大家好！謝謝妳們。謝謝妳們。謝謝妳們大家。好，大家請就坐。妳們今天都好嗎？（掌聲）蒂姆?斯派塞（Tim Spicer）好嗎？（掌聲）我現在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學生們在壹起。美國各地從小學預備班到中學12年級的學生正在收聽收看。我很高興大家今天都能參與。我還要感謝韋克菲爾德高中出色的組織安排。請為妳們自己熱烈鼓掌。（掌聲）
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now -- (applause) -- with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.
我知道，今天是妳們很多人開學的日子。對於進入小學預備班、初中或高中的學生，今天是妳們來到新學校的第壹天，心裏可能有點緊張，這是可以理解的。我能想象有些畢業班學生現在感覺很不錯——（掌聲）——還有壹年就畢業了。不論在哪個年級，妳們有些人可能希望暑假更長壹點，今天早上還能多睡壹小會兒。
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.
我了解這種感覺。我小時候，我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒有錢送我上其他美國孩子上的學校，但她認為必須讓我接受美式教育。因此，她決定從周壹到周五自己給我補課。不過她還要上班，所以只能在清晨四點半給我上課。
Now, as you might imagine, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she’d say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.” (Laughter.)
妳們可以想見，我不太情願那麽早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡著了。但每當我抱怨的時候，我媽媽都會那樣地看我壹眼，然後說：“小子，這對我也並不輕松。”（笑聲）
So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
我知道妳們有些人還在適應開學後的生活。但我今天來到這裏是因為有重要的事情要和妳們說。我來這裏是要和妳們談談妳們的教育問題，以及在這個新學年對妳們所有人的期望。
Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot.
我做過很多次有關教育問題的演講。我多次談到過責任問題。
I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.
我談到過教師激勵學生並督促他們學習的責任。
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.
我談到過家長的責任，要確保妳們走正路，完成家庭作業，不要整天坐在電視前或玩Xbox遊戲。
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.
我多次談到過政府的責任，要制定高標準，支持教師和校長的工作，徹底改善不能為學生提供應有機會的、教育質量差的學校。
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. That’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.
然而，即使我們擁有最敬業的教師，最盡力的家長和全世界最好的學校——如果妳們大家不履行妳們的責任，不到校上課，不專心聽講，不聽家長、祖父祖母和其他大人的話，不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮努力，那麽這壹切都毫無用處，都無關緊要。這就是我今天講話的重點：妳們每個人對自己的教育應盡的責任。
I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
我首先要講講妳們對自己應盡的責任。妳們每個人都有自己的長處。妳們每個人都能做出自己的貢獻。妳們對自己應盡的責任是發現自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機會。
Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English class paper that’s assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine -- but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice -- but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
妳或許能成為壹名出色的作家——甚至可能寫書或在報紙上發表文章——但妳可能要在完成那篇英文課的作文後才會發現自己的才華。妳或許能成為壹名創新者或發明家——甚至可能設計出新壹代iPhone或研制出新型藥物或疫苗——但妳可能要在完成科學課的實驗後才會發現自己的才華。妳或許能成為壹名市長或參議員或最高法院的大法官——但妳可能要在參加學生會的工作或辯論隊後才會發現自己的才華。
And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.
不論妳的生活誌向是什麽，我敢肯定妳必須上學讀書才能實現它。妳想當醫生、教師或警官嗎？妳想當護士、建築師、律師或軍人嗎？妳必須接受良好的教育，才能從事上述任何壹種職業。妳不能指望輟學後能碰上個好工作。妳必須接受培訓，為之努力，為之學習。
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
這並非只對妳個人的人生和未來意義重大。可以毫不誇大地說，教育給妳帶來的益處將決定這個國家的未來。美國的未來取決於妳們。妳們今日在校學習的知識將決定我們作為壹個國家是否能夠迎接我們未來所面臨的最嚴峻挑戰。
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
妳們將需要利用妳們通過自然科學和數學課程所學到的知識和解決問題的能力來治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病，開發新的能源技術和保護我們的環境。妳們將需要利用妳們在歷史學和社會學課堂上所獲得的知識和獨立思考能力來抗擊貧困和解決無家可歸問題，打擊犯罪和消除歧視，使我們的國家更公平、更自由。妳們將需要利用妳們在所有課堂上培養的創造力和智慧來創辦新公司，增加就業機會，振興我們的經濟。
We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that -- if you quit on school -- you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
我們需要妳們每個人發揮妳們的聰明才智和技能，以便幫助老壹輩人解決我們面臨的最棘手問題。如果妳們不這樣做，如果妳們輟學，妳們不僅僅是自暴自棄，也是拋棄自己的國家。
Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
我自然知道要做到學業優秀並非總是易事。我知道妳們許多人在生活中面臨挑戰，難以集中精力從事學業。
I get it. I know what it’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn’t fit in.
我明白這壹點。 我有親身感受。兩歲時，我父親離家而去，我是由壹位單親母親撫養成人的，母親不得不工作，並時常為支付生活費用而苦苦掙紮，但有時仍無法為我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。有時，我渴望生活中能有壹位父親。有時我感到孤獨，感到自己不適應社會。
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
我並非總是像我應該做到的那樣專心學習，我也曾做過我如今不能引以為豪的壹些事情，我曾惹過不應該惹的麻煩。我的人生原本會輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。
But I was -- I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
但是，我當年際遇不錯。我有過許多第二次機會，我有幸能上大學，上法學院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我們的第壹夫人米歇爾?奧巴馬，也有著類似的經歷。她的父母都未曾上過大學，家裏很窮。但他們非常勤奮 ，她也是如此，因此她得以進入壹些美國最好的學校。
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
妳們中有壹些人可能沒有那些有利條件。或許妳們生活中沒有成年人為妳們提供妳們所需要的支持。或許妳們家中有人失業，經濟非常拮據。或許妳們生活在使妳們感覺不安全的社區，或有朋友逼迫妳們去做妳們知道不對的事情。