美國總統(tǒng)奧巴馬第二任就職英文演講稿

　　謝謝，非常感謝大家。拜登副總統(tǒng)、首席大法官先生、國會(huì)議員們、尊敬的各位嘉賓、親愛的公民們。(mr. obama: thank you. thank you so much. vice president biden, mr. chief justice, members of the united states congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:)

　　每一次我們集會(huì)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(gè)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(duì)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：(each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our constitution. we affirm the promise of our democracy. we recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the 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 a declaration made more than two centuries ago:)

　　“我們認(rèn)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。”(“we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”)

　　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(shí)代現(xiàn)實(shí)之間的橋梁。因?yàn)闅v史告訴我們，即便這些真理是不言而喻的，它們也從來不會(huì)自動(dòng)生效。因?yàn)殡m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(gè)共和國，一個(gè)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。(today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. for history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from god, it must be secured by his people here on earth. the patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. they gave to us a republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.)

　　在過去的200多年里，我們做到了。(for more than two hundred years, we have.)

　　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(yuǎn)維持半奴隸和半自由的狀態(tài)。我們贏得了新生，誓言共同前進(jìn)。(through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. we made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.)

　　我們共同努力，建立起現(xiàn)代的經(jīng)濟(jì)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(xué)校與大學(xué)，培訓(xùn)我們的工人。(together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers。)

　　我們一起發(fā)現(xiàn)，自由市場(chǎng)的繁榮只能建立在保障競(jìng)爭(zhēng)與公平競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的原則之上。(together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.)

　　我們共同決定讓這個(gè)偉大的國家遠(yuǎn)離危險(xiǎn)，保護(hù)她的人民不受生命威脅和不幸的侵?jǐn)_。(together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.)

　　一路走來，我們從未放棄對(duì)集權(quán)的質(zhì)疑。我們同樣不屈服于這一謊言：一切的社會(huì)弊端都能夠只靠政府來解決。我們對(duì)積極向上與奮發(fā)進(jìn)取的贊揚(yáng)，我們對(duì)努力工作與個(gè)人責(zé)任的堅(jiān)持，這些都是美國精神的基本要義。(through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone. our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character.)

　　我們也理解，時(shí)代在變化，我們同樣需要變革。對(duì)建國精神的忠誠，需要我們肩負(fù)起新的責(zé)任，迎接新的挑戰(zhàn)。保護(hù)我們的個(gè)人自由，最終需要所有人的共同努力。 因?yàn)槊绹�人不能再�?dú)力迎接當(dāng)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(gè)人無法培訓(xùn)所有的數(shù)學(xué)與科學(xué)老師，我們需要他們?yōu)榱宋磥砣ソ逃�孩子們。一個(gè)人無法建設(shè)道路、鋪設(shè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)、建立實(shí)驗(yàn)室來為國內(nèi)帶來新的工作崗位和商業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)�，F(xiàn)在，與以往任何時(shí)候相比，我們都更需要團(tuán)結(jié)合作。作為一個(gè)國家，一個(gè)民族團(tuán)結(jié)起來。

　　(but we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges;that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. for the american people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than american soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. no single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation,and one people.)

　　這一代美國人經(jīng)歷了危機(jī)的考驗(yàn)，經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)堅(jiān)定了我們的決心，證明了我們的恢復(fù)力。長達(dá)十年的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)正在結(jié)束，經(jīng)濟(jì)的復(fù)蘇已經(jīng)開始。美國的可能性是無限的，因?yàn)槲覀儞碛挟?dāng)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(xiǎn)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(tuán)結(jié)一致，抓住當(dāng)下的機(jī)會(huì)。(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.)

　　因?yàn)槲覀�，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(jí)的寬闊臂膀之上，我們知道美國的繁榮只有這樣才能實(shí)現(xiàn)。只有當(dāng)每個(gè)人都能找到工作中的自立與自豪時(shí)才能實(shí)現(xiàn)。只有當(dāng)誠實(shí)勞動(dòng)獲得的薪水足夠讓家庭擺脫困苦的懸崖時(shí)才能實(shí)現(xiàn)。我們忠誠于我們的事業(yè)，保證讓一個(gè)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(jī)會(huì)。因?yàn)樗�是一個(gè)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(hù)。(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.)

　　我們知道，我們已然陳舊的程序不足以滿足時(shí)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(jìn)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(shí)，向更高處發(fā)展。這意味著變革，我們的目標(biāo)是：國家可以獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)每個(gè)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 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，人民，仍然認(rèn)為，每個(gè)公民都應(yīng)當(dāng)獲得基本的安全和尊嚴(yán)。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?yàn)槲覀冇浀眠^去的教訓(xùn)：老年人的夕陽時(shí)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(gè)國家，自由不只是那些幸運(yùn)兒的專屬，或者說幸福只屬于少數(shù)人。我們知道，不管我們?cè)鯓迂?fù)責(zé)任地生活，我們?nèi)魏稳嗽谌魏螘r(shí)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(xiǎn)�！∥覀兺ㄟ^醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)、聯(lián)邦醫(yī)療補(bǔ)助計(jì)劃、社會(huì)保障項(xiàng)目向每個(gè)人做出承諾，這些不會(huì)讓我們的創(chuàng)造力衰竭，而是會(huì)讓我們更強(qiáng)大。這些不會(huì)讓我們成為充滿不勞而獲者的國度，這些讓我們敢于承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，讓國家偉大。(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.)