奥巴马总统2013年国情咨文（中英文对照）

State of the union address 2013

奥巴马总统2013年国情咨文

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:

议长先生、副总统先生、各位国会议员以及同胞们：

Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this Chamber that "the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress…It is my task," he said, "to report the State of the Union – to improve it is the task of us all."

50年前，约翰·肯尼迪总统在这个议会大厅宣布：“宪法保障我们为进步而合作而不是为权力去竞争…发表国情咨文，推动国家前进是我的也是大家的共同使命。”

Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much progress to report. After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home. After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in twenty. Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.

今晚，感谢所有坚忍不拔的美国人民，我们所取得的成就数不胜数。经历10年的战争磨难，我们的男女指战人员正陆续回国。经历了经济衰退的多年折磨，我们的企业已经创造了600多万个就业岗位。最近5年，我们更多的购买美国生产的汽车，20年来，我们进口的石油也逐渐下降。我们的房产市场开始回暖，股票市场也触底反弹，消费者、病人和购房者的利益都得到了比以往更有力的保护。

Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger.

我们共同努力，清理掉了危机留下的断壁残垣，我们可以宣布，合众国重拾信心、更加强大。

But we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been rewarded. Our economy is adding jobs – but too many people still can't find full-time employment. Corporate profits have rocketed to all-time highs – but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.

但我们聚集于此，还应知道，仍然有数百万美国人民的辛勤付出没有得到应有的回报。我们的经济创造了大量就业岗位，但依然有太多的人还没有找到合适的全职工作。企业利润创出新高，但相对于十多年前，人们的工资收入并未显著改观。

It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class.

这就是我们面对的使命，重新点燃美国经济增长的引擎：那就是一个不断壮大的、生生不息的中产阶级。

It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country – the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love.

这是我们重拾基本建国原则的未竟之志：无论你来自哪里、长相如何或者是喜欢谁，只要你努力工作，履行义务，你就能获得成功的理念。

It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation.

这也是确保本届政府将永远代表大多数人而不是少数人的利益，鼓励私营企业发展，激励个人创新，为这个国家的每一个孩子都打开一扇机遇之门所未完成的任务。

The American people don't expect government to solve every problem. They don't expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect us to put the nation's interests before party. They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together; and that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.

美国人民不指望政府能解决所有问题。也不指望这个议会大厅的人对每一项事情都达成一致。但是他们真心期待我们将国家利益放在党派利益之上。他们真心期待我们尽可能达成合理的妥协。因为他们知道，只有我们真心同心协力，美国才能向前发展；而推动国家不断前进的责任也是我们所有人的共同使命。

Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget – decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.

Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion – mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our finances.

做好我们的工作，有几项关于预算的决策首当其冲：这些决定将对我们的复苏势头产生重大影响。过去几年，两党的共同努力已经削减了超过2.5万亿的财政赤字，其中大部分是通过削减支出，但也有部分是通过提高1%的富人的税率实现的。因此，经济学家指出的要保持财政稳定性而必须削减4万亿赤字的目标，我们已经完成了一大半。

Now we need to finish the job. And the question is, how?

现在我们要继续完成这一目标。但问题是，如何实现？

In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness. They'd devastate priorities like education, energy, and medical research. They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. That's why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as "the sequester," are a really bad idea.

根据2011年国会通过的一项法案，如果两党不能就削减赤字的目标计划达成一致，那么就有约1万亿的预算将在今年被自动削减掉。这种突发的、重大的、无条件的削减将危害到我们的军备能力。也会危害到教育、能源以及医疗研究等领域的优先发展。因此预算削减必定减缓经济复苏，数十万人也将失去工作。因此，无论是民主党人、共和党人还是商业领袖、经济学家都声明，这一预算削减，也就是华盛顿所谓的“自动减支”完完全全就是个馊主意。

Now, some in this Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training; Medicare and Social Security benefits.

现在，国会已经有人提出对教育、职业培训、医疗保险以及社保福利进行更大范围的预算削减来防止国防支出的减少。

That idea is even worse. Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population. And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms – otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for future generations.

这种想法更糟糕。的确，长远来看，我们的债务的最大推手就是随着人口老龄化而来的医保支出。我们每个人所深深关切的医保等项目有必要进行适当的改革，否则，我们的退休计划将挤占对儿童的投资，更将损害到我们对子孙后代安享退休生活的承诺。

But we can't ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful. We won't grow the middle class simply by shifting the cost of health care or college onto families that are already struggling, or by forcing communities to lay off more teachers, cops, and firefighters. Most Americans – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – understand that we can't just cut our way to prosperity. They know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share. And that's the approach I offer tonight.

但是，我们不能只要求老人和工薪家庭负担减赤重担而对最富有、最有实力的人没有任何要求。我们不能简单的将医疗成本或大学学费转嫁给还在苦苦支撑的家庭，或者是强迫社区解雇更多教师、警察和消防员，中产阶级定不可能因此而壮大。大多数美国人，包括民主党人、共和党人以及无党派人士，都认为我们不应该阻断通向繁荣的道路。他们都了解，更广泛的经济增长需要通过平衡的方式削减赤字，节流同时开源，让每个人都承担自己应该承担的义务。以下便是我今晚提出的解决方案。

On Medicare, I'm prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission. Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs. The reforms I'm proposing go even further. We'll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. We'll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital – they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive. And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don't violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn't make promises we cannot keep – but we must keep the promises we've already made.

关于医疗保险，我准备施行一项由辛普森—鲍勒斯委员会提出的改革方案，该方案同样可以达到节约同等数额医保资金的目标。《平价医疗法案》已经帮助我们降低了医疗保险的成本。而我提出的改革方案将节约更多支出。我们将削减对处方药物公司的纳税人补贴，并要求富有的老人负担更多医疗成本。我们将通过改变政府对医疗保险的支付方式来降低成本，因为医疗支出不应该基于临床检查的数量或住院时间长短来考量，而应该基于老人得到的治疗和照料的质量来衡量。我也乐意接受来自两党的任何附加改革方案，只要能保障老人退休的安宁生活就行。本届政府无法信守我们无力保障的承诺，但我们必须恪守我们已经做出的承诺。

To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do what leaders in both parties have already suggested, and save hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and well-connected. After all, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just to protect special interest tax breaks? How is that fair? How does that promote growth?

为完成我们设定的减赤目标的剩余任务，我们应该按照两党领导层已经给出的建议行事，通过消除税收漏洞、取消富裕和权贵人士的税收优惠即可节省数千亿美元。说到底，我们为什么能选择对教育和医保进行大幅度的削减而只是为了保护特殊利益集团的税收优惠？这公平吗？这又如何能促进经济的增长？

Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. The American people deserve a tax code that helps small businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, and more time expanding and hiring; a tax code that ensures billionaires with high-powered accountants can't pay a lower rate than their hard-working secretaries; a tax code that lowers incentives to move jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for businesses and manufacturers that create jobs right here in America. That's what tax reform can deliver. That's what we can do together.

当下，是两党达成广泛的税收改革以促进就业增长和降低赤字的最佳时机。美国人民理应得到一部更好的税法，让中小企业在填报各种复杂的报税表格上少花些时间，多些时间去扩展业务和雇佣员工；让拥有精熟业务的会计师的亿万富豪们承担比他们辛劳的秘书们更高的的税率；减少对将就业转移至海外的公司的激励政策，降低在美国本土创造就业的企业和制造商的税率。这才是税法改革要做的事情。这也是我们可以共同完成的任务。

I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won't be easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get 100 percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of hardworking Americans. So let's set party interests aside, and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And let's do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. Let's agree, right here, right now, to keep the people's government open, pay our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America. The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another.

我知道税收改革和福利改革不会一帆风顺。两党的政治争斗也会很艰难。我们任何一方都不能100%如愿。但不如此我们就将失去就业岗位、我们的经济将蒙受损失、数百万辛勤付出的美国人民将经历艰苦的生活。因此，让我们把党派利益搁置一边，采用更巧妙的节流措施和更明智的投资未来的方案替代不计后果的减支方案。让我们抛弃那些向消费者施压和吓跑投资者的边缘政策。世界上最强大的国家不可能从一场制造业危机进入另一场危机还一直保持优势。此时此刻，让我们达成一致，保持人民的政府正常运转，按时支付各项支出，秉持美利坚合众国一贯的充分信任和信用。美国人民长时间的努力工作，就是要重建一个他们选出来的官员不会再一次把他们带入经济危机之中的国家。

Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda. But let's be clear:deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan. A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs – that must be the North Star that guides our efforts. Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?

现在，我们大多数人都同意将降低赤字列入议事日程。但我们需要明确的是：仅仅有赤字削减还构不成一项经济计划。创造出好的，支撑中产生活的就业岗位的不断发展的经济必须是我们努力的指向标。作为一个国家，我们每天都应该问自己这样三个问题：我们如何才能吸引更多就业岗位来到国内？我们如何才能让人民拥有这些就业岗位所需的各项技能？以及我们如何才能确保辛勤的付出的人能得到体面的生活？

A year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that independent economists said would create more than one million new jobs. I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda, and I urge this Congress to pass the rest. Tonight, I'll lay out additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago. Let me repeat – nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime. It's not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth.

一年半以前，我提出了一项《美国就业法案》，独立经济学家曾说该法案能创造100多万个新的就业岗位。我感谢上届国会通过了该项法案中的部分条款，我也敦促本届国会通过剩余的部分。今晚，我将提出另外数项提议，这些提案完全考虑并全面贯彻了18个月前两党共同通过的预算框架。让我再次重复一下，我今晚所提出的任何方案都不会增加一分钱的财政赤字。我们所需要的不是一个更大的政府，而是一个更明智的政府，一个明确重点和为更广泛的增长进行投资的政府。

Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing.

我们的首要任务就是让美国成为新的就业岗位和制造业的向往之地。

After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.

经历了10年的就业岗位流失之后，过去三年，我们的制造业增加了50万个就业岗位。卡特彼勒（财富500强，主要经营工业农业设备）将就业岗位从日本带回国内。福特将就业岗位从墨西哥带回国内。经过了在中国等国家开设工厂之后，英特尔开始将最先进的工厂开设在国内。今年，苹果公司也将再次在国内生产Mac电脑。

There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There's no reason this can't happen in other towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America.

当下，我们可以做很多事情来加速这一趋势。去年，我们在俄亥俄州扬斯敦市成立了国内首家制造业创新研究所。一个曾经倒闭的仓库现在成了世界一流的工艺实验室，那里的新式工人正在制造3D打印设备，这将为制造业带来革命性的变化，利用它我们几乎可以制造所有的东西。这种事情在这个城市发生不是没有原因的。因此，今晚，我宣布我们将成立另外三家制造业研发中心，这些企业将与国防部、能源部合作，将被全球化进程遗忘的地区变成全球高科技行业的中心。我也请求本届国会协助建成一个由15个类似研发中心的组成的研发网络，保证下一次制造业革命出现在美国。

If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy. Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's; developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make batteries ten times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race. And today, no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy.

如果我们想要生产出最好的产品，我们还需要投资于最好的创意。我们为人类基因组图谱绘制每1美元的投入都将为我们的经济带来140美元的回报。今天，科学家们正在绘制人类大脑图谱，以解开老年痴呆症的密钥；研发让受损器官再生的药物；研发制造比现有电池储电能力高十倍的新材料。现在不应该将这些创造就业的科研投资砍掉。而应该把科研提高到自太空竞赛以来从来没有过的高度。而今天，任何领域都没有我们在美国能源领域的投资更有前景和潜力。

After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future. We produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years. We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar – with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to show for it. We produce more natural gas than ever before – and nearly everyone's energy bill is lower because of it. And over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.

这一话题被谈论了多年，今天我们终于可以掌控自己的能源未来了。过去15年里我们生产了更多的石油。我们生产的汽车平均每加仑汽油的行驶里程也翻了一倍，伴随来自风能和太阳能的的可再生能源的生产，数万高薪的工作岗位也产生了。我们生产的天然气也比以往要多，由此几乎让所有人的能源支出得到了降低。在过去四年里，我们排放的威胁这个星球的有害碳污染物也下降了。

But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Yes, it's true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods – all are now more frequent and intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it's too late.

但为了我们的儿女们和我们的未来，我们必须与气候变化做更多斗争。是的，单一的事件并不能改变趋势。但实事是，有记载以来的最热的12个年份都出现在最近15年。热浪、干旱、森林大火和洪水，这些自然灾害现在来的更频繁更猛烈。我们或者可以选择相信超级飓风桑迪，最近十年来严重的干旱以及一些州发生的严重森林大火都仅仅是反常的巧合。或者我们可以选择相信无可争辩的科学结论，在为时已晚之前做出行动。

The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.

好消息是，我们在推动经济增长的同时在这一问题上取得了有效的进展。我敦促本届国会寻求一个两党合作的，市场驱动的应对气候变化的解决方案，如同约翰·麦凯恩和乔·利伯曼几年前共同提出的那项方案一样。但如果国会不尽快行动来保护我们的子孙后代，我就不再等待了。我将会直接指示内阁通过行政手段实施，在当下以及未来减少污染，让全社会为应对气候变化的后果做好准备，并加快向可持续能源转移的步伐。

Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. We've begun to change that. Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let's generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year – so let's drive costs down even further. As long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we.

四年前，其他国家主导了清洁能源市场以及随之而来的就业岗位。我们现在开始改变这一状况了。去年，风能几乎占据了全美新增发电量的一半。那么就让我们再加一把劲吧。太阳能的成本也逐年下降，因此，让我们把成本降得更低。既然包括中国在内的许多国家全面跟进清洁能源，我们也必须这么做。

In the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and greater energy independence. That's why my Administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. But I also want to work with this Congress to encourage the research and technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner and protects our air and water.

与此同时，天然气的大量使用也引领着更清洁的动力和更稳定的能源独立性。因此，本届政府将继续简化行政审批，加快对新的石油气资源开采的许可。但同时我也想与本届国会共同努力，鼓励促进天然气燃烧得更清洁，保护我们的空气和水源的研究和技术改良。

Indeed, much of our new-found energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own together. So tonight, I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good. If a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. Let's take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too long. I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years. The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make it happen.

的确，我们新找到的大量能源都开采于我们和公众共同拥有的陆地和水域。因此，今晚我提议用部分石油气的税收成立一个能源安全信托基金，用这个基金来推动新技术研究，开发替代石油作为燃料的汽车。如果一个无党派的CEO、退休的陆军海军上将都能支持这样的想法，我们也应这么想。让我们采纳他们的建议，让我们的家庭和企业从长期以来油价的起伏的痛苦中解脱出来。我为美国也设定了一个新的目标：让我们在未来20年将家庭和企业浪费的能源减少一半。采用最好的创意建造更高能效建筑，以此创造就业并降低能源消耗的州将得到联邦政府的支持。

America's energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they'd rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and internet; high-tech schools and self-healing power grids. The CEO of Siemens America – a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina – has said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they'll bring even more jobs. And I know that you want these job-creating projects in your districts. I've seen you all at the ribbon-cuttings.

美国的能源行业仅仅是众多基础设施年久失修的行业之一。如果问任何一个CEO他们愿意在哪里投资兴业：是一个公路和桥梁破败的国家，还是有着高速铁路和互联网，高科技发达的学校和自我修复能力的电网的国家。美国西门子将大量新的就业岗位带到了北卡，它的CEO说如果我们升级改造我们的基础设施，他们将带来更多就业岗位。我知道大家都希望这类创造就业的项目在自己的地区出现。而我也已经在众多剪彩仪式中看到了这一点。

Tonight, I propose a "Fix-It-First" program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country. And to make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole burden, I'm also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children. Let's prove that there is no better place to do business than the United States of America. And let's start right away.

今晚，我提出一项“优先修复”项目，让工人们尽快修复最迫切需要修复的设施，比方说全国各地近7万座结构破损的桥梁。为了不让纳税人承担全部负担，我还提议成立一个“合作重建美国”计划来吸引私人资本在企业最需要的地方助力：建设运输物资的现代港口；抵御风暴的现代油气管道和孩子们喜欢的现代化学校。让我们一起证明任何地方都没有美利坚合众国适合投资兴业。让我们立即启动这一计划。

Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector. Today, our housing market is finally healing from the collapse of 2007. Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six years, home purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and construction is expanding again.

重建工作也必须包括我们的房地产行业。今天，房屋市场自2007年崩溃以来终于回暖。房屋价格6年来也以最快的速度上涨，房屋交易量也增长了近50%，房屋新开工建设数量也开始增加。

But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected. Too many families who have never missed a payment and want to refinance are being told no. That's holding our entire economy back, and we need to fix it. Right now, there's a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today's rates. Democrats and Republicans have supported it before. What are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill. Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home. What's holding us back? Let's streamline the process, and help our economy grow.

但尽管房屋抵押贷款利率处于50年来的最低值，仍然有大量信用评级可靠的准备买房的家庭的贷款被拒绝。大量按时还款却需要做抵押转按揭的家庭被回绝。这些已经抑制了整个经济的发展，我们必须修正。现在，一项关于这个问题的议案已经提交到了国会，该提案将给负责任的购房者利用低利率做住房贷款转按揭的机会，让他们每年节省3000美元。民主党和共和党曾经都支持过类似法案。我们还在等什么？投票表决，把法案送到我的办公桌上。现在，重叠的部门监管让负责任的青年家庭无法购买首套住房。是什么在掣肘？让我们理顺审批流程，帮助经济增长吧。

These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs. And that has to start at the earliest possible age.

以上这些在制造业、能源领域、基础建设领域以及住房领域的刺激政策将帮助企业家和中小企业主扩大业务并创造新的就业岗位。但除非我们的公民得到培训拥有适合这些岗位的技能，否则也不会有太好的效果。这项工作必须在尽可能早的年纪就开始。

Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today, fewer than 3 in 10 four year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program. Most middle-class parents can't afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives.

接二连三的研究表明，一个孩子开始学习的时间越早，将为他或她的未来打下的基础就越好。但时至今日，只有不到30%的四岁左右的孩子接受了高质量的学前教育。大量的中产家庭父母无力承担一周数百美元的私立学前教育学费。对穷人家的孩子而言就更需要帮助了，缺乏学前教育将对他们一生产生不良影响。

Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on – by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own. So let's do what works, and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. Let's give our kids that chance.

今晚，我提议与各州合作，让全国每一个孩子都得到高质量的学前教育。在高质量的学前教育阶段每投入1美元都将在后期节约超过7美元，这包括提高升学率，降低青少年怀孕，降低暴力犯罪等等。在优先发展青少年教育的几个州，例如乔治亚和俄克拉荷马，研究表明，那里的学生长大后与同年级学生相比更喜欢阅读和做算数，更多的人高中毕业，找到工作，组建一个更稳定的家庭。因此，让我们做好有意义的事情，确保任何一个孩子开始人生的征程时不被落下。给孩子们一个顺利成长的机会。

Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their high school students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community colleges, so that they're ready for a job. At schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a collaboration between New York Public Schools, the City University of New York, and IBM, students will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree in computers or engineering.

同时我们也应该确保我们的孩子们高中毕业以获得好的工作。现在，德国等国家让他们的高中生毕业时同时获得高职学校的技能等级认定，这样毕业生就为工作做好了准备。在布鲁克林的精密技校这类学校里，一项由多家纽约公立学校，纽约城市大学以及IBM的开展的合作正在进行，那里的学生高中毕业时将获得计算机或工程专业的联合学位证书。

We need to give every American student opportunities like this. Four years ago, we started Race to the Top – a competition that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and higher standards, for about 1 percent of what we spend on education each year. Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy. We'll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math – the skills today's employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.

我们应该给每一个学生这样的学习机会。四年前，我们启动了“力争上游”计划，这项竞争鼓励几乎每个州优化课程设置并提高教学质量，驱动力只是我们每年在教育上多1%的投入。今晚，我宣布为了让美国高中毕业生更好的掌握高科技行业所需的职业技能开展一项新的竞争。我们将鼓励学校与职业学校和用人单位创新合作模式，设置注重科学、技术、工程和计算相关课程，以上这些技能正是当今的用人单位需要的当下以及将来的工作岗位所需要的职业技能。

Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education. It's a simple fact:the more education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into the middle class. But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.

现在，即便有了好的高中教育经历，大多数年轻人依然需要更高层次的教育。道理很简单：获得更多的教育经历，才更有可能找到好工作，才更有可能进入中产阶级。但今天，漫天涨价的大学学费把众多年轻学子挡在了高校门外，即便上学的也背负着无法承受的债务重担。

Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we have made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the soaring cost of higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it's our job to make sure they do. Tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my Administration will release a new "College Scorecard" that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria:where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.

通过税收减免，奖学金以及更方便的助学贷款，我们已经让数百万家庭和学生在过去几年里更好的承担大学的学费。但纳税人的钱无法继续贴补飞涨的高等教育费用。高校必须尽到自己的责任降低教育成本，确保他们做到这一点就是我们的工作。今晚，我请求国会修改《高等教育法案》，学费的合理性和学校的价值应该纳入评价体系，以决定哪些大学能获得联邦政府的特定资助。明天，本届政府将发布一份新的“大学评分榜”，通过它，父母和学生可以基于一个简单的准则轻松比较各个学校的优劣：在哪里能让你的教育支出获得最好的成果。

To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to the education and training that today's jobs require. But we also have to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who's willing to work hard has the chance to get ahead.

为壮大中产阶级，我们的公民必须拥有当今的职业所需的教育和培训。但我们依然需要确保，在美国，每一个愿意努力工作的人都有机会获得成功。

Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

我们的经济有了奋斗不息、充满希望的移民的聪明才智的支持会更加稳固。现在，来自商业、劳工部门、执法部门、宗教团体的领袖人物都同意，现在是时候对移民法进行全面改革了。

Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my Administration has already made – putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years.

切实的改革意味着更严格的边境防卫，我们可以在政府已经取得的成就上更进一步，在南方边境投入比以往更多人力，把非法入境人员数量降低到40年来的最低值。

Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship – a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally.

切实的改革还意味着建立一条合理的获得公民身份的途径：这包括通过背景审核，积极纳税并支付合理的罚款，学习英语，排队等候合法获得公民身份。

And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.

切实的改革还意味着修改合法移民体系，减少等待周期，减少官僚主义，吸引高科技的企业家和高级工程师来帮助我们创造就业，推动经济增长。

In other words, we know what needs to be done. As we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. Now let's get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away.

换言之，大家都知道需要怎么做。来自上下两院的两党团体一直在为起草这项法案勤奋工作，我为他们的付出表示称赞。现在，让我们把这件事做好。接下来几个月请给我一份全面改革的移民法案，我讲尽快签署生效。

But we can't stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives, mothers, and daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. I urge the House to do the same. And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.

我们还不能就此止步。我们知道，当我们的妻子、母亲和女儿在工作场合得到无差别对待，免受家庭暴力的恐吓时，我们的经济才能更加稳健。今天，参议院通过了《妇女反暴力法案》，其原稿是乔·拜登20多年前起草的。我敦促众议院也通过此项法案。我也请求国会宣布妇女应该获得与他们的付出相称的收入，并最终在今年通过《同工同酬法案》。

We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day's work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we've put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That's wrong. That's why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, nineteen states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.

我们知道当我们鼓励诚实劳动、诚实挣钱的时候，我们的经济将更稳健。但今天，全职的工人每年的最低工资仅为14,500美元。即便加上税收优惠，一个拥有两个孩子却只能挣到最低工资的家庭依然生活在贫困线以下。这太不合理。因此，上次国会提高最低工资标准之后，有19个州选择了将最低标准提的更高。

Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. In fact, working folks shouldn't have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here's an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.

今晚，让我们宣布，在这个世界上最富有的国家，任何全职工作的人都不应该生活在贫困之中，让我们把联邦最低工资标准提高到9美元每小时。这简单的一步将提高数百万工薪家庭的收入。这也意味着是去食杂店还是食品超市；租房还是买房；勉强维持生活还是获得成功的差别。对全国各地的企业而言，这意味着顾客有了更多的钱来消费。实际上，工薪阶层不应该一年又一年的等待最低工资标准的提高，而CEO们的工资却已经涨的不能再涨了。因此，罗姆尼州长和我在去年有一项共同的提议：应该把最低工资标准和生活成本结合在一起，这样最低工资标准就是生活的保证。

Tonight, let's also recognize that there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it's virtually impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job. America is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.

今晚，我们还应认识到，还有一些社区，在那里无论你如何努力工作，你几乎就无法取得进步。数年前工厂搬迁后留下的厂区城镇。城乡之间，不可避免的贫穷，那里的年轻人一直在为找到第一份工作而奋争。美国不是出身或环境决定一个人的命运的地方。因此，我们需要为这些愿意为自己的人生而奋斗的人搭建一条通向中产阶级的阶梯。

Let's offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who've got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance. Let's put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. And this year, my Administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their feet. We'll work with local leaders to target resources at public safety, education, and housing. We'll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we'll work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and doing more to encourage fatherhood – because what makes you a man isn't the ability to conceive a child; it's having the courage to raise one.

有些人由于长期失业没有企业愿意招用，但只要适合岗位需求，雇佣这些人的企业，我们应该鼓励。让人们重返工作岗位，重建破败社区的和谐环境。今年，本届政府将与20多个受打击最严重的城镇合作，帮助那里的人们自食其力，重回生活的正轨。我们将与当地领导合作，在公共安全、教育和住房上进行资源配置。我们还要给雇佣员工和投资的企业提供新的税收优惠。减少低收入家庭的财务障碍，稳固家庭基础，更加鼓励父亲的角色，因为你之所以是一个男人，不是因为你有能力生下一个孩子，而是你有能力和勇气去抚养一个孩子的成长。

Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is this kind of prosperity – broad, shared, and built on a thriving middle class – that has always been the source of our progress at home. It is also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.

更稳固的家庭，造就更稳固的社会，成就更稳固的美国。这种广泛的、共享的、建立在充满生机的中产阶级的基础上的繁荣，总是来源于各个家庭所取得的成就。这也是我们的国力和对世界的影响力的基础。

Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al Qaeda. Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.

今晚，我们站在一起，向牺牲自我保护我们的军人和其他公民致敬。正是有了他们，我们才能充满自信的说，美国能完成阿富汗的任务，达到击败基地组织核心人物的目的。现在我们已经让3.3万名英勇的男女官兵回到国内。今年春天，我们的部队将转为支撑角色，而阿富汗的安全部队将接管领导角色。今晚，我可以宣布，再过一年，剩余的3.4万名美国军人将从阿富汗返回国内。撤军将陆续进行。到明年年末，我们在阿富汗的战争将彻底终结。

Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We are negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates.

即便过了2014年，美国对阿富汗统一和主权的承诺还将继续，但我们承诺的重点将发生改变。我们将与阿富汗政府进行谈判，以期在以下两个方面达成共识：继续为阿富汗武装力量提供训练和装备，确保国家不再陷入混乱；继续反对恐怖主义确保我们对基地组织残余势力和其盟友的高压态势。

Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. Different al Qaeda affiliates and extremist groups have emerged – from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we don't need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations. Instead, we will need to help countries like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali. And, where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.

今天，想对我们造成9·11袭击效果的恐怖组织都能找到其前任的影子。从阿拉伯半岛到非洲，各种不同的基地组织同盟和极端组织不断出现。这些组织带来的威胁也发生了改变。为了应对这类威胁，我们不再需要派遣数万儿女奔赴海外，或去攻占某个国家。相反，我们需要帮助也门、利比亚、索马里等国家，为他们自己的武装力量提供支撑，帮助反击恐怖势力的盟友，如同我们在马里战争中做的一样。此外，一旦有必要，利用一系列打击能力，我们将继续采取直接行动打击对美国产生重大威胁的恐怖分子。

As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is why my Administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our counterterrorism operations. Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. I recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my word that we're doing things the right way. So, in the months ahead, I will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention, and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.

因此，我们必须明确我们应该为那些价值而战。因此，本届政府一直在不知疲倦的努力，希望能形成一套综合法律和政治的框架为反恐行动提供指导。整个过程，我们都向国会全面披露所有信息。我认识到在我们的民主体制下，任何人都不必相信说我们做的事情是正当的这样的话。因此，在未来几个月里，我将继续配合国会，确保我们在锁定、拘捕和起诉恐怖分子的全过程都完全符合法律规定和三权分立的原则，而且还要确保我们的努力对美国人民乃至世界人民更加公开透明。

Of course, our challenges don't end with al Qaeda. America will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world's most dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense, and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats.

当然，我们与基地组织的斗争没有结束。美国也将继续领导世界各国为防止最危险的武器扩散做出努力。朝鲜当局必须认识到，他们只有履行自己的国际义务才能实现国家安全和繁荣。昨晚的挑衅行为只能在孤立自己的道路上越走越远，而我们将继续与盟友一道，加强我们的导弹防御系统，引导世界各国采取坚决措施应对这些威胁。

Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon. At the same time, we will engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands – because our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to lead.

与此类似，伊朗的领导人也必须认识到，现在应该用外交方式解决问题，因为联合国常任理事国都要求他们履行义务，我们将尽一切可能阻止他们制造核武器。同时，我们也将与俄罗斯一道，争取更大程度削减核武库，继续引导全球保护核材料安全，避免落入坏人之手，因为我们影响他人的能力取决于我们的领导意愿是否真诚和强烈。

America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks. We know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate private e-mail. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.

美国还必须应对急剧增长的网络攻击的威胁。我们知道黑客能盗窃人们的身份信息，渗透私人电子邮箱。还有国外公司窃取我们的企业机密。现在，我们的敌人还准备破坏我们的电网、我们的金融体系和我们的交通控制系统。我们不能像过去那些年一样，在面对这些真实的对我们的安全和经济发展的威胁时毫无作为。

That's why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy. Now, Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks.

因此，今天早些时候，我签署了一项新的行政命令，通过提高信息共享、改进保护国家安全、就业和隐私的安全标准来加强我们的网络安全防卫能力。现在，国会应该马上行动，通过立法，为保护我们的网络、阻止网络攻击赋予政府更多权限和能力。

Even as we protect our people, we should remember that today's world presents not only dangers, but opportunities. To boost American exports, support American jobs, and level the playing field in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership. And tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union – because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.

在我们保护民众的同时，我们也应该记住，当今世界不仅仅存在威胁，也存在机遇。为提振美国的出口，增加美国的就业，在不断增长的亚洲市场提高平等竞争环境，我们要与环太平洋伙伴关系协定各方进行竞争性谈判。今晚，我宣布我们将启动一项与欧盟的跨大西洋贸易和投资伙伴关系对话，大西洋两岸自由对等的贸易将为美国带来数百万高薪的工作岗位。

We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades: by connecting more people to the global economy and empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve and helping communities to feed, power, and educate themselves; by saving the world's children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.

我们还应知道，尽管我们自己富有了，但世界上还有很多地方极度贫穷。很多地方的人们每天仅有1美元多一点的生活费用。因此，美利坚将与我们的盟友一起，在未来二十年里消灭这种极端贫困：让更多的人融入全球经济，增强妇女权益；让我们年轻聪明的优秀人才有机会去为他们服务，帮助他们吃饱饭、用上电、得到教育；保护全世界的儿童免于可预防死亡，实现一个没有艾滋世界的承诺。

Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of historic change. I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon – when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President into the home where she had been imprisoned for years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags, including a man who said, "There is justice and law in the United States. I want our country to be like that."

总之，美国必须始终担任在这一历史变革时期所有向往自由的人的指路明灯。去年，我在缅甸的仰光，昂山素季欢迎一位美国的总统来到她的家乡，她曾在那里遭受数年牢狱之灾；成千上万缅甸人站在街道两旁，挥舞着美国国旗，其中有个人说：“美国有正义和法律，我希望我的国家也那样”，那一刻我看到了希望的力量。

In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we can – and will – insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We will keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace. These are the messages I will deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month.

为了保卫我们的自由，我们将继续担当从美洲到非洲、从欧洲到亚洲的盟友的坚定支持者。在中东，我们将继续与那里的公民一起，寻求他们的天赋人权，支持他们向民主的平稳过渡。转变的过程可能充满混乱，我们也不能预测出埃及等国家的变化进程，但我们可以也愿意尊重所有人追求基本的权力。我们将继续向杀害自己的人民的叙利亚政府施压，支持尊重叙利亚人民权力的反对派。我们还将坚定不移的与以色列人民站在一起追求安宁和长久的和平。这些都是我下月访问中东时将会传达的信息。

All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk – our diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. As long as I'm Commander-in-Chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world. We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families – gay and straight. We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters, because women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat. We will keep faith with our veterans – investing in world-class care, including mental health care, for our wounded warriors; supporting our military families; and giving our veterans the benefits, education, and job opportunities they have earned. And I want to thank my wife Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden for their continued dedication to serving our military families as well as they serve us.

以上这些工作离不开身处险境冒着生命危险，充满勇气和牺牲精神的为国家工作的人们，他们包括我们的外交人士，情报人员以及身穿美军军装的男女军人。只要我还是总司令，我将继续竭尽所能去保护在海外为国服役的人们，我们也将继续拥有世界上最强大的军队。我们将继续在新的打击能力上投资，即便我们不得不削减浪费和作战支出。我们将确保平等对待每一位军人，保证所有军属家庭享有均等的福利，无论他们是同性恋还是异性恋。我们将充分发挥女性军人的勇气和技能，她们已经证明妇女在战火中同样英勇善战。我们将恪守对退伍军人的承诺，对世界顶尖的护理服务进行投资，这包括对受伤战士的心理治疗；为军属家庭提供帮助；为退伍军人提供福利、教育和他们应得的工作的机会。在此我也想向我的妻子和吉尔·拜登博士表示感谢，感谢她们为回报现役官兵的贡献而对他们的家属长期以来所做的付出。

But defending our freedom is not the job of our military alone. We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote. When any Americans – no matter where they live or what their party – are denied that right simply because they can't wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. That's why, tonight, I'm announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And I'm asking two long-time experts in the field, who've recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney's campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it. And so does our democracy.

保卫我们的自由并不仅仅是军队的任务。我们也必须各尽其职保卫我们的天赋人权。这包括我们作为公民所享有最基本的权力：投票权。任何美国人，无论他在哪里生活、属于哪个党派，因为等不了5个、6个乃至7个小时而拒绝行使投票这一基本权力的时候，我们就背叛了我们的初衷。因此，今晚，我宣布一项无党派委员会提出的改进投票体验的提案。我也请求这一领域的两位权威专家来负责此事，他们曾担任过我和罗姆尼州长竞选委员会的首席法律顾问。我们可以改变这一现状，我们也愿意改变。美国人民应该得到这样的待遇。我们的民主制度也应该得到这一切。

Of course, what I've said tonight matters little if we don't come together to protect our most precious resource – our children.

当然，如果我们不一起保护我们最珍惜的资源——我们的孩子们，那我今晚所说的一切都失去了意义。

It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans – Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment – have come together around commonsense reform – like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because they are tired of being outgunned.

新城事件之后两个月，我意识到，这不是这个国家第一次就如何减少枪支暴力进行辩论。但这一次应该不一样。绝大多数美国人——坚信宪法第二修正案的美国人民，都同意进行一场基本的改革，例如进行背景核查让犯罪份子更难获得枪支。两党的参议员们一直在共同努力制定更严厉的防止任何人将购买的枪支转售给犯罪分子的法律。警界高层也呼吁让战争中使用的和拥有大容量弹夹的武器远离我们的生活，因为他们的火力往往被犯罪分子压制。

Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.

这些提案都理应获得国会投票的机会。如果你选择反对，这是你的权力。但这些提案应该得到投票表决。因为自新城事件发生之后的两个月，有成千上万个生日、毕业典礼和周年纪念日由于一颗子弹的缘故让我们缺少了我们深爱的人。

One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.

我们失去的人当中就有一个叫海蒂亚·彭德尔顿的小姑娘。她才15岁。喜欢无花果点心和润唇膏，她还是一名军乐队队长。她对朋友非常要好，大家也把她当成最好的朋友。三周之前，她还跟同学们一起来到了华盛顿，参加我的就职典礼并进行现场表演。但一周之后，他在芝加哥被人在放学后枪杀，离我家仅仅一英里之遥。

Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.

海蒂亚的父母，纳特和克里欧今晚也来到了现场，陪伴他们的还有20多位同样因枪支暴力失去自己亲人的人们。他们应该得到我们的一份投票。

Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.

The families of Newtown deserve a vote.

The families of Aurora deserve a vote.

盖比·基弗德一家应该得到投票。

新城的受害家庭应该得到投票。

奥罗拉的受害家庭也应该得到投票。

The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence – they deserve a simple vote.

橡树港市、图森市和布莱克堡众多家庭，还有无数其他社区受枪只暴力蹂躏的家庭，他们应该得到一次投票。

Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. Indeed, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges I've outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, and uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government.

我们的行动虽然不能完全能阻止残忍的暴力行径。但离开了法律、主动出击和政府的管理，今晚我所提出的这些问题就得不到完全的解决。人民选择我们就是要我们改变现状，保卫我们的国家，为大家提供更多机遇，在艰难时期、人心涣散的时候担当大家的坚强后盾，这绝对是自主政府的必须完成的工作。

We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they look out for one another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all across this country. We should follow their example.

人民选择我们就是要我们像关心彼此一样关心全美同胞，每一天都是如此，不需要喊口号。我们应该向他们学习。

We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, her thoughts were not with how her own home was faring – they were with the twenty precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe.

我们应该向纽约市一名叫曼切·桑切斯的护士学习。当桑迪飓风来袭，医院陷入一片黑暗之中的时候，她想到的不是她的家受到了什么样的损失，她始终与新生的20多个小宝宝在一起，按计划将他们撤离并照料着他们，守护者他们的安全。

We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named Desiline Victor. When she arrived at her polling place, she was told the wait to vote might be six hours. And as time ticked by, her concern was not with her tired body or aching feet, but whether folks like her would get to have their say. Hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line in support of her. Because Desiline is 102 years old. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read "I Voted."

我们应该向北迈阿密一名叫德席琳·维克多的女士学习。当她到达投票点的时候，人们告诉她投票需要等待6个小时。时间一分一秒的过去，她毫不在意自己疲惫的身躯和麻木的双脚，她关心的是像她一样的人们是否能投出自己的一票。一小时接着一小时过去，一群人排着队支持她。因为德席琳已经是102岁高龄。当她最终举起“我投票了”的小标志时，全场迸发出一片欢呼。

We should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy. When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, and Brian was the first to arrive, he did not consider his own safety. He fought back until help arrived, and ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the Americans worshiping inside – even as he lay bleeding from twelve bullet wounds.

我们还应该向一名叫布莱恩·墨菲的警官学习。当一名持枪凶手在威斯康辛的一所印度教寺庙开枪的时候，布莱恩是第一个到达现场的，他毫不在乎自己的安危。一边与凶手搏斗，一边组织庙内的朝圣者安全撤离，直至援兵到达时，他已经身中12枪，鲜血直流。

When asked how he did that, Brian said, "That's just the way we're made."

当有人问道他怎么做到的，布莱恩说：“这是警察的职责。”

That's just the way we're made.

这就是我们的榜样。

We may do different jobs, and wear different uniforms, and hold different views than the person beside us. But as Americans, we all share the same proud title:

我们也许从事着不同的工作，穿着不同的制服，与身边的人对事物持有不同的看法。但我们都是美国人，我们都为我们感到自豪：

We are citizens. It's a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we're made. It describes what we believe. It captures the enduring idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations; that our rights are wrapped up in the rights of others; and that well into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter in our American story.

我们是国家的公民。这不只是一个描述我们国籍或法律地位的词汇。这是描述我们本质的词汇。它描绘了我们的信仰。它紧扣我们国家的永恒信念，只有我们对彼此和子孙后代负责，这一理念才能传承下去；这是我们总结过去的权力；我们作为一个整体昂首进入第三个百年，这是我们作为美利坚合众国的公民的任务，我们是美国历史下一个伟大篇章的撰写者。

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

谢谢大家，愿上帝保佑大家，愿上帝保佑美利坚合众国。