1、Thank you. Thank you so much. Vice President Biden, Mr. ChiefJustice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellowcitizens:謝謝,非常感謝大家。拜登副總統(tǒng)、首席大法官先生、國會議員們、尊敬的各位嘉賓、親愛的公民們。Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to theenduring strength of our Constitutio

2、n. We affirm the promise of our democracy.We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin orthe tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional what makes us American is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in adeclaration made more than two

3、centuries ago:每一次我們集會慶?？偨y(tǒng)就職都是在見證美國憲法的持久力量。我們都是在肯定美國民主的承諾。我們重申,將這個國家緊密聯(lián)系在一起的不是我們的膚色,也不是我們信仰的教條,更不是我們名字的來源。讓我們與眾不同,讓我們成為美國人的是我們對于一種理念的恪守。200多年前,這一理念在一篇宣言中被清晰闡述:“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable right

4、s, thatamong these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”“我們認為下述真理是不言而喻的,人人生而平等。造物主賦予他們?nèi)舾刹豢蓜儕Z的權(quán)利,包括生存、自由和追求幸福的權(quán)利?！盩oday we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of thosewords with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while thesetruths may be self-evident,

5、they have never been self-executing; that whilefreedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. Thepatriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with theprivileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, agovernment of, and by, and for

6、the people, entrusting each generation to keepsafe our founding creed.今天,我們繼續(xù)著這一未竟的征程,架起這些理念與我們時代現(xiàn)實之間的橋梁。因為歷史告訴我們,即便這些真理是不言而喻的,它們也從來不會自動生效。因為雖然自由是上帝賦予的禮物,但仍需要世間的子民去捍衛(wèi)。1776年,美國的愛國先驅(qū)們不是只為了推翻國王的暴政而戰(zhàn),也不是為贏得少數(shù)人的特權(quán),建立暴民的統(tǒng)治。先驅(qū)們留給我們一個共和國,一個民有、民治、民享的政府。他們委托每一代美國人捍衛(wèi)我們的建國信條。For more than two hundred years, we

7、have.在過去的200多年里,我們做到了。Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that nounion founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slaveand half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.從奴役的血腥枷鎖和刀劍的血光廝殺中我們懂得了,建立在自由與平等原則之上的聯(lián)邦不能永遠維持半奴隸和半自由的

8、狀態(tài)。我們贏得了新生,誓言共同前進。Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads andhighways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train ourworkers。我們共同努力,建立起現(xiàn)代的經(jīng)濟體系。架設(shè)鐵路與高速公路,加速了旅行和商業(yè)交流。建立學校與大學,培訓我們的工人。Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there arerules to

9、ensure competition and fair play.我們一起發(fā)現(xiàn),自由市場的繁榮只能建立在保障競爭與公平競爭的原則之上。Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, andprotect its people from lifes worst hazards and misfortune.我們共同決定讓這個偉大的國家遠離危險,保護她的人民不受生命威脅和不幸的侵擾。Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of

10、centralauthority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all societys ills can becured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise;our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants inour character.一路走來,我們從未放棄對集權(quán)的質(zhì)疑。我們同樣不屈服于這一謊言:一切的社會弊端都能夠只靠政府來

11、解決。我們對積極向上與奮發(fā)進取的贊揚,我們對努力工作與個人責任的堅持,這些都是美國精神的基本要義。But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; thatfidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges;that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.For the American people ca

12、n no more meet the demands of todays world by actingalone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communismwith muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and scienceteachers well need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads andnetworks and

13、research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to ourshores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation,and one people.我們也理解,時代在變化,我們同樣需要變革。對建國精神的忠誠,需要我們肩負起新的責任,迎接新的挑戰(zhàn)。保護我們的個人自由,最終需要所有人的共同努力。因為美國人不能再獨力迎接當今世界的挑戰(zhàn),正如美國士兵們不能再像先輩一樣,用步槍和民兵同敵人(法西斯主義與共產(chǎn)主義作戰(zhàn)。一個人無法培訓所有的數(shù)學與科學老師

14、,我們需要他們?yōu)榱宋磥砣ソ逃⒆觽儭Ｒ粋€人無法建設(shè)道路、鋪設(shè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)、建立實驗室來為國內(nèi)帶來新的工作崗位和商業(yè)機會?，F(xiàn)在,與以往任何時候相比,我們都更需要團結(jié)合作。作為一個國家,一個民族團結(jié)起來。This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled ourresolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economicrecovery has begun. Americas possibilities are limitless

15、, for we possess allthe 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 longas 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

16、的決心,證明了我們的恢復力。長達十年的戰(zhàn)爭正在結(jié)束,經(jīng)濟的復蘇已經(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 ashrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe thatAmericas prospe

17、rity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middleclass. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence andpride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from thebrink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into thebleakest

18、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 eyesof 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

19、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 ourtime. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revampour tax code, reform our

20、 schools, and empower our citizens with the skills theyneed to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means willchange, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determinationof every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what willgive real mea

21、ning 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 measureof security and dignity. We must make the hard choic

22、es to reduce the cost ofhealth care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that Americamust choose between caring for the generation that built this country andinvesting in the generation that will build its future. For we remember thelessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of achild with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in thiscountry, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happines