VOA常速英语:Inauguration Day(翻译)

Today, in a ceremony as old as the Republic, President Donald Trump will begin his first term by taking the oath of office. For more than 200 years, this pledge has sealed the transfer of power and the wishes of Americans as expressed every four years at the ballot box.It is a hallmark of our democratic system.
今天，在这个与美利坚合众国同龄的典礼上，总统唐纳德·特朗普将通过宣誓就职开始他的首个任期。200多年来，这份誓言确定了权力的交接和美国人民每4年通过投票箱表达的意愿。这是我们民主制度的一个标志。

In taking this oath, the President affirms his loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. Whatever his personal feelings, party loyalty or religious convictions,he or she is bound to follow the provisions of these fundamental laws. Should a President fail in this duty, he or she, like other government officials, can be impeached and removed from office.
在就职宣誓中，总统确认自己对美国宪法的忠诚。无论他的个人情感如何，政党忠诚或是宗教信仰如何，他或她一定要遵循这些基本法的规定。如果总统渎职，他或她，像其他政府官员一样，可以被弹劾并免职。

From the beginning, the United States has been, in the words of John Adams, the second U.S. president,a “government of laws and not of men.”
从一开始，美国已经成为，用美国第二任总统约翰·亚当斯的话来说，一个“法治政府而不是人治政府。”

By subordinating political power to the rule of law, Americans have ensured the protection of their rights and the survival of their freedom.As President George Washington said at his first inauguration, "the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government [democracy] are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, and finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people."
通过使政治权利从属于法治，美国人确保了他们的权利受到保护、他们的自由得以存续。正如美国总统乔治·华盛顿在他的首次就职典礼上说的那样，“保存自由的圣火和共和政府模式[民主]的命运经过人们的深思熟虑，最终寄托在交付美国人民之手而进行的实践之上。”

Inauguration Day is more than the swearing in of an elected leader. It is a process and a spirit. It is democracy in action.
美国总统就职日不仅是一位当选领导人宣誓就职。这是一个过程和一种精神。这是民主在发挥作用。