共同之處。 因爲在我生命歷程中沒有任何東西曾經預示我會站在這裏，作爲美利堅合衆國的第一位非洲裔第一夫人。 我的資歷裏沒有什麼東西能使我站在這個位置上。 我不是用財富和資源養大的，也談不上有什麼社會地位。 我是在芝加哥的南邊養大的。 那是芝加哥的真實部分。 我出身於工人階級。 我父親一輩子是個市政工人。 我母親是個家庭婦女。 她待在家裏照顧我和我哥哥。 我父母都沒上過大學。 我爸爸被診斷有多種硬化症，當他壯年的時候。 但就在他變得難以行走，而且早上難以穿衣的時候 -- 我看着他掙扎得越來越厲害 -- 我父親卻從來沒有抱怨過他的困難。 他對於自己擁有的一切心存感激。 他只是起得更早一點，工作得更努力一點。 我哥哥和我在成長過程中得到了人生真正需要的一切： 愛，強有力的價值觀，以及一個信念，就是靠着良好的教育，還有大量的辛勤工作，沒有什麼是我們做不到的。

I am an example of what's possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by the people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life. Grandmothers, teachers, aunts, cousins, neighbors, who taught me about quiet strength and dignity. And my mother, the most important role model in my life, who lives with us at the White House and helps to care for our two little daughters, Malia and Sasha. She's an active presence in their lives, as well as mine, and is instilling in them the same values that she taught me and my brother: things like compassion, and integrity, and confidence, and perseverance. All of that wrapped up in an unconditional love that only a grandmother can give.
我的例子就表明女孩子能創造奇蹟，只要她們從生命最開始的時候，就受到周圍人的愛護和教養。 我的生命中圍繞着非凡的女性。 祖母，老師，姨媽，表姐妹，鄰居，她們教會我沉默的力量和尊嚴。 還有我母親，我生命中最重要的榜樣， 她和我們住在白宮幫着照顧我們的兩個小女兒， 瑪麗婭和薩莎。她在孩子們和我的生活中都很活躍， 並正在給她們灌輸，她教給我和我哥哥的價值觀： 同情心，正直、自信和堅定。 所有這些都包含在無條件的愛之中，那是隻有一個祖母才能給予的愛。

I was also fortunate enough to be cherished and encouraged by some strong male role models as well, including my father, my brother, uncles and grandfathers. The men in my life taught me some important things, as well. They taught me about what a respectful relationship should look like between men and women. They taught me about what a strong marriage feels like. That it's built on faith and commitment and an admiration for each other's unique gifts. They taught me about what it means to be a father and to raise a family. And not only to invest in your own home but to reach out and help raise kids in the broader community.
我也很幸運地從一些男性榜樣那裏得到珍愛和鼓勵，包括我父親，我哥哥，叔伯和祖父。 我生命中的男人們也教會我一些重要的東西。 他們教會我互相尊重的男女關係應該是什麼樣子的。 擁有一個牢固的婚姻是什麼感覺。 就是建立在信念和承諾之上，以及對彼此獨特天賦的讚賞。 他們教我意識到什麼叫當一個父親並養育一家人。 而且不只是關注自己的家庭也要伸手去幫助養育更廣泛的社區裏的孩子。

And these were the same qualities that I looked for in my own husband, Barack Obama. And when we first met, one of the things that I remember is that he took me out on a date. And his date was to go with him to a community meeting. (Laughter) I know, how romantic. (Laughter) But when we met, Barack was a community organizer. He worked, helping people to find jobs and to try to bring resources into struggling neighborhoods. As he talked to the residents in that community center, he talked about two concepts. He talked about "the world as it is" and "the world as it should be." And I talked about this throughout the entire campaign. What he said, that all too often, is that we accept the distance between those two ideas. And sometimes we settle for the world as it is, even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But Barack reminded us on that day, all of us in that room, that we all know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. We all know. And he urged the people in that meeting, in that community, to devote themselves to closing the gap between those two ideas, to work together to try to make the world as it is and the world as it should be, one and the same.
這些同樣的品質也是我在自己的丈夫身上尋找的， 就是巴拉克•奧巴馬。在我們最初相識的時候我記得，他帶我出去約會。 他的約會是和他一起去開一個社區會議。 （笑聲） 是啊，夠浪漫的吧。 （笑聲） 我們相識的時候，巴拉克是一個社區組織者。 他的工作是幫助人家找工作。以及努力把資源帶給有困難的鄰里。 當他同那個社區中心裏的居民交談的時候他談到兩個概念。 他談到“現實世界”和“理想世界”。 我在競選的整個過程中也談到這些。 他說，我們常常 接受了這兩種觀念之間的差距。 有的時侯我們滿足於現實世界， 即使它沒有反映我們的價值觀和願望。 但是那天巴拉克提醒了我們， 在那間屋子裏的所有人，我們都知道。我們的世界應該是什麼樣子的。 我們知道公平，正義和機會是什麼樣子的。 我們全都知道。 他敦促那個會上的人們， 那個社區裏的人們， 把他們自己獻身於縮小那兩種觀念之間的差距， 一起努力把現實世界變成和理想世界一樣。

And I think about that today because I am reminded and convinced that all of you in this school are very important parts of closing that gap. You are the women who will build the world as it should be. You're going to write the next chapter in history. Not just for yourselves, but for your generation and generations to come. And that's why getting a good education is so important. That's why all of this that you're going through -- the ups and the downs, the teachers that you love and the teachers that you don't -- why it's so important. Because communities and countries and ultimately the world, are only as strong as the health of their women. And that's important to keep in mind.
我今天想起這些是因爲我確信這所學校裏你們所有的人都是縮小這差距非常重要的因素。 你們是要建立理想世界的女性。 你們將寫出歷史的下一個篇章。 不只是爲你們自己，而且是爲你們一代人以及未來的幾代人。 這就是爲什麼得到良好的教育是這麼的重要。 這就是爲什麼你們正在經歷的所有這一切好事和壞事，你們喜歡的和不喜歡的老師--爲什麼都這麼重要。 因爲社區和國家還有歸根結底這個世界，它們的強大隻取決於其中女性的健康。 記住這一點很重要。A part of that health includes an outstanding education. The difference between a struggling family and a healthy one is often the presence of an empowered woman or women, at the center of that family. The difference between a broken community and a thriving one is often the healthy respect between men and women who appreciate the contributions each other makes to society. The difference between a languishing nation and one that will flourish is the recognition that we need equal access to education for both boys and girls.
這個健康的一部分包括出類拔萃的教育。 一個艱困的家庭與一個健康的家庭之間的區別通常就是有一個或幾個說話算數的女人處於家庭的核心。 一個破敗的社區與一個茁壯成長的社區的區別通常取決於男女間能否相互尊重他（她）們感激對方爲社會所做的貢獻。 一個日趨衰弱的國家與一個強盛的國家的區別就是其中的男孩和女孩是否有平等受教育的機會。

And this school, named after the U.K.'s first female doctor, and the surrounding buildings named for Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Mary Seacole, the Jamaican nurse known as the "black Florence Nightingale," and the English author, Emily Bronte, honor women who fought sexism, racism and ignorance, to pursue their passions to feed their own souls. They allowed for no obstacles. As the sign said back there, "without limitations." They knew no other way to live than to follow their dreams. And having done so, these women moved many obstacles. And they opened many new doors for millions of female doctors and nurses and artists and authors, all of whom have followed them. And by getting a good education, you too can control your own destiny.
這所學校以英國的第一個女醫生命名， 學校的建築以其他三位女士命名：墨西哥藝術家福麗達•卡蘿，被稱爲“黑人南丁格爾”的牙買加護士瑪麗•希珂，以及英國作家艾米麗•勃朗特，這都是爲了紀念這些女士，她們與性別歧視，種族歧視和無知做鬥爭， 從而追求她們的激情以充實自己的靈魂。 她們沒有顧及任何障礙。 就像後面這個標語寫的，“全然無限”。 她們沒想以其它的方式生活而只是追隨她們的夢想。 正因爲如此，這四位女士去除了很多障礙。 她們創造了很多新的機會爲成百上千萬的女醫生和女護士們女藝術家和女作家們，她們都追隨了這四位女士。 通過得到良好的教育你們也可以掌控自己的命運。

Please remember that. If you want to know the reason why I'm standing here, it's because of education. I never cut class. Sorry, I don't know if anybody is cutting class. I never did it. I loved getting 'A's. I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I liked getting my work done. I thought being smart was cooler than anything in the world. And you too, with these same values, can control your own destiny. You too can pave the way. You too can realize your dreams, and then your job is to reach back and to help someone just like you do the same thing. History proves that it doesn't matter whether you come from a council estate or a country estate.
請記住這一點。 如果你們想知道我能站在這裏的原因， 那就是因爲教育。 我從來不逃課。對不起，我不知道這裏是否有人逃課。 我從來沒那麼做。 我喜歡得‘優’ 我喜歡做聰明人。 我喜歡準時。我喜歡把我的功課做完。 我覺得做聰明人比世界上任何事都要酷。 按照同樣的價值觀，你們同樣可以掌控你們自己的命運。 你們也可以鋪出路來。 你們也可以實現你們的夢想， 然後你們的任務就是伸出手去幫助像你們一樣的人實現夢想。 歷史證明，無論是你們來自窮人家或來自富人家。

Your success will be determined by your own fortitude, your own confidence, your own individual hard work. That is true. That is the reality of the world that we live in. You now have control over your own destiny. And it won't be easy. That's for sure. But you have everything you need. Everything you need to succeed, you already have right here.
你們的成功取決於你們自己的堅韌， 你們自己的信心，你們自己的辛勤工作。 真是這樣。這就是我們所生活的世界的真實情況。 你們的命運現在掌握在自己手上。 但這並不容易。那是一定的。 可是你們擁有你們所需要的一切。 要成功所需的一切， 你們已經都有了。

My husband works in this big office. They call it the Oval Office. In the White House, there's the desk that he sits at. It's called the Resolute desk. It was built by the timber of Her Majesty's Ship Resolute and given by Queen Victoria. It's an enduring symbol of the friendship between our two nations. And its name, Resolute, is a reminder of the strength of character that's required not only to lead a country, but to live a life of purpose, as well. And I hope in pursuing your dreams, you all remain resolute, that you go forward without limits, and that you use your talents -- because there are many. We've seen them. It's there. That you use them to create the world as it should be. Because we are counting on you. We are counting on every single one of you to be the very best that you can be. Because the world is big. And it's full of challenges. And we need strong, smart, confident young women to stand up and take the reins.
我丈夫在一個大辦公室裏工作。 他們管它叫橢圓辦公室。 在白宮裏，有一個他坐在那兒辦公的桌子。 那個辦公桌名爲“堅決”。 桌子是用女王陛下“堅決”號船的木料打造的。 是維多利亞女王送的。 它是我們兩國之間友誼的永久象徵。 它的名字，“堅決”， 提醒我們要有這樣的風骨，不只是領導一個國家， 而且要度過一個有意義的人生。 我希望在追求你們的夢想時，你們都能保持堅定， 向前進而不受限制， 發揮你們的才能 -- 因爲你們才華橫溢。我們見識過確實有才華。 用你們的才華去創建那個理想世界，因爲我們指望着你們。 我們指望着你們每一個人盡你們的全力，做到最好。 因爲這個世界很大。 充滿了挑戰。 我們需要堅強的，聰明的，自信的年輕女性站出來執掌乾坤。

We know you can do it. We love you. Thank you so much.
我們知道你們能做到。我們愛你們。謝謝大家。