米歇尔·奥巴马在北京大学演讲稿

And for a lot of young people like me who are struggling to afford a regular semester of school paying for plane tickets or living expense halfway around the world just isn’t possible.
对于很多像我一样靠奋斗才能读得起一个常规学期的年轻人来说，支付世界另一边的机票或生活费实在是不可能的。这是不可接受的，因为留学不应仅属于有一些背景的学生。

Our hope is to build connections between people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds because it is that diversity that makes our country so vibrant and strong…and our study abroad programs should reflect the true spirit of America to the world.
我们希望在所有种族和社会经济背景的人之间建立联系，因为正是这样的多样性让我们的国家如此充满活力和强大……我们的海外留学项目应向世界反映美国的真正精神。

That’s why, when my husband visited China back in 2009, he announced our 100,000 Strong initiative to increase the number and diversity of American students studying in China.
这就是为什么在2009年我的丈夫访问中国时，宣布了我们的10万倡议，该倡议旨在增加留学中国的美国学生的数量和多样性。而今年，在我们纪念中美两国关系正常化三十五周年之际……美国政府实际上支持更多的美国学生在中国学习。

We’re sending high school, colleges and graduate students here to study Chinese…we’re inviting teachers from China to teach Mandarin in American schools...we’re providing free online advising for students in China who want to study in the U.S…and the U.S.-China Fulbright program is still going strong with more than 3,000 alumni.
我们正将高中生、大学生和研究生送到这里来学习中文，我们正邀请中国老师到美国的尝较教授普通话，我们为希望留学美国的中国学生提供免费的在线咨询。美中富布赖特项目仍在加强，现有3000多名学友。

For example, Steve Schwarzman, the head of an American company called Blackstone, is funding a new program at Tsinghua University modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship.
私人部门也在加紧工作。例如，美国黑石公司的主管斯蒂夫·施瓦茨曼正在资助清华大学模仿罗德奖学全（Rhode Scholarship）的一个新项目。

Take the example of Royale Nicholson from Cleveland,Ohiowho attends New York University’s program in Shanghai.
今天，来自不同背景的学生正在中国学习。以来自俄亥俄州克利夫兰的罗亚尔·尼克尔森（Royale Nicholson）为例，她参加了纽约大学在上海的项目。像我一样，罗亚尔是家里的第一代大学生。她母亲做两份全职工作，而她父亲晚上工作以维持他们的家庭。谈到她在上海的经历时，她说：“这座城市充满韧性，它激励我完成所有我能做的事。”

Of his experience studying in China, he said, “study abroad is a powerful vehicle for people-to-people exchange as we move into a new era of citizen diplomacy.”
还有来自华盛顿大学的费尔蒙·黑尔（Philmon Haile），他还是孩子的时候，他的家人作为厄立特里亚难民来到了美国。谈到他在中国学习的经历时，他说：“在我们进入公民外交的新时代之际，留学是人民间交流的一种强大工具。”

“a new era of citizen diplomacy ”- I couldn’t have said it better myself, because that’s really what I’m talking about...I’m talking about ordinary citizen reaching out to the world.
“一个公民外交的新时代”一一我想不出比这更好的说法了，因为这正是我正在谈的，那就是普通公民走向世界。

And as I always tell young people back in America, you don’t need to get on a plane to by a citizen diplomacy.
正如我经常对美国年轻认说的那样，你不需要登上飞机才能成为公民外交官。

I tell them that if you have an internet in your home, school, or library, within seconds, you can be transported anywhere in the world and meet people on every continent.
我告诉他们，如果你在家里、学校或者图书馆能上网，只要几秒钟，你就可以被带到世界任何地方，遇见来自每个大陆的人。

That’s why I’m posting a daily travel blog with videos and photos of my experiences in china - because I want young people in America to be part of this visit.
这就是为什么我每天都要发一篇旅行博文，里面有我这次中国之行的视频和照片─因为我希望美国的年轻人能成为这次访问的一部分。

And that’s why it is so important for information and ideas to flow freely over the internet and through the media.
这确实是技术的力量——它打开整个世界，让我们接触到以前根本难以想象的思想和创新。这也是为什么信息和思想在互联网上、并通过媒体自由流动是如此重要。

Because that’s how we discover the truth...that’s how we learn what’s really happening in our communities, our country and our world.
因为那是我们发现真理的途径，那使我们得以了解我们的社群、我们的国家和我们的世界到底在发生着什么。

And that’s how we decide which values and ideas we think are best - by questioning and debating them vigorously…by listening to all sides of every argument...and by judging for ourselves.
那也是我们何以决定哪些价值观和思想是最好的─通过有力地对它们提出疑问，进行辩论，倾听各方观点，并做出自己的判断。

My husband and I are on the receiving and of plenty of questioning and criticizing from our media and our fellow citizens...and it’s not always easy...but we wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
相信我，我知道这是一个令人困惑而沮丧的过程。有大量来自我们媒体和公民的质疑和批评，而我丈夫和我位于接收端。这并非易事，但我们认为它的重要无可取代。

Because time and again, we have seen that countries are stronger and more prosperous when the voices and opinions of all their citizens can be heard.
因为我们一次又一次地看到，当所有公民的声音和观点都能得到倾听之时，国家会变得更加强大和繁荣。

But when it comes to expressing yourself freely, and worshipping as your choose, and having open access to information – we believe those are universal rights that are the birthright of every person on this planet.
正像我的丈夫曾说过的，我们尊重其他文化和社刽的独特性。然而，就自由的表达自我、选择自己所崇拜的东西，以及享有信息公开而言─我们相信那是地球上每个人与生俱来的权利。

And as you learn about new cultures and form new friendships during your time here in China and in the United States, all of you are the living, breathing embodiment of those values.
我们相信，所有人都应享有实现自己最大潜能的机会，正如我在美国所能做到的那样。同时，当你在中国这里以及在美国了解新的文化、结交新的朋友之时，你整个人就是那些价值观的鲜活代表。

So I guarantee you that in studying abroad, you’re not just changing your own life…you’re changing the lives of everyone you meet.
所以我保证，通过出国留学，你们不仅在改变自己的人生，也在改变你所遇到的每个人的人生。

As the great American President John F. Kennedy once said about foreign students studying in theU.S., “I think they teach more than they learn.”
正像伟大的美国总统约翰·肯尼迪谈到留学美国的外国学生时说的那样，“我想他们所教的比他们学到的还要多。”而对出国学习的年径美国人来说也是一样的。

And every day, you remind us of just how much we can achieve if we reach across borders…and learn to see ourselves in each other…and confront our shared challenges with shared resolve.
对世界而言，你们所有人都是最好的美国面孔，和最好的中国面孔。每一天，你们都在向世界展示你们国家的能量、创造力、乐观，以及对未来坚定不移的信念。每一天，你们都在提醒我们，通过跨越国界，学会在彼此身上看到我们自己，和用共同的决心应对我们共同的挑战。

And I hope you’ll keep teaching each other…and learning from each other…and building bonds of friendship that will enrich your lives and enrich our world for decades to come.
所以，我希望你们都会不断寻求这样的经历。我希望你们能继续受益于彼此，互相学习，同时建立起友谊的纽带，而这些纽带能在未来数十年丰富你们的生活，也丰富我们的世界。

You all have so much to offer, and I cannot wait to see all that you achieve together in the years ahead.
你们大家都有这么多可以给予世界，我热切期待着你们未来的成就。

Thank you so much. Xie Xie.
非常感谢。谢谢。