美国副总统拜登在四川大学的演讲
在得到贵校校长许可的情况下──他们告诉我已经没有时间了，可是我从来不想在没有至少回答几个问题之前离开一所大学。所以我希望能够让我回答听众的几个问题。你允许吗，校长先生？是否可以？ 好的。谢谢你。
As you can see as Vice President, I’m used to always checking with presidents first. (Laughter.) I’d be happy to take a couple questions. My staff is going to get angry if I take too much time. But, please, there’s microphones in both aisles, I guess. And I -- I can’t see with the light. Gentleman all the way in the back waving both hands. It must be important.
你们可以看到，作为副总统，我总是习惯先向总统（校长）请示。（笑声。）我很高兴回答几个问题。如果我花太多时间，我的工作人员会生气的。现在请提问，我想两边走道应该都有麦克风。我──我这里太亮，看不清楚。
Q: Good morning, Mr. President [sic]. And I’m a -- student from the medical school of Sichuan University. But my question is about economy first. And as you know that the China holds about $1 trillion U.S. bonds of treasury bonds. And that much money -- actually the value is uncertain because of the downgrade of U.S. credit rating. You seem to have instilled the confidence of the U.S. financial well-being into young people today because I heard you say that the U.S. economy is really resilient. And -- but words alone cannot ease the mounting concern over the safety of China’s assets. So we would like to hear more about what measures you’re going to implement to reduce those deficits and redeem the financial strength of America.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It’s a very good question. One of the multiple rating agencies reduced our rating from AAA to -- plus -- come down one notch. And that was very disturbing and bothersome to us, and we have to deal with is.
副总统：这个问题提得很好。多家评级机构中有一家把我们的信贷评级从AAA下调了一级。这件事造成了一些困扰，对我们来说是个麻烦，我们不得不应对。
We do have a deficit that I was asked by the President to head up a commission to try to deal with that deficit. And we made some significant progress, but not the progress we could have made and will make. The bottom line is we have to deal with two elements of our economy. One is what we call entitlement programs -- long-term commitments to our people in the area of particularly Medicare. That is the safety net we have for people once they reach the age of 65 to be able to be assured that they have health care.
我们的财政确实有赤字，奥巴马总统请我主持一个委员会来努力管理这项赤字。我们取得了一些重大进展，但还没有取得我们本应取得和即将取得的进展。最根本的是，我们必须调整我国经济中的两个要素。一个是我们所说的“福利计划”，特别是在联邦老年医保计划方面向美国人民作出的长期承诺。该计划是我们为老年人提供的医疗保障，也就是年满65岁即可享受的医疗保险。
And it is not sustainable without some changes in large part because we had what we call a baby boom, which doesn’t sound like much to Chinese -- 40 million people is not a big deal, I know. (Laughter.) But adding 40 million people to those who will benefit from the Medicare -- Medicaid payment -- Medicare payments has put the program in a position where changes have to be made.
如果不进行某些改变，该计划将无法持续，主要原因是我们曾经有过一个所谓的“婴儿潮”，这一时期出生的人有4,000万，我知道对中国人来说这不算多，没什么大不了。（笑声）但是，如果联邦老年医保计划的受益者再增加4,000万人，就会入不敷出，因此必须对该计划作出改变。
It’s easy to make those changes, and we had a tentative agreement to do that between the major political leaders of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party and the administration. But there is a group within the Republican Party that is a very strong voice now that did -- wanted different changes, and so that deal fell through at the very end.
要实现这些变革并不难，共和党和民主党的主要领导人以及奥巴马政府之间曾经达成一个初步协议。但共和党内部现在有一群嗓门很大的人，他们要求作出另外的改变，因此这项交易在最后关头夭折了。
What we ended up doing is setting up a system whereby we did cut by $1.2 trillion upfront, the deficit over the next 10 years. And we set up a group of senators that have to come up with another $1.2 to $1.7 trillion in savings or automatically there will be cuts that go into effect in January to get those savings. So the savings will be accomplished. But as I was talking to some of your leaders, you share a similar concern here in China. You have no safety net. Your policy has been one which I fully understand -- I’m not second-guessing -- of one child per family. The result being that you’re in a position where one wage earner will be taking care of four retired people. Not sustainable.
我们最后做到的是建立了一个框架，在这个框架内我们决定把今后10年的赤字初步削减1.2万亿美元。我们还成立了一个参议员小组，该小组必须提出另外削减1.2万亿至1.7万亿美元的计划，否则明年一月削减自动生效，以省下这笔钱。因此，缩减开支的目的一定会达到。但正如我通过与你们的一些领导人谈话所了解到的，你们在中国也有类似的担忧。你们缺乏社会保障网。你们一直实行一个家庭只生一个孩子的政策——我完全理解这一政策，也不会在这里指手划脚。但这种政策的结果是，一个赚取工薪的人将要照料四个退休的老人。这也是一种不可持续的状况。
So hopefully we can act in a way on a problem that's much less severe than yours, and maybe we can learn together from how we can do that.
所以，我希望我们能够对这个问题采取行动——与你们面临的问题相比,我们的问题相对容易解决——或许我们可以共同探索如何解决这些问题。
But in the meantime, the concern that we will not make good on the investments that people have made -- in your case up to $1.7 trillion total out of a very large economy is not to worry about. We could not afford -- we could not afford not to make good on that requirement.
但与此同时，担心我们作为一个非常大型的经济不会保持对人们投资的承诺——在你们的情况下有高达1.7万亿美元——是不需要的。我们不能不——我们不能不兑现承诺。
And that's why the irony was that in the Treasury offering in the first four days after the downgrade, more people actually came and bought our treasuries than before. And the interest rate paid on those treasury notes actually went down because they were so much in demand. So obviously, the rest of the world didn't think we were about not to. If the world thought, my God, they’ve been downgraded, and they are not going to make good on their debt, it would not have been viewed as the safest haven in the whole world to invest. We are still -- for all the economic difficulties nation’s have -- we are still the single best bet in the world in terms of where to invest.
这也就是为什么有意思的是，就国债发行而言，在降级后的最初四天里，其实有比过去更多的人来购买我们的国库券。而且需求之大，这些债券的利息率还降低了。所以显然，世界其他地方没有认为我们将要不行了。如果全世界认为，天哪，他们被降级了，他们即将无法还债了，那么美国就不会被视为是全世界最安全的投资之地。我们仍然是——尽管我们有种种经济困难——就投资而言，我们仍然是全世界最最保险的地方。
And so -- but we do have to deal with the deficit. We will deal with it, and that's what this 2012 election is going to be about. The American people are going to speak on that.
所以说——但是，我们的确必须解决赤字问题。我们会解决它，这也将是2012年选举的焦点。美国人民将对此发出他们的声音。
Now, look, one last point, both our countries are going through a political transition in 2012. And it’s very important in my view that we both are aware of the political sensitivities in each of the countries as they go through that. But I’m confident we will come out stronger, as will you. But I don't in any way suggest -- please don't have the press read that Biden said that $1.7 trillion investment in the United States is not a big deal. It is a big deal if you are a Chinese. (Laughter.) It is not a big deal in terms of our financial instruments. It is a very small part, and so the Chinese people should take solace. In order for us not to make good on China’s debt, we would have to disappoint tens of millions of Americans who own 85 percent of that debt. And just in pure political terms, no politician wants to do that. (Laughter.) You’re safe. (Applause.)
还有最后一点。我们两国都要在2012年经历政治更迭期。我认为，我们都非常有必要认识到各国在这一转换时期时具有的政治敏感。但我有信心，我们将由此而变得更加强大，你们也一样。但我绝对不是说——请新闻界不要将此解读为拜登说在美国1.7万亿的投资没什么了不得的；如果你是中国人，这是了不得的。（笑声）但是作为我们的金融手段而言，它不是了不得的，它是很小的一部分，所以中国人民应该安心。如果要让我们无法兑现中国的债务，那我们必须首先要让千百万美国人失望，他们是85%国债的债权人。仅纯粹从政治角度而言，没有任何政治人物想这样做。（笑声）你们是安全的。（掌声）
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Question. Young man in the striped shirt here. Can you get him the microphone?
Q: Thank you, very much, Your Excellency Vice President. I see you not just as the Vice President but a veteran and accomplished public speaker.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Do I look that old? (Laughter.)
Q: I mean being serious -- so as is known to all, public speaking, and English public speaking, in particular, is getting all the more popular in China. So my question is twofold: First of all, what role has public speaking played in your life? Because we say that public speaking is the language of leadership. And secondly, what role do you think public speaking will play among our youth of the two countries and to our bilateral relations? Thank you very much. (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's a very good question. Let me order my thoughts here to make this as brief as I can. The commodity that is worth a lot more than public speaking is sincerity when one speaks. I mean this sincerely now. (Laughter.) There are great orators that have come along in the world history who have been charlatans. So the most important thing to look to in a leader’s speech is not the elegance or the rhetorical flourish of his or her comments, but the judgment of whether or not you believe they are sincere in what they're saying.
副总统：这个问题提得很好。我来整理一下思绪，以便尽量简要地作出回答。对于演讲者来说，远比演讲技巧有价值的一点是真诚。我说这句话的时候就是真诚的。（笑声）在世界历史上有一些享有盛名的演说家其实是江湖骗子。因此，在听一位领导人演说时，最重要的不是看其能否侃侃而谈或其言辞是否文采飞扬，而在于你是否认为演讲人在讲话时态度诚恳。
Secondly, you compliment me by saying I’m an accomplished public speaker. I don't know whether you’ve had an opportunity to see a movie that has gotten worldwide circulation called “The King’s Speech.” Well, but for the royal blood and the money, that could have been me. I was a serious stutterer when I was in school as a child, as a high school student, and even into college. And I practiced very, very hard by myself, standing in front of a mirror, trying to annunciate without contorting my face.
其次，你夸奖我是一位很有造诣的演说家。我不知道你是否有机会看过在世界各地广泛放映的一个电影，叫做“国王的演说”。如果忽略王室出身和金钱，那个人可能就是我。我从小学到高中甚至大学一直有很严重的口吃。我刻苦练习，站在镜子前面，努力在发音时不把脸扭歪。
When you think about it, whether it’s China or America, the only impediment people feel free to make fun of and humor of is a stutterer. If I had a deformed face, you would not make fun of my face. But if I stood before you and ta-ta-talked to-to-to you like that, you’d do what you’re now -- you’re smiling. And it’s offensive. It’s offensive. Because it is a serious impediment. When one stutters, people believe they are stupid. People believe they are not worth much. And there’s tens of millions of people around the world trapped with a keen mind and big heart, trapped inside of a body that cannot articulate what they feel.
我们可以想一想，无论是在中国还是美国，人们可以随意开玩笑或取笑的唯一生理缺陷是口吃。如果我有一张残缺变形的脸，你们不会取笑我的脸。但是，如果我站在你们面前，像这样跟跟跟你们讲讲讲话，你们可能会像现在这样——在微笑。可这样做是非常不礼貌的。这样做是非常不礼貌的，因为这是一种严重的生理缺陷。人们往往认为口吃的人很笨，认为他们没什么用处，然而世界上有千千万万聪明善良的人只是由于生理上的障碍不能表达他们的情感。
And the reason I bother to mention that to you is to get to the third and most important point. Speech, communication -- to state the obvious -- is the currency of understanding. It’s the currency with which we exchange ideas. It’s stuff from which flows the sense of whether one is being truthful or honest or sincere. We judge from the way people speak whether they’re being transparent and open, whether they're being cramped and cabined. And so the thing that I’m most embarrassed about in my career of 38 years of having an opportunity to literally meet every major world leader in the last 38 years. I was elected as a 30 -- 29-year-old, young man from modest means. And I’ve had that opportunity. The thing that always embarrasses me is -- and in the back of my head, I’m embarrassed in front of you -- I’m embarrassed I can’t speak to you in Chinese. I would -- seriously -- I would rather be able to honor you and show my respect for you by speaking your language, as you honor me by speaking mine.
我跟你们提到这件事是因为我要讲的第三点也是最重要的一点。言语、交流——表达清楚明白的想法——是达到理解的途径，是我们交换想法的途径，也是我们借以判断一个人是否真实、诚实或真诚的途径。通过人们讲话的方式，我们可以判断他们是开诚布公还是居心叵测。在我38年的职业生涯中——我曾有机会在这38年中与世界各地的领导人会晤——有一点让我感到羞愧。我家境贫寒，30岁——其实是29岁——赢得选举担任公职。我得到了这个机会。有一点总是让我感到羞愧的是——此刻我站在你们面前，内心也感到同样的羞愧——我为不能跟你们讲中文而感到羞愧。我希望——这是真话——我能够说你们的语言，以此向你们表示敬意，正如你们讲我的母语是对我表示尊重。
And so language, the ability not only to master the ability to put your ideas into words succinctly on a platform to communicate ideas to your own people, it is even more impressive when you have the capacity to do that and communicate your ideas, especially as future business and political and moral leaders of the world in the language of the people to whom you are speaking.
语言是一种能力，它不仅能够使你站在讲台上用词汇明确地表达你的想法，向同胞们表达你的想法，更令人钦佩的是，它使你能够用其他人的母语表达你的想法，特别是作为世界上未来的企业家、政治家和道德典范。
So I think there is no greater resource that a nation could seek than having a group of people who were able to communicate in the same idiom, the same dialect, the same -- the same pattern as the people to whom as they're speaking. Because this is all about -- all about -- understanding one another.
因此，对于一个国家而言，我认为最宝贵的资源就是有这样一批人，他们能够用对方的习惯用语、方言乃至遵循对方的语言习惯表达自己，因为归根结底最重要的是互相理解。
Let me conclude by saying this. My father was a high school-educated man. He never went to a university and -- nor did my mother or anyone in my family at that time. But my father was an elegant, decent man -- eloquent and elegant, decent man. My father used to have an expression, and maybe it’s the best way for me to conclude my comments with you all, and I wish I could stay later -- longer, sincerely wish I could. He used to say, Joe, the only conflict that is worse than one that is intended is one that is unintended. The only conflict worse than one that is intended is one that is unintended.
最后，我还要说几句。我父亲是个受过高中教育的人。他从来没进过大学——那个时候， 我母亲和任何家人都没进过大学。但我父亲是一个文雅、体面的人——有口才、温文尔雅和体面的人。我父亲总喜欢说这样一句话，或许我最好用这句话结束对大家的讲话，我希望我可以多留一会，——多呆一些时间，我衷心希望我能如此。他常说，乔，唯一比意想之中的冲突更糟的是意想不到的冲突。唯一比意想之中的冲突更糟的是意想不到的冲突。
Language, speech, interchange, openness, communication -- that is the material that can be used to lessen the possibility of the unintended, the unintended conflict. I have great faith in all of you. I mean this sincerely. You’re an incredible country, an incredible people. And the fact there’s a hundred thousand students here at this great university, the fact that there are millions of Chinese at universities throughout -- throughout this country; the fact that there’s 130,000 Chinese nationals speaking -- citizens, going to American universities is the stuff which gives me faith.
语言、话语、交流、开放、沟通——这是可以用来减少可能产生意想不到的、意外的冲突的方式。我对你们大家有极大的信心。我真心这样想。你们是一个了不起的国家、了不起的民族。在这所优秀的学校有成千上万的学生，在整个国家有数百万人上大学；有13万中国人上美国大学，有关的事实就是我信心的来源。
Believe in yourselves. Believe in yourselves. You have the capacity to do anything, anything anyone in the world has ever done. And the more you do, the better off my granddaughter and my great granddaughter’s generation are going to be.
相信你们自己。相信你们自己。你们有能力做任何事情，做任何世界上任何人曾经做过的事。你们做得越多，我的孙女和我的重孙女的这一代人都将过得更好。
Thank you for the honor of being here. (Applause.) Thank you, all, very much. (Applause.)
感谢你们让我有幸来到这里。（掌声。）谢谢大家，多谢。（掌声。）
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