三年的高中生活，過了近六分之ㄧ，體會到什麼、發現了什麼、感觸些什麼、還有
"夢想是什麼"?「我常常自問人活著是為了什麼。最近我悟出了半個答案：活著就是為了夢想。」
Obama's back to school speech
2009 年 美國總統對高中以下學生之演講
Hello, everybody! Everybody go ahead and have a seat. How is everybody doing today? How about Tim Spicer? I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today. And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round of applause.
大家好！大家請就坐。你們今天都好嗎？Tim Spicer 好嗎？我正和 Virginia 洲 Arlington 郡的 Wakefield 高中學生們在一起。歡迎美國各地從小學預備班到中學12年級的學生一起收聽。我很高興大家今天都能參與。還要感謝 Wakefield 高中出色的安排。請為你們自己熱烈鼓掌。
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.
我知道，今天是你們很多人開學的日子。不難理解，剛進入小學預備班、初中或高中的學生，今天是到新學校的第一天，心裏容易有點緊張。我能想像：有些畢業班學生現在感覺很不錯，還有一年就畢業了。不論在哪個年級，你們有些人可能希望暑假更長一點，今天早上還能多睡一會兒。
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.
我瞭解這種感覺。我小時候，海外輾轉生活，並在印尼住了幾年。媽媽沒有錢送我進入其他美國孩子就讀的學校，但她認為必須讓我接受美式教育。因此，她決定從週一到週五給我補課。不過她還要上班，所以，只能在清晨四點半給我上課。
Now, as you might imagine, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she’d say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”
你們可以想見，我不太情願那麼早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上睡著了。每當我抱怨的時候，我媽媽都會看我一眼，然後說：「小子，這對我也並不輕鬆。」
So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
我知道你們有些人還在適應開學後的生活。但我今天到這，是要和你們討論一些「嚴肅的事情」。是時候談談你們的教育問題，以及新學年對你們所有人的期望。
Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot. I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn. I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox. I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.
我給過很多關於教育議題的演講。我多次談到責任。談到：老師們需要激勵學生並督促他們學習的責任。談到：家長應該要確保你們走正路，完成家庭作業，不要整天坐在電視前或玩 Xbox 遊戲。談到：這個政府的責任，必須制定高標準，支持教師和校長的工作，徹底地改善不能為學生提供良好教育品質的學校。
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. That’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.
然而，即使我們擁有最敬業的教師，最助力的家長和全世界最好的學校－如果，你們不履行你們的責任，不到校上課，不專心聽講，不聽家長、祖父祖母和其他大人的話，不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮－那麼，一切都沒有用，都無關緊要。這就是我今天要進行的主題：你們每個人要對自己的教育盡責。
I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
我想先談談，你們對自己的責任。每個人都有一己之長。每個人都能有所貢獻。你們的責任是發現自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機會。
Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English class paper that’s assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine -- but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice -- but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
或許，你能成為一名出色的作家–可能寫本書或在報紙上發篇文章–但你可能，因為沒有完成英文課的作文而錯失才華。或許，你能成為一名改革者或發明家–可能設計出新一代 iPhone 或新型藥物疫苗–但你可能，因為沒有完成科學實驗而錯失才華。或許，你該成為一名市長、參議員或最高法院的法官–但你可能，因為沒有參加學生會或辯論比賽而錯失才華。
And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.
且不論你的畢生志向為何，我敢肯定「你必須上學讀書才能實現它」。想當醫生、教師或警官嗎？想當護士、建築師、律師或軍人嗎？你一定要接受良好的教育，才能從事上述任何一種職業。你不能指望輟學後能碰上個好工作。你必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
這並非只對–“你自己”的人生和“你自己”的未來–意義重大。可以毫不誇大地說，教育給你的益處將決定這個國家的未來。美國的未來，取決於你們。你們今日在校學習的知識將決定我們，作為一個國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的嚴峻挑戰。
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
你們需要，利用自然科學和數學課程，所學的知識和問題解決技巧，來治癒癌症和愛滋病及開發新的能源技術和保護環境。你們需要，利用歷史學和社會學，所獲的知識和獨立思考能力，來抗擊貧困、犯罪和歧視，使國家更公平、更自由。你們需要，利用課堂上，所培養的創造力和智慧，來創辦新公司、增加就業機會，振興我們的經濟。
We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that -- if you quit on school -- you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
我們需要，你們每個人發揮才智和技能，來幫助我們這一代解決最艱難的關卡。如果你們不這樣做，如果你們輟學，不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國家。
Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
我知道，成績優秀並非易事。許多人在生活中面臨挑戰，難以全神貫注於學業。
I get it. I know what it’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn’t fit in.
我明白。我有親身感受。兩歲時，我父親離家而去。我由一位“苦惱生活開銷而工作，但仍無力提供孩子應有享受”的單親媽媽撫養成人。有時，我盼望著能有 一位父親。有時，我感到孤獨而脫離社會。
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
當時，我沒有堅定地專心致學，做過不光采的事情，闖過不該惹的麻煩。我的人生，原本會輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。
But I was -- I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
但是，我很幸運。我得到重生的轉機，接著進了大學法學院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第一夫人 Michelle Obama，有著相同的故事。她的家境困頓，父母亦未曾上過大學。然而，雙親的勤勞加上她的努力，仍進入頂尖的學府。
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
你們之中，有人可能不具備“那些”優勢。或許，你的周圍沒有大人提供需要的資助。或許，你的家庭成員失業造成經濟拮据。或許，你居住在感到人身威脅的的社區。或許，你結交了逼迫從事不法之事的朋友。
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.
但說到底，你們的生活境況–長相、原籍、收入、或家中遭遇等等–都不能成為 你們不努力用功的藉口。亦沒有理由頂撞師長或翹課輟學。怠惰就是你的原因。
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
當前的狀態不能決定你們的未來。在美國，別人無法決定你的命運，這一切操之在己。這就是，你們年輕人，每天打拼的的寫照，全美各地都是如此。
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents had gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University -- is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.
Texas 州 Roma 城的 Jazmin Perez，首次上學並不會說英文。她的雙親都沒上過大學。可是，她刻苦進取而成績優異，獲得Brown大學獎學金。研究生的她，正攻讀公共衛生，期待成為 Jazmin Perez 博士。
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind. He’s headed to college this fall.
California 州 Los Altos 城的 Andoni Schultz，三歲開始對抗腦癌。他必須忍受手術治療的痛苦，其中的副作用損害了記憶力，因此，他花費比常人多出數百個小時在功課上。可是，他不落人後，成為今年秋季的大學新鮮人。
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
還有，家鄉 Illinois 州 Chicago 市的 Shantell Steve，來回地寄養在城市裡低落社區的數個家庭。終於，她勉力得到一家地方醫療中心的工作，並著手一項幫助年輕人遠離幫派的計畫。她以優異成績從中學畢業，即將踏入大學校園。
And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
其實，Jazmin、Andoni、Shabtell 與你們每個人一樣，在生活中面臨種種挑戰。某些情況下，他們的處境比你們大多數更差強人意。但是，他們拒絕放棄。他們決定為“自己的一生、自己的教育”負起責任，設定目標。我期待你們亦如此。
That’s why today I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education -- and do everything you can to meet them.
這就是今天，我呼籲各位，為其所學來描繪夢想，盡其所能來實現理想。
Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
你的目標可以很簡單地像，完成家庭作業、專心上課、或每天花一點時間讀一本書。也許你會，參加課外活動或提供志願服務。也許你會，同我所願：給青年學子們適合讀書學習的安全環境，挺身保護‘只因身份外貌而受人戲弄欺負的’孩子。也許你會，充分照顧自己以便學習活力充沛。除此之外，順帶一提的是，我希望大家要勤洗手，如果身體不適，要待在家裏遠離學校，才能讓民眾遠離秋冬流感。
But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
總之，無論你決定做什麼，我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實地去做。
I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you’re not going to be any of those things.
我知道，有時候，你以為電視上那些–唱小調、打籃球或真人秀明星–是條「不用辛苦付出就能富有發跡」的成功捷徑。平心而論：你不可能成為其中一員。
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject that you study. You won’t click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
實話實說，功成名就，難如登天。你不會喜歡你讀過的每一門科目。你不會投合教過你的每一位老師。不是每一篇家庭作業與眼前的生活有關。你第一次嘗試起步的時候，不一定會成功。
That’s okay. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. J.K. Rowling’s -- who wrote Harry Potter -her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”
這些都沒關係。若干成就不凡的偉人也是多次失敗經驗的代言人。J.K. Rowling 被拒絕12次才出版 Harry Potter 第一部。Michael Jordan被高中籃球隊退訓。職業生涯中，Jordan 輸過數百場比賽，失手過上千顆球。他的注解是：“從過去 到現在，我失敗了一次又一次、一次又一次。這就是我成功的原因。”
These people succeeded because they understood that you can’t let your failures define you -- you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
這些人能成功，在於明白：不讓失敗侷限自己，而要自己領教失敗。你必須懂得由失敗中反向地掌握二次先機。因此，如果陷入困頓，不等於自己是個麻煩精，而意味著：自己需要加倍努力直到見效。如果成績拙劣，不表示自己的頭腦遲鈍，而是說：你需要花更多的時間去學習。
No one’s born being good at all things.You become good at things through hard work.
沒有人，天生就擅長任何事情。“你”通過勤奮而變得熟能生巧。
You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
第一次上場比賽時，你可能不是主力隊員。第一次唱某首歌時，你可能掐錯音調。你“必須練習”。你的學業，同理可證。可能一道數學題要多做幾次才能求解。可能一則新知要讀幾遍才能理解，肯定地你要多打幾份草稿才能交出好的作業。
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. So find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor -- and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
不要害怕提問。無法勝任時，不要害怕尋求幫助。我天天找人幫忙。“開口求助”並非軟弱，而是力量的標誌，表示：你勇於承認有所不知，接著讓自己接觸新知。因此，找到一位你信任的成年人，家長、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導員，請他們幫助你遵循既定計劃實現你的目標。
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
即使，費力掙扎、氣餒沮喪、備受冷遇，你絕對不要放棄。因為，當你自暴自棄時，你也拋棄了自己的國家。回首美國歷史，沒有遇難退縮的人。只有“堅持不懈、努力加倍、以及對國家的愛促使他們全力以赴”的人
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation. Young people. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each ther.
書寫歷史的，是250年前坐在你們位置上的學生，他們發動革命並創建了美國。還有，75年前坐在你們位置上的年輕人，他們走出經濟大蕭條並打贏二次大戰；(1960年代)他們進行民權運動和把人類送上月球。至於20年前，坐在你們位置 上的學生，他們創辦 Google、Twitter 和 Facebook，改變我們交流的方式。
So today, I want to ask all of you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?
而今日，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什麼貢獻？你們將解決什麼問題？你們 將有什麼發現？20 年、50 年或 100 年後，與下一代對話的總統將會如何評價 你們大家為這個國家所做的一切？
Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down. Don’t let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don’t let yourself down. Make us all proud.
現在，為了回答上述問題，你們的家人、你們的老師和我，竭盡所能地確保你們接受必要的教育。我設法修繕教室，使得你們拿到學習所用的課本、設備和電腦。但是，你們也必須盡自己的責任。所以，我希望各位認真對待這個學期。我希望你們努力做好每一件事。我希望每個人都各有千秋。別讓我們失望。別讓家人或國家失望。最重要的是，不要辜負自己，而要讓我們都能[為你們]感到驕傲。
"夢想是什麼"?「我常常自問人活著是為了什麼。最近我悟出了半個答案：活著就是為了夢想。」
Obama's back to school speech
2009 年 美國總統對高中以下學生之演講
Hello, everybody! Everybody go ahead and have a seat. How is everybody doing today? How about Tim Spicer? I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today. And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round of applause.
大家好！大家請就坐。你們今天都好嗎？Tim Spicer 好嗎？我正和 Virginia 洲 Arlington 郡的 Wakefield 高中學生們在一起。歡迎美國各地從小學預備班到中學12年級的學生一起收聽。我很高興大家今天都能參與。還要感謝 Wakefield 高中出色的安排。請為你們自己熱烈鼓掌。
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.
我知道，今天是你們很多人開學的日子。不難理解，剛進入小學預備班、初中或高中的學生，今天是到新學校的第一天，心裏容易有點緊張。我能想像：有些畢業班學生現在感覺很不錯，還有一年就畢業了。不論在哪個年級，你們有些人可能希望暑假更長一點，今天早上還能多睡一會兒。
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.
我瞭解這種感覺。我小時候，海外輾轉生活，並在印尼住了幾年。媽媽沒有錢送我進入其他美國孩子就讀的學校，但她認為必須讓我接受美式教育。因此，她決定從週一到週五給我補課。不過她還要上班，所以，只能在清晨四點半給我上課。
Now, as you might imagine, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she’d say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”
你們可以想見，我不太情願那麼早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上睡著了。每當我抱怨的時候，我媽媽都會看我一眼，然後說：「小子，這對我也並不輕鬆。」
So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
我知道你們有些人還在適應開學後的生活。但我今天到這，是要和你們討論一些「嚴肅的事情」。是時候談談你們的教育問題，以及新學年對你們所有人的期望。
Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot. I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn. I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox. I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.
我給過很多關於教育議題的演講。我多次談到責任。談到：老師們需要激勵學生並督促他們學習的責任。談到：家長應該要確保你們走正路，完成家庭作業，不要整天坐在電視前或玩 Xbox 遊戲。談到：這個政府的責任，必須制定高標準，支持教師和校長的工作，徹底地改善不能為學生提供良好教育品質的學校。
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. That’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.
然而，即使我們擁有最敬業的教師，最助力的家長和全世界最好的學校－如果，你們不履行你們的責任，不到校上課，不專心聽講，不聽家長、祖父祖母和其他大人的話，不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮－那麼，一切都沒有用，都無關緊要。這就是我今天要進行的主題：你們每個人要對自己的教育盡責。
I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
我想先談談，你們對自己的責任。每個人都有一己之長。每個人都能有所貢獻。你們的責任是發現自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機會。
Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English class paper that’s assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine -- but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice -- but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
或許，你能成為一名出色的作家–可能寫本書或在報紙上發篇文章–但你可能，因為沒有完成英文課的作文而錯失才華。或許，你能成為一名改革者或發明家–可能設計出新一代 iPhone 或新型藥物疫苗–但你可能，因為沒有完成科學實驗而錯失才華。或許，你該成為一名市長、參議員或最高法院的法官–但你可能，因為沒有參加學生會或辯論比賽而錯失才華。
And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.
且不論你的畢生志向為何，我敢肯定「你必須上學讀書才能實現它」。想當醫生、教師或警官嗎？想當護士、建築師、律師或軍人嗎？你一定要接受良好的教育，才能從事上述任何一種職業。你不能指望輟學後能碰上個好工作。你必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
這並非只對–“你自己”的人生和“你自己”的未來–意義重大。可以毫不誇大地說，教育給你的益處將決定這個國家的未來。美國的未來，取決於你們。你們今日在校學習的知識將決定我們，作為一個國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的嚴峻挑戰。
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
你們需要，利用自然科學和數學課程，所學的知識和問題解決技巧，來治癒癌症和愛滋病及開發新的能源技術和保護環境。你們需要，利用歷史學和社會學，所獲的知識和獨立思考能力，來抗擊貧困、犯罪和歧視，使國家更公平、更自由。你們需要，利用課堂上，所培養的創造力和智慧，來創辦新公司、增加就業機會，振興我們的經濟。
We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that -- if you quit on school -- you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
我們需要，你們每個人發揮才智和技能，來幫助我們這一代解決最艱難的關卡。如果你們不這樣做，如果你們輟學，不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國家。
Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
我知道，成績優秀並非易事。許多人在生活中面臨挑戰，難以全神貫注於學業。
I get it. I know what it’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn’t fit in.
我明白。我有親身感受。兩歲時，我父親離家而去。我由一位“苦惱生活開銷而工作，但仍無力提供孩子應有享受”的單親媽媽撫養成人。有時，我盼望著能有 一位父親。有時，我感到孤獨而脫離社會。
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
當時，我沒有堅定地專心致學，做過不光采的事情，闖過不該惹的麻煩。我的人生，原本會輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。
But I was -- I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
但是，我很幸運。我得到重生的轉機，接著進了大學法學院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第一夫人 Michelle Obama，有著相同的故事。她的家境困頓，父母亦未曾上過大學。然而，雙親的勤勞加上她的努力，仍進入頂尖的學府。
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
你們之中，有人可能不具備“那些”優勢。或許，你的周圍沒有大人提供需要的資助。或許，你的家庭成員失業造成經濟拮据。或許，你居住在感到人身威脅的的社區。或許，你結交了逼迫從事不法之事的朋友。
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.
但說到底，你們的生活境況–長相、原籍、收入、或家中遭遇等等–都不能成為 你們不努力用功的藉口。亦沒有理由頂撞師長或翹課輟學。怠惰就是你的原因。
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
當前的狀態不能決定你們的未來。在美國，別人無法決定你的命運，這一切操之在己。這就是，你們年輕人，每天打拼的的寫照，全美各地都是如此。
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents had gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University -- is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.
Texas 州 Roma 城的 Jazmin Perez，首次上學並不會說英文。她的雙親都沒上過大學。可是，她刻苦進取而成績優異，獲得Brown大學獎學金。研究生的她，正攻讀公共衛生，期待成為 Jazmin Perez 博士。
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind. He’s headed to college this fall.
California 州 Los Altos 城的 Andoni Schultz，三歲開始對抗腦癌。他必須忍受手術治療的痛苦，其中的副作用損害了記憶力，因此，他花費比常人多出數百個小時在功課上。可是，他不落人後，成為今年秋季的大學新鮮人。
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
還有，家鄉 Illinois 州 Chicago 市的 Shantell Steve，來回地寄養在城市裡低落社區的數個家庭。終於，她勉力得到一家地方醫療中心的工作，並著手一項幫助年輕人遠離幫派的計畫。她以優異成績從中學畢業，即將踏入大學校園。
And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
其實，Jazmin、Andoni、Shabtell 與你們每個人一樣，在生活中面臨種種挑戰。某些情況下，他們的處境比你們大多數更差強人意。但是，他們拒絕放棄。他們決定為“自己的一生、自己的教育”負起責任，設定目標。我期待你們亦如此。
That’s why today I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education -- and do everything you can to meet them.
這就是今天，我呼籲各位，為其所學來描繪夢想，盡其所能來實現理想。
Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
你的目標可以很簡單地像，完成家庭作業、專心上課、或每天花一點時間讀一本書。也許你會，參加課外活動或提供志願服務。也許你會，同我所願：給青年學子們適合讀書學習的安全環境，挺身保護‘只因身份外貌而受人戲弄欺負的’孩子。也許你會，充分照顧自己以便學習活力充沛。除此之外，順帶一提的是，我希望大家要勤洗手，如果身體不適，要待在家裏遠離學校，才能讓民眾遠離秋冬流感。
But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
總之，無論你決定做什麼，我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實地去做。
I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you’re not going to be any of those things.
我知道，有時候，你以為電視上那些–唱小調、打籃球或真人秀明星–是條「不用辛苦付出就能富有發跡」的成功捷徑。平心而論：你不可能成為其中一員。
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject that you study. You won’t click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
實話實說，功成名就，難如登天。你不會喜歡你讀過的每一門科目。你不會投合教過你的每一位老師。不是每一篇家庭作業與眼前的生活有關。你第一次嘗試起步的時候，不一定會成功。
That’s okay. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. J.K. Rowling’s -- who wrote Harry Potter -her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”
這些都沒關係。若干成就不凡的偉人也是多次失敗經驗的代言人。J.K. Rowling 被拒絕12次才出版 Harry Potter 第一部。Michael Jordan被高中籃球隊退訓。職業生涯中，Jordan 輸過數百場比賽，失手過上千顆球。他的注解是：“從過去 到現在，我失敗了一次又一次、一次又一次。這就是我成功的原因。”
These people succeeded because they understood that you can’t let your failures define you -- you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
這些人能成功，在於明白：不讓失敗侷限自己，而要自己領教失敗。你必須懂得由失敗中反向地掌握二次先機。因此，如果陷入困頓，不等於自己是個麻煩精，而意味著：自己需要加倍努力直到見效。如果成績拙劣，不表示自己的頭腦遲鈍，而是說：你需要花更多的時間去學習。
No one’s born being good at all things.You become good at things through hard work.
沒有人，天生就擅長任何事情。“你”通過勤奮而變得熟能生巧。
You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
第一次上場比賽時，你可能不是主力隊員。第一次唱某首歌時，你可能掐錯音調。你“必須練習”。你的學業，同理可證。可能一道數學題要多做幾次才能求解。可能一則新知要讀幾遍才能理解，肯定地你要多打幾份草稿才能交出好的作業。
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. So find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor -- and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
不要害怕提問。無法勝任時，不要害怕尋求幫助。我天天找人幫忙。“開口求助”並非軟弱，而是力量的標誌，表示：你勇於承認有所不知，接著讓自己接觸新知。因此，找到一位你信任的成年人，家長、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導員，請他們幫助你遵循既定計劃實現你的目標。
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
即使，費力掙扎、氣餒沮喪、備受冷遇，你絕對不要放棄。因為，當你自暴自棄時，你也拋棄了自己的國家。回首美國歷史，沒有遇難退縮的人。只有“堅持不懈、努力加倍、以及對國家的愛促使他們全力以赴”的人
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation. Young people. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each ther.
書寫歷史的，是250年前坐在你們位置上的學生，他們發動革命並創建了美國。還有，75年前坐在你們位置上的年輕人，他們走出經濟大蕭條並打贏二次大戰；(1960年代)他們進行民權運動和把人類送上月球。至於20年前，坐在你們位置 上的學生，他們創辦 Google、Twitter 和 Facebook，改變我們交流的方式。
So today, I want to ask all of you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?
而今日，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什麼貢獻？你們將解決什麼問題？你們 將有什麼發現？20 年、50 年或 100 年後，與下一代對話的總統將會如何評價 你們大家為這個國家所做的一切？
Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down. Don’t let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don’t let yourself down. Make us all proud.
現在，為了回答上述問題，你們的家人、你們的老師和我，竭盡所能地確保你們接受必要的教育。我設法修繕教室，使得你們拿到學習所用的課本、設備和電腦。但是，你們也必須盡自己的責任。所以，我希望各位認真對待這個學期。我希望你們努力做好每一件事。我希望每個人都各有千秋。別讓我們失望。別讓家人或國家失望。最重要的是，不要辜負自己，而要讓我們都能[為你們]感到驕傲。
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