利比亞的首位女總統瑟利夫2011哈佛大學畢業典禮英語演講及雙語文本
演講日期：2011年5月26日 譯者：阮一峰【人物介紹】埃倫•約翰遜•瑟利夫（Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf，1938年10月29日–），2006年1月16日當選利比里亞總統，成為非洲歷史上首位女總統。畢業于美國威斯康星大學麥迪遜分校的會計專業，同時也獲得了美國科羅拉多大學博爾德分校的經濟學學位，后又擁有哈佛大學公共管理碩士學位。它人生經過重重的考驗,如今踏上輝煌的旅途,她將會如何對她的校友講述她的離奇經歷呢？請看她在2011年在哈佛畢業典禮上的演講。
【英語演講稿正文】
President Drew Gilpin Faust, members of the Harvard Board of Overseers, members of the Harvard Corporation, faculty, staff and students, fellow alumni, members of the graduating Class of 2011, parents, family and friends, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends:
福斯特校長，哈佛監管理事會的各位理事，哈佛集團的各位成員，各位老師，各位教工，各位同學，各位校友，各位2011級的畢業生，各位畢業生的家長和親朋，各位貴賓，先生們，女士們，朋友們，
I am honored not only to be the 360th Commencement speaker at my alma mater, but to do so in the year Harvard University celebrates 375 years of preparing minds as the oldest institution of higher learning in America. Thank you for the invitation and congratulations to you, Dr. Faust, the first female president of Harvard! It is a great privilege to share in Harvard’s distinguished and storied history. Harvard has produced presidents, prime ministers, a United Nations secretary-general, leaders in business, government, and the church. But more than anything, Harvard has produced the men and women on whose talent our societies function — the leaders in law, health, business, government, design, education, spirituality, and thought.
我感到非常榮幸，不僅因為擔任母校第360屆畢業典禮的演講嘉賓，還因為趕上了哈佛大學—-這個美國最早的高等教育機構—-第375周年校慶。福斯特博士，您是哈佛歷史上第一位女校長，謝謝您邀請我，向您表示祝賀。成為哈佛大學卓越傳奇的歷史的一部分，這是一種莫大的榮譽。哈佛培養了總統、首相、聯合國秘書長、商界領袖、政界領袖、宗教領袖。但是更重要的是，哈佛培養了維持我們社會運轉的各類充滿才華的學生—-優秀的法律工作者、醫生、商人、公務員、設計師、教育家、心理指導師和思想家。
An event four decades ago put me on the path that has led me to where I am today. I participated, as a junior official of Liberia’s Department of Treasury, in a national development conference sponsored by our National Planning Council and a team of Harvard advisers working with Liberia. My remarks, which challenged the status quo, landed me in my first political trouble. The head of the Harvard team, recognizing, in a closed society, the potential danger I faced, facilitated the process that enabled me to become a Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government. The Mason Program provided me with the opportunity to study a diversified curriculum for a master’s degree in public administration. Perhaps more importantly, in terms of preparation for leadership, the program enabled us to learn and interact with other Fellows and classmates who represented current and potential leaders from all continents.
四十年前的一件往事，讓我走上了今天的道路。當時，我作為利比里亞財政部的低級職員，參加了由我們的”國家規劃委員會”贊助的一次國家發展會議，與一組哈佛大學的顧問一起在利比里亞合作。我在發言中批評了政府，這使我遇到了人生第一次政治麻煩。哈佛顧問團的團長看出了這一點，在一個封閉的社會中，我可能會遭受到危險，他設法讓我成為肯尼迪政府學院的梅森研究員。梅森項目使我有機會學習多種課程，得到公共管理碩士學位。它的更重要的作用，可能是培養領導能力。這個項目使我們與其他研究員和同學一起學習和互動，如今他們正在或將要走上各國政治領袖的位置。
I engaged, thrilled to be among the world’s best minds, yet overwhelmed by the reality of being a part of the world’s most prestigious institution of learning. As a result, I did things that I should have done, like studying hard, going to the stacks to do the research for the many papers and for better knowledge of the history of my country. I notice a few blank stares — evidence of the generation gap — so let me explain: the stacks contained books, which people used to write, and other people used to read, before Google Scholar was created. I also did things that I should not have done, like exposing myself to frostbite when I joined students much younger than I to travel by bus to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
與全世界最優秀的人在一起，成為世界最富盛名的教育機構的一份子，讓我興奮異常，全身心地投入，忙得不可開交。因此，我不僅做那些應該做的事情，比如刻苦學習、閱讀一堆堆與研究項目和祖國歷史有關的文獻。（我看到有些聽眾不太理解的眼神，這就是”代溝”了，讓我來解釋一下，所謂”一堆堆”是指里面有很多書籍。Google學術搜索誕生之前，人們習慣寫作和閱讀書籍。）我還做那些本不應該做的事情，比如與許多比我年輕很多的學生，一起坐巴士，去華盛頓游行示威，反對美國卷入越南戰爭，這讓我得了凍瘡。
It is difficult to imagine achieving all that I have, without the opportunity to study at Harvard. It is, therefore, for me a profound honor to be counted as an alumna. I salute my fellow graduates who share that rich heritage of academic excellence and the pursuit of truth.
如果沒有來到哈佛學習，很難想象我會得到今天的成就。因此，能夠被哈佛承認為校友，對我來說是一種特別的光榮。我向那些一起畢業的同學致敬，他們繼承了學術傳統，追求真理，發揚光大了哈佛精神。
In preparation for this Address, I was pleasantly surprised to learn how far back Liberia’s connection to Harvard goes. The establishment of the Liberia College (now the University of Liberia) in 1862, the second-oldest institution of higher learning in West Africa, was led and funded by the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia. Simon Greenleaf, the Harvard College law professor who drafted Liberia’s Independence Constitution of 1847, was the founder and president of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia.
準備這篇演講稿的過程中，我很高興和震驚地了解到，利比里亞與哈佛大學的聯系可以追溯到非常久遠之前。利比里亞學院（現為利比里亞大學）成立于1862年，是西部非洲第二古老的高等教育機構。這所學校是由”利比里亞教育基金會”資助和領導的，而這個基金會的創始人和主席是Simon Greenleaf。他是哈佛大學法學教授，在1847年起草了利比里亞獨立憲章。
The first Liberian graduate of Harvard did so in 1920, and since then there has been a steady trail of Liberians to Cambridge. Most of them returned home to pursue successful careers.
1920年，第一個利比里亞學生從哈佛大學畢業。此后，一直不斷有利比里亞人來到坎布里奇求學。他們中的大多數后來都回國，取得了事業的成功。
Thank you, Harvard, and thank you to the many Mason Program professors, dead and alive, for the compliments you paid when my papers and interventions were top rate, and for the patience you showed when I struggled with quantitative analysis.
感謝你，哈佛大學。感謝許多已故和健在的梅森項目教授，感謝你們對我的論文和其他活動的高度評價，感謝你們在我學習數量分析遇到困難時顯示的耐心。
The self-confidence, sometimes called arrogance, that comes from being a Harvard graduate can also lead one down a dangerous path. It did for me. One year after my return from Cambridge, I was at it again, in a Commencement Address at my high school alma mater. I questioned the government’s failure to address long-standing inequalities in the society. This forced me into exile and a staff position at the World Bank. Other similar events would follow in a life of in and out of country, in and out of jail, in and out of professional service. There were times when I thought death was near, and times when the burden of standing tall by one’s conviction seemed only to result in failure. But through it all, my experience sends a strong message that failure is just as important as success.
畢業于哈佛，給人帶來的自信（有時是自大），也能使人走上一條危險的道路。我就是這樣。我從哈佛畢業回國一年后，又不得不再次來到美國。原因是我參加高中母校的畢業典禮，質疑政府在改變社會長期以來不平等方面的完全失敗。這使得我不得不流亡海外，在世界銀行擔任職員。后來又發生了許多類似的事件，使得我回國又出國、入獄又出獄、就業又失業。好幾次我覺得離死不遠，還有好幾次自己的堅定信念看來只會導致失敗。但是經過這一切，我的經歷表達了一個強烈的信息，那就是失敗同成功一樣重要。
Today I stand proud, as the first woman president of my country, Liberia. This has allowed me to lead the processes of change, change needed to address a long-standing environment characterized by awesome challenges: a collapsed economy, huge domestic and external debt arrears, dysfunctional institutions, destroyed infrastructure, poor regional and international relationships, and social capital destroyed by the scourge of war.
今天我作為我的祖國利比里亞的第一位女總統站在這里，非常驕傲。這個職位允許我領導變革的進程，我的祖國需要變革，來面對現實中長期存在的許多巨大的挑戰：崩潰的經濟，巨大的國內外逾期債務，喪失功能的各種機構，被摧毀的基礎設施，脆弱的地區和國際關系，毀于戰火的各種社會資源。
After election, I moved quickly in mobilizing our team, sought support from partners, and tackled the challenges. In five years, we formulated the laws and policies and strategies for growth and development. We removed the international sanctions on our primary exports; introduced and made public a cash-based budget; increased revenue by over 400 percent; and mobilized foreign direct investment worth 16 times the size of the economy when I assumed office. We built a small and professional army and coast guard, and moved the economy from negative growth to average around 6 percent. We have virtually eliminated a $4.9 billion external debt, settled a large portion of international institutional debt, as well as domestic arrears and suppliers’ credit. We restored electricity and pipe-borne water, lacking in the capital for two decades; reconstructed two modern universities and rural referral hospitals; constructed or reconstructed roads, bridges, schools, training institutions, local government facilities, and courts throughout the country; established and strengthened the institutional pillars of integrity; decentralized education by establishing community colleges; brought back the Peace Corps; and mobilized financial and technical resources from U.S. foundations, sororities, and individuals for support of programs aimed at the education of girls, the empowerment of adolescent youth, and improved working conditions for market women.
當選后，我迅速動員我們的團隊，向支持者尋求支持，應對各種挑戰。在五年的時間中，我們制定了法律、政策和戰略，促進經濟增長和社會發展。我們消除了主要出口商品的國際制裁，引入并公開了建立在現金基礎上的財政預算，財政收入增加超過400%，動員的外國投資是我就職時經濟規模的16倍。我們建立了一支小規模、專業化的軍隊和海岸護衛隊，將經濟從負增長提升到平均年增長6%左右。我們實際上消除了49億美元的外債，解決了大部分的國際機構欠款，以及國內的逾期債務和供應商的貸款。我們修復了電力和自來水系統，它們已經在首都缺失20年了；我們重建了兩所現代化大學和農村的中央醫院，修建和重修了道路、橋梁、學校、培訓機構、地方政府設施、全國各地的法院；我們建立和加強了保證正義的一些體制措施；通過建立社區學院，讓教育資源去中心化；讓和平隊重新回到利比里亞；動員了美國的基金會、聯誼會和個人，提供資金和技術資源，支持那些教育女童、激勵青少年、改進女性小販工作條件的項目。
Nevertheless, the challenges for sustained growth and development remain awesome. Our stability is threatened by the thousands of returnees from U.S. prisons and regional refugee camps, the bulk of whom are lacking in technical skills. Our peace is threatened by the challenging neighborhood where we live: two of our three neighbors have either experienced, or narrowly avoided, civil war in the past year, and we patiently host their refugees, since not even a decade ago it was they who hosted so many of us. Implementation of our economic development agenda is constrained by low implementation and absorptive capacity, which means that we are not constrained by funding alone. Plans to enhance performance in governance move slower than desired due to long-standing institutional decay and a corrupted value system of dishonesty and dependency. The development of infrastructure is constrained by the high capital cost of restoration, brought about by the lack of maintenance and exacerbated by wanton destruction over two decades of conflict.
但是，可持續發展所面對的挑戰，依然巨大。從美國監獄和其他地區的難民營回歸的幾千個人員，對我們的穩定有威脅，他們中的大多數人沒有技能。我們的和平也受到鄰國的威脅。去年，我們的三個鄰國當中有兩個，經歷了或者驚險地避免了內戰。我們忍耐地接受他們的難民，因為不到十年之前，正是他們接受了我們的大量難民。我們的經濟發展規劃，受到低下的學習和執行能力的限制，這意味著我們的困難并不僅僅是資金不足。提高政府表現的計劃，比想象的進展緩慢，因為我們體制落后，而且還有不誠實、講人情的腐敗價值觀。基礎設施的開發，也受到巨大修復成本的制約，因為我們缺乏維修能力，而且過去二十多年的內部沖突帶來的惡意破壞，使得情況大大惡化。
Yet, today, we are proud that young Liberian children are back in school, preparing themselves to play a productive part in the new Liberian society. Our seven-year-olds do not hear guns and do not have to run. They can smile again. We can thus say with confidence that we have moved our war-torn nation from turmoil to peace, from disaster to development, from dismay to hope. And it was the Liberian women who fought the final battle for peace, who came, their number and conviction the only things greater than their diversity, to demonstrate for the end to our civil war. I am, therefore, proud to stand before you, humbled by the success in representing the aspirations and expectations of Liberian women, African women, and, I dare to say, women worldwide.
但是，令我們驕傲的是，今天利比里亞的兒童已經重返校園，為建設一個新利比里亞做準備。我們的七歲兒童不會聽到槍聲，也不必逃亡。他們可以重新微笑。我們能夠自信地說，我們已經令這個飽受戰火蹂躪的國家，從戰亂走向和平，從災難走向發展，從憂傷走向希望。正是利比里亞婦女，為和平進行最后的戰斗，她們的人數和信念戰勝內部的差異，她們終結了內戰。因此，我非常驕傲地站在你們面前，為能夠代表利比里亞婦女、非洲婦女、甚至全世界的婦女，而感到榮幸萬分。
Today I stand equally proud, as the first woman president of our African continent, a continent that has embraced the process of change and transformation. I am proud that Liberia became a beacon of hope in Africa. With few notable exceptions, Africa is no longer a continent of countries with corrupt big men who rule with iron fists. It is no longer the Dark Continent in continual economic free fall, wallowing in debt, poverty and disease.
今天，我同樣自豪地作為非洲大陸第一位女總統來到這里，非洲正在進入變革和轉型的時期。我為利比里亞成為非洲希望的燈塔，而感到自豪。除了極少數突出的例外，非洲不再是獨裁者一手遮天、腐敗無處不在的大陸。它也不再是經濟像自由落體那樣下滑的黑暗大陸，不再沉溺于債務、貧窮和疾病。
When he addressed the Ghanaian Parliament in 2009, President Barack Obama reminded the people of Africa that it would no longer be the great men of the past who would transform the continent. The future of all of our countries is in the hands of the young people, people like you, Obama said, “brimming with talent and energy and hope, who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.”
2009年，奧巴馬總統在加納議會致辭時，提醒非洲人民，這塊大陸的變革不能再依賴過去的偉人。我們所有國家的未來，掌握在年輕人手中，就像你們這樣的年輕人。奧巴馬說：”你們充滿才華、熱情和希望，能夠實現過去許多代人無法設想的未來。”
While many challenges persist, times have changed and the world you enter today, graduates of the Class of 2011, is much more accountable than the one we faced. At the beginning of this year, 17 elections were scheduled across our continent. In 1989, there were three democracies in sub-Saharan Africa; by 2008, there were 23. That is progress. This is a significant improvement from the days when violent overthrows were the default means of transition. A clear example stands out in West Africa. Although they did not get as much focus as postelection violence in C?te d’Ivoire, Niger and Guinea proved exemplary where the military oversaw democratic elections, turned power over to the civilian government, and returned to the barracks. In the case of C?te d’Ivoire, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union recognized a nonincumbent as the legitimate winner. That, again, is progress.
雖然存在那么多挑戰，但是時代已經變了，作為2011屆畢業生，你們走進的世界遠比我們曾經面對的世界更加合理。今年，非洲大陸計劃中的民主選舉有17次。1989年，在撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲只有3次。2008年，就增加到了23次。這就是進步。在非洲大陸推行變革的方式，以前是暴力顛覆，相比那時，現在就是顯著的改善。整個西部非洲的局勢變化，就是一個明顯的例子。雖然科特迪瓦選舉后的暴力沖突得到了廣泛報道，但是尼日爾和幾內亞的例子才是主流，它們的軍隊監督了民主選舉，將政權轉移到了民選政府手中，然后回到兵營，它們可以充當楷模。就科特迪瓦而言，西非國家經濟體和非洲聯盟認可一個非現職的競選人為當選者，這也是一個進步。
We also see evidence of this progress in the African economy, which has been growing at more than 5 percent over the past decade. A recent African Development Bank report measured the rise of the middle class in Africa, totaling 313 million out of 1 billion Africans. The countries experiencing exceptional growth in their middle class include Ghana, Mozambique, Mali, Tanzania, Cape Verde, Botswana, Burkina Faso, and Rwanda. This middle class is changing the face of Africa. We are moving away from dependence on extractive industries and agriculture. There is a rising consumer class that helped brace Africa during the global economic crisis. This is emblematic not only of the progress in purchasing power in Africa, but in the progress that means you can still put food on the table for your family when the rains fail, that you can engage intelligently in political debates and hold your leaders accountable.
我們還看到了非洲經濟的進步，過去十年它的增長率超過了5%。一份近期的非洲發展銀行報告，研究了非洲中產階級的崛起，10億非洲人之中有3.13億。加納、莫桑比克、馬里、坦桑尼亞、佛得角、博茨瓦納、布基納法索、盧旺達的中產階級人數，都在史無前例地增長。我們正在擺脫對采掘業和農業的依賴。我們的消費者階層正在不斷擴大，有助于非洲度過這次全球經濟危機。這不僅意味著非洲購買力進步，也意味著當天氣變化時你可以在家里儲存食物，還意味著你能理性地參與政治爭論，使政治領導人負起責任來。
Instability and years of conflict in Liberia have pushed us to the bottom of this table in terms of the size of our middle class. We stubbornly refuse to accept this and are preparing a new development agenda that aims, through proper allocation of our natural resources, to graduate Liberia from development assistance in 10 years, and propels us to a middle-income country by 2030.
如果以中產階級的人數衡量，利比里亞處在非洲的最底端，這是動蕩和內亂導致的。我們絕不接受這種地位，正在準備一個新的發展規劃，通過合理地分配我們的自然資源，爭取用10年時間結束國際援助，到2030年使利比里亞成為一個中等收入國家。
As Africa charts its economic path, we are taking advantage of South-South partnerships as China, India, and Brazil, not to mention Nigeria and Ghana, become more significant partners in our economic expansion. Their experience is closer to ours, and our cooperation going forward will be crucial.
非洲正在選擇它的經濟道路，除了與尼日利亞、加納進行經濟合作以外，我們還充分利用與中國、印度、巴西的南南合作，它們日益成為對我們經濟增長意義重大的伙伴。它們的經歷與我們相似，我們之間進一步的合作將非常關鍵。
Even as the African renaissance appears on course, we must recognize that some of this progress is driven by the same forces of commodity demand that led to temporary gains four decades ago. We are the source of raw materials, now to India and China as well as the Western world, yet we generate the least profits from these exhaustible resources. Moreover, we remain vulnerable to external price shocks and receive very little transfer of technology, or growth in related industries. Until we begin to make products to sell, build better road and rail systems, and improve the easy movement of people and goods across our borders; until we supply the engineers and geologists and marketers of our resources, our middle class will remain stunted.
即使非洲的復興看來理所當然，我們必須認識到，一部分經濟增長來源于全球旺盛的商品需求，這種事情40年前發生過一次，只導致了一些暫時的增長。我們以前是西方國家的原材料來源，現在是中國和印度的原材料來源，但是我們從不可再生資源當中只獲得了最微薄的利潤。而且，我們對外部價格波動一直非常脆弱，引進的新技術或者相關工業的增長寥寥無幾。只有我們能夠生產出可銷售的產品，修筑出更好的公路和鐵路體系，培養出我們自己的開發資源的工程師、地質學家、銷售員，我們的中產階級才能持續成長。
In spite of these needs, and the fundamental economics of resource extraction, everywhere I travel in Africa, I see signs of a continent rising. We are producing more, manufacturing more, trading more, and cooperating more. Words like accountability, transparency, and reform are not just the calling card of some foreign donor; they are the words that must adjudicate closed-door decisions for those governments in Africa that seek re-election. There is a growing consensus on these issues, giving me great optimism about the future of Africa’s common economy and democratic prospects.
就算不考慮采掘業的影響，我在非洲各地都看到這塊大陸復興的跡象。我們有了更多的產品，更多的制造業，更多的貿易，更多的合作。諸如”責任心”、”透明性”、”改革”這樣的詞匯，不再只是外國援助者的專利，各國政府為了重新當選，使用這些詞匯判斷各種決策。人們在這些問題上，有了越來越多的共識，請允許我對非洲未來的經濟和民主抱有巨大的樂觀。
I am excited about Africa’s future, and more so about Liberia’s future. In a few months, the Liberian people will have the opportunity to select their political leadership. This means that Liberia will know a second peaceful democratic transition in six years: this in a country that was riven by political rivalries, tribalism, and civil war for two decades. It is, nonetheless, with cautious optimism that we approach this event and the future. Anxieties remain because we know that as impressive as Liberia’s rebirth has been, our achievements remain fragile and reversible.
我對非洲的未來激動不已，對利比里亞的未來更是如此。再過幾個月，利比里亞人民將進行大選。這將是六年內通過民主選舉的第二次政府和平過渡。這個國家曾經被各派勢力四分五裂，部落林立，內戰持續了20年。我謹慎樂觀地估計，我們最終將迎來這個時刻，走向未來。擔憂依然存在，因為我們知道雖然利比里亞的新生已經給世人留下深刻印象，但是我們已取得的成果非常脆弱，隨時可被逆轉。
I have no personal anxieties, however, for in a decades-long career in public service, I have learned many lessons that I can share with you today. In my journey, I have come to value hope and resilience. As an actor in Liberia’s history as it has unfolded over the last 40 years, I have seen these characteristics come full circle. I was there in the early ’70s, a decade after the independence movement had swept across Africa. Back then, the future appeared full of endless possibilities. Then across the continent there was a gradual descent into militarism, sectarian violence, and divisive ethnic politics. But I have been blessed with the opportunity to watch and participate as not only my nation but other African countries rise out of the ashes of war. With cautious optimism, it is my hope that I will continue to lead Liberia to consolidate and realize the dividends of peace.
不過，我個人并不擔憂，我從事政治已經幾十年了，有許多經驗可以與你們分享。在我的經歷中，我很看重始終抱有希望和自我修復能力。作為利比里亞歷史中的一個角色，我已經演出40多年了，目睹了令人懷有希望的時刻不斷出現。上個世紀70年代早期，我覺得是這樣；十年后，獨立運動橫掃非洲，也是這樣。當時，未來看上去有無限的可能性，但是接下來這塊大陸就逐漸淪陷了，軍國主義、宗教暴力、提倡分裂的種族政治占據了上風。但是，我很幸運能夠目睹和親身參與歷史進程，看到我的祖國以及其他非洲國家，從戰爭的廢墟上重新復蘇。依然是出于謹慎的樂觀主義，我希望接下來還是由我領導利比里亞，鞏固和平，取得更多的成績。
As much as I have lived and experienced, what you graduates will know and do will far exceed it. History, it seems, is speeding up. After graduation, you leave the relative security, predictability, and certainty of these walls for a world full of uncertainties. Across the globe, entire societies are being transformed, new identities forged, and national stories retold. People your age across the world are becoming increasingly vocal about how they are governed and by whom. Old templates of control have been overturned as States struggle internally with issues about national character and destiny. People who, heretofore, had no say in those conversations are asserting themselves and taking a place at the table, with or without an invitation.
雖然我經歷過很多事情，但是你們這些畢業生的知識和成就將遠遠超過我。因為看起來，歷史正在加速發展。畢業之后，你們將離開相對安全、講究規則、充滿確定性的校園，進入不確定的真實世界。全世界的各種社會都在轉型，新的形態被鍛造出來，各個國家都在被重新定義。全世界像你們這樣年紀的青年，正在越來越多地提出自己的看法，關于社會怎樣管理以及誰來管理。舊的控制模式已經被顛覆，關于國民性和國家命運的問題，正在各國內部引起激烈討論。以前那些無法發言的人們，正走上發言臺，提出自己的立場，不管有沒有收到邀請。
Ten years ago, information about the tragic events of September 11 came to us mainly through traditional media: radio, television, and … cnn.com. There was no Facebook, no YouTube, no Twitter and all the other social networking sites that my grandchildren now take for granted. In the intervening 10 years, young people like yourselves have gone on to use technology to improve the overall quality of life and created wealth. In those 10 years, the world has become smaller and more connected. The complex financial instruments of 10 years ago would seem quaint to the hedge funds and investment banks of today. In those 10 years, our markets and economies have become more connected and adjusted faster.
十年前，我們得知悲劇性的911事件，主要通過傳統媒體—-廣播，電視，以及cnn.com。那時沒有Facebook，沒有YouTube，沒有Twitter和其他社交網絡，我的孫子早已對那些東西習以為常。在過去的10年中，像你們這樣的年輕人已經使用新技術，改變了生活的各個方面，創造出財富。在這10年中，世界變得更小，聯系更緊密了。10年前的復雜金融操作指令，對于今天的套利基金和投資銀行來說，也許只是小玩意。10年間，我們的市場和經濟更加融為一體，調節起來更快速。
Just six months ago, the Tunisian revolution began, leading rapidly and inexorably to fundamental change across North Africa and the Middle East. Could this have happened without digital social media, or without heightened correlation of food prices across time and space? Could this have happened just 10 years ago, with the same preconditions but a different degree of connectivity? Can you imagine what the next 10 years will bring? The next 50?
就在六個月前，突尼斯革命爆發了，在北非和中東，迅猛和不可阻擋地引發基礎性變革。沒有數字化的社交媒體，這一切會發生嗎？或者如果人們不知道其他地方的食品價格，這一切會發生嗎？要是換在10年前，就算具備了同樣的前提條件，只是溝通不如現在便捷，這一切會發生嗎？你能想象接下來的10年會出現什么嗎？接下來的50年呢？
In the time even before Friendster succumbed to Facebook, our world went through phases of transformation, and Harvard graduates, students, faculty, and commencement speakers have been key actors, writers, and chroniclers of those changes. In 1947, U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall stood in this very Yard before a graduating class such as this one to announce the plan to salvage Europe after the devastation caused by the Second World War:
甚至在Facebook取代Friendster之前，我們的世界就已經進入了轉變的階段。哈佛的學生、老師、畢業生、畢業典禮演講者，是這種轉變的關鍵演員、作者和歷史學家。1947年，美國國務卿喬治•馬歇爾就站在這個院子里，面對像你們這樣的畢業生，宣布了一個計劃，搶救被二戰摧毀的歐洲：
He began, “I need not tell you, gentlemen, (I don’t know where the ladies were) that the world situation is very serious. But to speak more seriously” — Marshall said as he went on to advocate the well-known Marshall Plan. In time, we saw a rebounded Europe, and the subsequent rise of East Asia, have been the catalyzing forces behind Africa’s own recent progress.
他說：”我不必提醒各位，世界形勢非常嚴峻。但是，我還有更嚴重的話要說”—-馬歇爾接下去就倡導了舉世聞名的馬歇爾計劃。然后，一個復興的歐洲出現了，接著是東亞的崛起，這些都是非洲目前進程背后的催化劑。
When President John F. Kennedy, another Harvard graduate, spoke to this audience in 1956 as the junior senator from Massachusetts, he analyzed the tension between politicians and intellectuals. Of the politicians, Kennedy said, “We need both the technical judgment and the disinterested viewpoint of the scholar, to prevent us from becoming imprisoned by our own slogans.” In newly democratic societies, where ballots are marked with distinctive icons as well as names since many voters remain illiterate, the danger of sloganeering political populism is only greater, and can lead down the road of war, not just bad policy choices. Kennedy, of course, would go on to launch the Peace Corps, which has impacted the lives of millions throughout the world by bringing Americans across the ocean, teaching students and training teachers, and making our world a smaller place.
1956年，哈佛畢業生肯尼迪總統（那時還是馬薩諸塞州參議員），公開發言，分析了政治家和知識分子之間的緊張關系。肯尼迪這樣說政治家：”我們需要學者公正的觀點，也需要技術性的判斷，這樣才能防止我們被自己的宣傳口號蒙騙。”在新興的民主國家，許多投票者都是文盲，所以選票上不得不印上各種圖案，代表不同的候選人。這種情況下，口號政治和政治民粹主義的危險性只會更大，不僅僅是惡劣的政策問題，它本身就能將國家引向戰爭。當然，肯尼迪這樣說是為了啟動和平隊項目，讓美國人跨越大洋，教育學生、訓練教師，影響了全世界幾百萬人口，讓我們的世界變得更小。
Ralph Ellison, speaking at the 1974 Commencement, told the graduates and alumni: “Let us not be dismayed, let us not lose faith simply because the correctives we have set in motion, and you have set in motion, took a long time.” Ellison believed that despite the challenge, the chance for national regeneration was there.
1974年，Ralph Ellison在畢業典禮上演講，告訴畢業生和校友：”不要沮喪，不要喪失信念，因為你已經付出的行動，需要很長的時間才能看到效果。”他相信盡管有種種挑戰，國家的復興依然有機會實現。
In the more recent past, Bill Gates, a famous Harvard attendee, has made our world smaller still by having all of us speak the same dialect, by connecting us electronically and opening doors that just one generation ago seemed to belong to the realm of science fiction. Today, because of him, we are closer to living in a global village.
再后來，著名的哈佛輟學生比爾•蓋茨，讓我們所有人使用同一種計算機語言，將我們用電子方式聯系起來，使世界變得更小，打開了通往未來的大門，前一代人曾經認為那些只是科幻小說的內容。今天，因為他的出現，我們更像生活在一個地球村里。
With the election of Harvard graduate Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States, the face of American politics has been altered for good. In the sea change that his election represents, let me remind you, America, that Liberia has you beat on one score: We elected our first female president, perhaps 11 years before the United States might do so.
隨著哈佛畢業生奧巴馬當選為美國總統，美國政治家的形象大大改善。雖然他的當選說明美國正在發生巨大變化，但是讓我提醒你們美國人，有一點利比里亞超過了你們，那就是我們選出了第一位女總統，也許比美國早了11年。
Today, I share more than a Harvard background with you. In a way, this is also a commencement year for me. Just as you end one journey today and begin the next, so too do I in November. As my first term as the president of Liberia comes to an end, I will be standing for re-election. The person who claims to be the strongest opposition contender is a Harvard graduate. But I want you to know that the incumbent, who is also a Harvard graduate, is determined to win. The relationship between Harvard and Liberia is thus secured and in good hands!
今天，我更多地是以哈佛人的身份與你們交流。某種程度上，今年也是我的畢業年。正如今天你們結束了一段旅程，將要開始下一個旅程，我在今年11月也會如此。我的利比里亞總統的第一個任期即將結束，我將再次投入大選。我最強大的一個競爭對手，也是哈佛畢業生。但是，我想讓你們知道，現任的這個哈佛畢業生下定決心，要贏得大選。因此，哈佛與利比里亞的關系完全有保障，非常可靠！
Harvard Graduates, Class of 2011: I urge you to be fearless about the future. Just because something has not been done yet, doesn’t mean it can’t be. I was never deterred from running for president just because there had never been any females elected head of state in Africa. Simply because political leadership in Liberia had always been a “boys’ club” didn’t mean it was right, and I was not deterred. Today, an unprecedented number of women hold leadership positions in our country, and we intend to increase that number.
哈佛大學2011屆畢業生，我敦促你們勇敢無畏地面對未來。某件事還沒做成，并不意味著它不能做成。我競選總統時，沒有因為從無婦女在非洲當過總統，而感到畏縮。不能因為利比里亞政府總是被男人控制，就說明這是對的，我沒有被嚇住。今天，利比里亞領導崗位上的婦女，數量前所未有，我們還將繼續增加。
As you approach your future, there will be ample opportunity to become jaded and cynical, but I urge you to resist cynicism — the world is still a beautiful place and change is possible. As I have noted here today, my path to the presidency was never straightforward or guaranteed. Prison, death threats, and exile provided every reason to quit, to forget about the dream, yet I persisted, convinced that my country and people are so much better than our recent history indicates. Looking back on my life, I have come to appreciate its difficult moments. I believe I am a better leader, a better person with a richer appreciation for the present because of my past.
當你們進入社會，很有可能變得厭倦和偏激，但是我希望你們能夠抵制這種憤世嫉俗的心態。這個世界依然是一個美麗的地方，改變是可能發生的。正如我今天在這里所說，我的總統之路并不順利，充滿變數。監獄、死亡、流亡，任何一個理由都能使我退出，忘掉自己的夢想，但是我堅持下來了，堅信我的國家和人民絕不應該是那時的樣子，而應該好得多。回顧我的人生，我對那些艱難時刻，反而感到非常珍惜。因為有了那些過去的痛苦，我才更珍惜現在，它讓我成了一個更好的領導人、更好的人。
The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough. If you start off with a small dream, you may not have much left when it is fulfilled because along the way, life will task your dreams and make demands on you. I am, however, bullish about the future of our world because of you. We share one defining characteristic that prepares us to transform our world — we are all Harvard University graduates. When we add to that the traditional quests for excellence for which we are known, there is no telling what we can accomplish.
你們要敢于懷有大夢想，不要擔心超過自己現在的能力。如果你的夢想不令你感到害怕，那就說明它們不夠大。如果你的夢想很小，當它實現的時候，你會發現人生頓時空空蕩蕩，因為你的夢想為人生創造出任務，對你提出要求。不過我相信，你們會令我們的世界有一個更美好的未來，我充滿信心。我們有一個共同的特點，那就是我們都是哈佛大學的畢業生，這使得我們都必須做好去改變世界的準備。當我們接受這種傳統，為了追求卓越，去開拓那些未知的領域，沒有人能夠預言我們能達到怎樣的成就。Go forth and embrace a future that awaits you.
勇敢向前，未來正在前方等著你們。I thank you.
謝謝大家。
（完）
原文網址：http://www.ruanyifeng.com/blog/2011/06/sirleaf_s_speech_in_harvard_commencement_2011.html
本文地址：http://www.autochemexpert.com/writing/speech/14346.html
