美国副总统拜登在四川大学的演讲

　　　　 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。）