2016年奥巴马国情咨文演讲

Our Constitution begins with those three simple words, words we've come to recognize mean all the people, not just some; words that insist we rise and fall together. That brings me to the fourth, and maybe the most important thing I want to say tonight.
我们的宪法以这三个简单的词开始，也是这三个词让我们认识到，这里指的是所有人，而不是一部分人；这三个单词坚定地认为我们应该共进退。这就是我想说的第四点，也可能是今晚我想讲的最重要的一点。

The future we want – opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids – all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates.
我们期盼的未来：每个家庭都享有机遇和安全；生活水平得以提高，以及为孩子们创造一个可持续的、和平的星球，这些都是我们可以实现的。但是，要实现这些期盼，我们必须一起努力。只有经过理性、且富有建设性的辩论，这些期盼才可能实现。

It will only happen if we fix our politics.
要实现这一期盼，我们必须解决政治问题。

A better politics doesn't mean we have to agree on everything. This is a big country, with different regions and attitudes and interests. That's one of our strengths, too. Our Founders distributed power between states and branches of government, and expected us to argue, just as they did, over the size and shape of government, over commerce and foreign relations, over the meaning of liberty and the imperatives of security.
更好的政治形态并不意味着意见始终统一。美国是一个大国，有不同的地区，不同的看法，不同的利益。这也是我们的优势之一。开国先驱们将权力分配给各个州，各政府部门，希望我们像他们一样进行辩论，探讨政府的规模和形态，探讨贸易和外交关系，探讨自由的含义和安全的必要性。

But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesn't work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our political opponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn't matter; that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.
但民主确实需要公民之间的信任纽带。如果我们认为与自己观点相左的人都心怀恶意，或者认为我们的政敌都不爱国，那民主就无法实现。如果不愿意妥协，连最基本的事实都存在争议，而我们只听那些赞同的声音，那么民主就会停滞不前。如果只有最极端的声音受到重视，那我们的公共生活就会衰落。最重要的是，当人民大众觉得自己的呼声无关紧要，而整个社会体制被有钱、有权或者个别人的利益所操控时，民主就将崩溃。

Too many Americans feel that way right now. It's one of the few regrets of my presidency – that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. There's no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I'll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office.
目前，很多美国人都有这种感受。这是我总统任期内的几件憾事之一 ，各党派之间的积怨和猜疑并未减弱，而是变得更深。毫无疑问，如果具备林肯或罗斯福那样的才能，可能党派之间的嫌隙会调和得好一些，我保证，在我任职期间，我会不断努力，争取做到更好。

But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task – or any President's – alone. There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber who would like to see more cooperation, a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the demands of getting elected. I know; you've told me. And if we want a better politics, it's not enough to just change a Congressman or a Senator or even a President; we have to change the system to reflect our better selves.
但是，美国同胞们，这不仅仅是我的责任，也不仅仅是某位总统的责任。在座的当中，有不少人期盼在更多方面相互合作，期盼在华盛顿有更高层次的辩论，但却因为受到选举利益的羁绊而无法做到。我知道这种情况，听你们说过。如果我们想优化政治形态，仅换掉一个国会议员或参议员，甚至换掉一位总统是不够的，我们必须改变整个体制，来展现更好的自己。

We have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters, and not the other way around. We have to reduce the influence of money in our politics, so that a handful of families and hidden interests can't bankroll our elections – and if our existing approach to campaign finance can't pass muster in the courts, we need to work together to find a real solution. We've got to make voting easier, not harder, and modernize it for the way we live now. And over the course of this year, I intend to travel the country to push for reforms that do.
我们要取消划分国会选区的做法，因为划分选区后，政客们会自己去选择选民，而不是让选民选择他们。我们必须降低金钱对政治的影响，这样就可以防止少数家族和幕后利益集团用资金影响选举。如果关于竞选资金的现行办法未能获得法院通过，我们就要共同努力，寻求真正的解决方案。我们要让投票更容易，而不是更难，我们应顺应现在的生活方式，使投票方式现代化。今年，我打算走遍全国，来推进这些改革。

But I can't do these things on my own. Changes in our political process – in not just who gets elected but how they get elected – that will only happen when the American people demand it. It will depend on you. That's what's meant by a government of, by, and for the people.
但仅凭我一人之力，是无法做到这些的。政治进程的变革，不是改变谁当选，而是改变当选的方式。只有美国民众要求进行变革时，变革才会发生。这是由你们决定的。这就是“民有、民治、民享政府”的真正含义。

What I'm asking for is hard. It's easier to be cynical; to accept that change isn't possible, and politics is hopeless, and to believe that our voices and actions don't matter. But if we give up now, then we forsake a better future. Those with money and power will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young soldier to war, or allow another economic disaster, or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of Americans have fought, even died, to secure. As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don't look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background.
我所提出的要求绝非易事。相比而言，变得愤世嫉俗，认为变革不可能发生、政治已经无药可救，并且认定自己的呼声和行动毫无意义，这些事情更容易做到。但是如果我们现在放弃，那我们也放弃了更加美好的未来。拥有金钱和权力的人会在更大程度上左右重大决定，可能是将年轻士兵送往前线，可能是批准会引起灾难的经济政策，也可能是为了维持控制权，驳回历代美国人民为之奋斗牺牲的平等权和投票权。如果这样的倒行逆施持续下去，又会有人催促我们回到部落时代，让那些与我们长相不同，信仰不同，选举方式不同，背景不同的同胞当他们的替罪羊。

We can't afford to go down that path. It won't deliver the economy we want, or the security we want, but most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world.
我们不能选择那条道路，因为路的尽头没有我们追求的经济繁荣，没有社会安定，最重要的是，无法让我们成为如今这样令世人羡慕的国家。

So, my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, whether you prefer one party or no party, our collective future depends on your willingness to uphold your obligations as a citizen. To vote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us. To stay active in our public life so it reflects the goodness and decency and optimism that I see in the American people every single day.
我的美国同胞们，无论你信仰什么，无论你支持一党制或无党制，美国的未来掌握在你们手中，需要你们自愿履行好自己作为公民的义务。你们要参与选举；你们要敢于发声；你们要为他人，尤其是弱势群体，争取权利，要清楚知道我们能在这里就是因为有人在某个地方支持着我们。你们要积极参与公共生活，让美国人民的善良、礼貌以及乐观渗透每个角落，就像我每天接触到的美国民众一样。

It won't be easy. Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I'll be right there with you as a citizen – inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped America travel so far. voices that help us see ourselves not first and foremost as black or white or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born; not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans first, bound by a common creed. voices Dr. King believed would have the final word – voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love.
这并不是一件容易的事。我们的民主道路也很艰难。但是，我能保证，一年之后，我已不再是美国总统，我将和你们一样，是一个普通的美国公民，那些曾经帮助美国前进的公平与远见之声、坚韧之声，以及幽默与和善之声，也会让我倍受鼓舞。这些声音告诉我们，每个人的身份，无论黑人还是白人，无论亚裔还是拉丁裔，无论性取向如何，无论是移民还是土生土长的美国人，无论是民主党还是共和党，我们首先都是美国人，并且有着共同的信念。用马丁•路德•金的话来总结就是：不靠武装发声的真理以及无条件的爱。

They're out there, those voices. They don't get a lot of attention, nor do they seek it, but they are busy doing the work this country needs doing.
这些人，这些声音一直都在。寂静无声，不求关注，但却一直在为这个国家奔忙。

I see them everywhere I travel in this incredible country of ours. I see you. I know you're there. You're the reason why I have such incredible confidence in our future. Because I see your quiet, sturdy citizenship all the time.
在美国这片热土上，我所到之处都能看到这么一群美国人的身影。我看到了你们所有人，我知道你们都是其中的一员。正因为有你们，我才能如此自信于美国的未来。因为我知道一直有着默默无闻，坚定勇敢的美国公民为美国的未来奋斗。

I see it in the worker on the assembly line who clocked extra shifts to keep his company open, and the boss who pays him higher wages to keep him on board.
有一位在装配流水线上工作的工人，每天加班加点以确保公司正常运营，而他的老板也会给他加薪，让他继续坚守岗位。

I see it in the Dreamer who stays up late to finish her science project, and the teacher who comes in early because he knows she might someday cure a disease.
有一个女孩有着自己的科学梦想，为完成科学项目彻夜不休，而她的老师会提前进教室给她上课，因为他知道，总有一天她会成功发现某种治疗疾病的良方。

I see it in the American who served his time, and dreams of starting over – and the business owner who gives him that second chance. The protester determined to prove that justice matters, and the young cop walking the beat, treating everybody with respect, doing the brave, quiet work of keeping us safe.
有一位美国人服完刑期，想要重新开始，而有位老板给了他第二次开始人生的机会；抗议者希望彰显社会公平正义；年轻的警官在街上巡查，尊重他人，兢兢业业，默默守护我们的安全。

I see it in the soldier who gives almost everything to save his brothers, the nurse who tends to him 'til he can run a marathon, and the community that lines up to cheer him on.
有个士兵为救自己同胞不惜一切，身受重伤；有位护士悉心照料他，直至他痊愈参加马拉松；而所在社区的人纷纷为他加油。

It's the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is, and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he's been taught.
有这么个孩子勇敢地做自己，敢于出柜，而深爱他的父亲也会放弃自己的旧观念继续爱他。

I see it in the elderly woman who will wait in line to cast her vote as long as she has to; the new citizen who casts his for the first time; the volunteers at the polls who believe every vote should count, because each of them in different ways know how much that precious right is worth.
有一位老妇人，只要自己还有选举权，她都会亲自排队去投上一票；有位美国新公民第一次高兴地投上自己的选票；选举站的志愿者深信每一票都很重要，因为他们都懂得这投票权的分量有多重。

That's the America I know. That's the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That's what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I believe in you. That's why I stand here confident that the State of our Union is strong.
这就是我所认识的美国。这就是我们热爱着的国家。人们明辨是非，慷慨善良，并且乐观地相信，不靠武器发声的真理和无条件的爱必将主导这个世界。因此我才如此坚信美国的未来。因为有你们，我相信你们。因为美国的强大，我才能如此自信地站在这里。

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
谢谢，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美利坚合众国。