微博帮助大家表达自己的观点

For the year 2011, there is one topic that must be mentioned, and that’s Weibo, or micro-blogs, the Chinese version of Twitter. It has become a way of life in China, especially for the young.
对于2011年，有一个话题必须提到，那就是微博，中国版的推特。在中国，它已经成为一种生活方式，对年轻人来说尤其是这样。

Our train bumped into something. Our carriage has fallen onto its side. Children are screaming. Come to help us please! Come fast!
我们的列车撞到东西。我们的车厢倒向一边。孩子们在尖叫。请过来帮帮我们！快点过来！

This is the first message sent from a high-speed train that crashed on July 23rd in China’s Zhejiang province.
这是7月23日从中国浙江省一列失事的高速列车上发出来的第一条信息。

Not only a cry for help, it saved tens of lives. It also triggered a wave of uNPRecedented "citizen journalism" on China’s micro-blogs. Within ten hours, the message had been reposted over one-hundred-thousand times. Something the girl who wrote it never imagined.
它不仅是一声求救，救了几十条生命。它还在中国的微博中掀起一波前所未有的“公民新闻”浪潮。在10小时内，这条信息被报道了10万次以上。这是发这条微博的女孩子从没想象到的。

Xiao Yang, a Weibo user, said, “I just wanted to survive at that moment, so I posted a message on Weibo. I didn’t know it would help us to be rescued so quickly."
微博用户Xiao Yang表示：“在那一刻我只想生存下去，所以我在微博上发了一条信息。我没想到它会帮我们这么快获救。”

In the aftermath of the crash, China’s twenty million strong micro-bloggers demonstrated tremendous and unfamiliar power. They joined rescue efforts, helped survivors and monitored the officials investigating the accident.
在事故发生之后，中国2000万强大的微博用户展示了巨大的、陌生的力量。他们加入拯救行动，帮助幸存者，并监督官员调查事故。

As with traditional media, Weibo functions as a mirror on society, sparking debates and enlightening discussions.
与传统的媒体一样，微博作为社会的一面镜子，引起了争辩，启发了讨论。

But what’s different about the micro-blogging site is that anyone - not just journalists - can take a photo, record a video clip or write a quick note about what is happening around them.
但是，微博网站不同的地方在于任何人——不只是记者——都可以拍一张照，拍一个视频片段，或快速说明一下他们身边发生什么事。

"The first thing I do in the morning is check my Weibo. I say "Hi" to my friends on Weibo instead of sending group messages to everyone like before."
“我每天早上做的第一件事就是查看我的微博。我在微博上跟我的朋友问好，而不是跟以前一样发群信息给大家。”

"I can fully accept this new Weibo lifestyle. Almost everyone has Weibo now."
“我完全接受这种新的微博生活方式。现在，几乎人人都有微博。”

"I read news on Weibo and it helps me with my life."
“我在微博上看新闻，它对我的生活有帮助。”

Clearly, Weibo enables millions of Chinese to become "citizen journalists," opening them up to fresh news and views on their community, country and world.
显然，微博使成千上万的中国人成为“公民记者”，为他们展示他们社区、国家和世界的新鲜新闻和看法。

This has led to many micro-bloggers keeping a closer eye on the authorities. In response, the government is also using Weibo as a tool to respond to citizens’ queries. 42 district government bureaus have now opened Weibo accounts, attracting more than four million followers.
这使得许多微博用户密切关注政府部门。作为回应，政府也使用微博作为回答市民疑问的一种工具。现在，42个地区政府办事处有了微博账户，吸引了400多万关注者。

And in Beijing, micro-bloggers have already left thousands of messages, urging the government to solve problems they consider urgent.
在北京，微博用户已经留下数千条信息，敦促政府解决他们认为紧迫的问题。

Wang Hui, general director of Beijing Information Office, said, "Weibo has created a platform for government officials to better understand what the citizens are thinking about and what they really need. This bottom-to-top information transmission channel is innovative and will become a new trend for government officials to provide better services for the people."
北京政府新闻办主任王惠表示：“微博为政府官员创造了一个更好了解市民的想法和他们真实需要的平台。这个自下而上的信息传播渠道是一种创新，将成为政府官员为人民提供更好服务的一种新趋势。”

It’s been a dynamic two-year history for Chinese micro-blogs, as help for Japan’s earthquake victims has been coordinated, abducted children brought home and the Red Cross Society’s financial operations put under public scrutiny, all thanks to this unique internet function.
对中国的微博来说，这是一段为期两年的动态历史，像协调帮助日本地震受害者，被拐卖儿童被送回家，以及红十字会的财政运作处于公众监督之下，所有这些都要感谢这个独一无二的网络功能。

But, however compelling Weibo may be, much information it provides turns out to be rumors. Weibo, as a platform, not only helps the Chinese people express their views, but also trains the government in facing public opinion.
但是，无论微博有多大的吸引力，它提供的许多信息结果证明都是谣言。微博，作为一个平台，不仅帮助中国人表达他们的想法，还锻炼了政府面对公众意见的能力。

Meanwhile, for Xiao Yang, a simple message saved her life. And for millions of others, Weibo means much more than just a simple touch on a smart phone.
同时，对Xiao Yang来说，一条简单的信息救了她的命。对成千上万其他用户来说，微博不仅仅意味着简单触摸一下智能手机。