Remarks by America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, Islington, U.K.

April 3, 2009

美国第一夫人米歇尔•奥巴马在英国伦敦伊斯灵顿 伊丽莎白•安德森女校的演讲

2009年4月3日

This is my first trip. My first foreign trip as a first lady. Can you believe that? (Applause) And while this is not my first visit to the U.K., I have to say that I am glad this is my first official visit. The special relationship between the United States and the U.K. is based not only on the relationship between governments, but the common language and the values that we share. And I'm reminded of that by watching you all today. During my visit I've been especially honored to meet some of Britain's most extraordinary women. Women who are paving the way for all of you.

这是我的第一次出访。 是我作为第一夫人的第一次外事出访。 你们能相信这个事实吗？ （掌声） 虽然这不是我第一次来英国， 我必须说很高兴我的首次官方访问是来英国。 美国和英国之间的特殊关系，不只是基于政府之间的关系， 而且基于我们有共同的语言和价值观。 看见你们大家就使我想到这一点。 在访问期间我特别荣幸地会见了英国一些最出色的女士。 这些女士在为你们所有女孩子铺路。

And I'm honored to meet you, the future leaders of Great Britain and this world. And although the circumstances of our lives may seem very distant, with me standing here as the First Lady of the United States of America, and you, just getting through school. I want you to know that we have very much in common. For nothing in my life's path would have predicted that I'd be standing here as the first African-American First Lady of the United States of America. There is nothing in my story that would land me here. I wasn't raised with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of. I was raised on the South Side of Chicago. That's the real part of Chicago. And I was the product of a working-class community. My father was a city worker all of his life. And my mother was a stay-at-home mom. And she stayed at home to take care of me and my older brother. Neither of them attended university. My dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the prime of his life. But even as it got harder for him to walk and get dressed in the morning -- I saw him struggle more and more -- my father never complained about his struggle. He was grateful for what he had. He just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder. And my brother and I were raised with all that you really need: love, strong values and a belief that with a good education and a whole lot of hard work, that there was nothing that we could not do.

我也很荣幸见到你们， 这些英国和世界未来的领导者。 虽然我们的生活境况好像相差很远， 我作为美国第一夫人站在这里， 而你们还正在上学。 我想让你们了解我们有很多共同之处。 因为在我生命历程中没有任何东西曾经预示我会站在这里，作为美利坚合众国的第一位非洲裔第一夫人。 我的资历里没有什么东西能使我站在这个位置上。 我不是用财富和资源养大的，也谈不上有什么社会地位。 我是在芝加哥的南边养大的。 那是芝加哥的真实部分。 我出身于工人阶级。 我父亲一辈子是个市政工人。 我母亲是个家庭妇女。 她待在家里照顾我和我哥哥。 我父母都没上过大学。 我爸爸被诊断有多种硬化症，当他壮年的时候。 但就在他变得难以行走，而且早上难以穿衣的时候 -- 我看着他挣扎得越来越厉害 -- 我父亲却从来没有抱怨过他的困难。 他对于自己拥有的一切心存感激。 他只是起得更早一点，工作得更努力一点。 我哥哥和我在成长过程中得到了人生真正需要的一切： 爱，强有力的价值观，以及一个信念，就是靠着良好的教育，还有大量的辛勤工作，没有什么是我们做不到的。

I am an example of what's possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by the people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life. Grandmothers, teachers, aunts, cousins, neighbors, who taught me about quiet strength and dignity. And my mother, the most important role model in my life, who lives with us at the White House and helps to care for our two little daughters, Malia and Sasha. She's an active presence in their lives, as well as mine, and is instilling in them the same values that she taught me and my brother: things like compassion, and integrity, and confidence, and perseverance. All of that wrapped up in an unconditional love that only a grandmother can give.

我的例子就表明女孩子能创造奇迹，只要她们从生命最开始的时候，就受到周围人的爱护和教养。 我的生命中围绕着非凡的女性。 祖母，老师，姨妈，表姐妹，邻居，她们教会我沉默的力量和尊严。 还有我母亲，我生命中最重要的榜样， 她和我们住在白宫帮着照顾我们的两个小女儿， 玛丽娅和萨莎。她在孩子们和我的生活中都很活跃， 并正在给她们灌输，她教给我和我哥哥的价值观： 同情心，正直、自信和坚定。 所有这些都包含在无条件的爱之中，那是只有一个祖母才能给予的爱。

I was also fortunate enough to be cherished and encouraged by some strong male role models as well, including my father, my brother, uncles and grandfathers. The men in my life taught me some important things, as well. They taught me about what a respectful relationship should look like between men and women. They taught me about what a strong marriage feels like. That it's built on faith and commitment and an admiration for each other's unique gifts. They taught me about what it means to be a father and to raise a family. And not only to invest in your own home but to reach out and help raise kids in the broader community.

我也很幸运地从一些男性榜样那里得到珍爱和鼓励，包括我父亲，我哥哥，叔伯和祖父。 我生命中的男人们也教会我一些重要的东西。 他们教会我互相尊重的男女关系应该是什么样子的。 拥有一个牢固的婚姻是什么感觉。 就是建立在信念和承诺之上，以及对彼此独特天赋的赞赏。 他们教我意识到什么叫当一个父亲并养育一家人。 而且不只是关注自己的家庭也要伸手去帮助养育更广泛的社区里的孩子。

And these were the same qualities that I looked for in my own husband, Barack Obama. And when we first met, one of the things that I remember is that he took me out on a date. And his date was to go with him to a community meeting. (Laughter) I know, how romantic. (Laughter) But when we met, Barack was a community organizer. He worked, helping people to find jobs and to try to bring resources into struggling neighborhoods. As he talked to the residents in that community center, he talked about two concepts. He talked about "the world as it is" and "the world as it should be." And I talked about this throughout the entire campaign. What he said, that all too often, is that we accept the distance between those two ideas. And sometimes we settle for the world as it is, even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But Barack reminded us on that day, all of us in that room, that we all know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. We all know. And he urged the people in that meeting, in that community, to devote themselves to closing the gap between those two ideas, to work together to try to make the world as it is and the world as it should be, one and the same.

这些同样的品质也是我在自己的丈夫身上寻找的， 就是巴拉克•奥巴马。在我们最初相识的时候我记得，他带我出去约会。 他的约会是和他一起去开一个社区会议。 （笑声） 是啊，够浪漫的吧。 （笑声） 我们相识的时候，巴拉克是一个社区组织者。 他的工作是帮助人家找工作。以及努力把资源带给有困难的邻里。 当他同那个社区中心里的居民交谈的时候他谈到两个概念。 他谈到“现实世界”和“理想世界”。 我在竞选的整个过程中也谈到这些。 他说，我们常常 接受了这两种观念之间的差距。 有的时侯我们满足于现实世界， 即使它没有反映我们的价值观和愿望。 但是那天巴拉克提醒了我们， 在那间屋子里的所有人，我们都知道。我们的世界应该是什么样子的。 我们知道公平，正义和机会是什么样子的。 我们全都知道。 他敦促那个会上的人们， 那个社区里的人们， 把他们自己献身于缩小那两种观念之间的差距， 一起努力把现实世界变成和理想世界一样。

And I think about that today because I am reminded and convinced that all of you in this school are very important parts of closing that gap. You are the women who will build the world as it should be. You're going to write the next chapter in history. Not just for yourselves, but for your generation and generations to come. And that's why getting a good education is so important. That's why all of this that you're going through -- the ups and the downs, the teachers that you love and the teachers that you don't -- why it's so important. Because communities and countries and ultimately the world, are only as strong as the health of their women. And that's important to keep in mind.

我今天想起这些是因为我确信这所学校里你们所有的人都是缩小这差距非常重要的因素。 你们是要建立理想世界的女性。 你们将写出历史的下一个篇章。 不只是为你们自己，而且是为你们一代人以及未来的几代人。 这就是为什么得到良好的教育是这么的重要。 这就是为什么你们正在经历的所有这一切好事和坏事，你们喜欢的和不喜欢的老师--为什么都这么重要。 因为社区和国家还有归根结底这个世界，它们的强大只取决于其中女性的健康。 记住这一点很重要。

A part of that health includes an outstanding education. The difference between a struggling family and a healthy one is often the presence of an empowered woman or women, at the center of that family. The difference between a broken community and a thriving one is often the healthy respect between men and women who appreciate the contributions each other makes to society. The difference between a languishing nation and one that will flourish is the recognition that we need equal access to education for both boys and girls.

这个健康的一部分包括出类拔萃的教育。 一个艰困的家庭与一个健康的家庭之间的区别通常就是有一个或几个说话算数的女人处于家庭的核心。 一个破败的社区与一个茁壮成长的社区的区别通常取决于男女间能否相互尊重他（她）们感激对方为社会所做的贡献。 一个日趋衰弱的国家与一个强盛的国家的区别就是其中的男孩和女孩是否有平等受教育的机会。

And this school, named after the U.K.'s first female doctor, and the surrounding buildings named for Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Mary Seacole, the Jamaican nurse known as the "black Florence Nightingale," and the English author, Emily Bronte, honor women who fought sexism, racism and ignorance, to pursue their passions to feed their own souls. They allowed for no obstacles. As the sign said back there, "without limitations." They knew no other way to live than to follow their dreams. And having done so, these women moved many obstacles. And they opened many new doors for millions of female doctors and nurses and artists and authors, all of whom have followed them. And by getting a good education, you too can control your own destiny.

这所学校以英国的第一个女医生命名， 学校的建筑以其他三位女士命名：墨西哥艺术家福丽达•卡萝，被称为“黑人南丁格尔”的牙买加护士玛丽•希珂，以及英国作家艾米丽•勃朗特，这都是为了纪念这些女士，她们与性别歧视，种族歧视和无知做斗争， 从而追求她们的激情以充实自己的灵魂。 她们没有顾及任何障碍。 就像后面这个标语写的，“全然无限”。 她们没想以其它的方式生活而只是追随她们的梦想。 正因为如此，这四位女士去除了很多障碍。 她们创造了很多新的机会为成百上千万的女医生和女护士们女艺术家和女作家们，她们都追随了这四位女士。 通过得到良好的教育你们也可以掌控自己的命运。

Please remember that. If you want to know the reason why I'm standing here, it's because of education. I never cut class. Sorry, I don't know if anybody is cutting class. I never did it. I loved getting 'A's. I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I liked getting my work done. I thought being smart was cooler than anything in the world. And you too, with these same values, can control your own destiny. You too can pave the way. You too can realize your dreams, and then your job is to reach back and to help someone just like you do the same thing. History proves that it doesn't matter whether you come from a council estate or a country estate.

请记住这一点。 如果你们想知道我能站在这里的原因， 那就是因为教育。 我从来不逃课。对不起，我不知道这里是否有人逃课。 我从来没那么做。 我喜欢得‘优’ 我喜欢做聪明人。 我喜欢准时。我喜欢把我的功课做完。 我觉得做聪明人比世界上任何事都要酷。 按照同样的价值观，你们同样可以掌控你们自己的命运。 你们也可以铺出路来。 你们也可以实现你们的梦想， 然后你们的任务就是伸出手去帮助像你们一样的人实现梦想。 历史证明，无论是你们来自穷人家或来自富人家。

Your success will be determined by your own fortitude, your own confidence, your own individual hard work. That is true. That is the reality of the world that we live in. You now have control over your own destiny. And it won't be easy. That's for sure. But you have everything you need. Everything you need to succeed, you already have right here.

你们的成功取决于你们自己的坚韧， 你们自己的信心，你们自己的辛勤工作。 真是这样。这就是我们所生活的世界的真实情况。 你们的命运现在掌握在自己手上。 但这并不容易。那是一定的。 可是你们拥有你们所需要的一切。 要成功所需的一切， 你们已经都有了。

My husband works in this big office. They call it the Oval Office. In the White House, there's the desk that he sits at. It's called the Resolute desk. It was built by the timber of Her Majesty's Ship Resolute and given by Queen Victoria. It's an enduring symbol of the friendship between our two nations. And its name, Resolute, is a reminder of the strength of character that's required not only to lead a country, but to live a life of purpose, as well. And I hope in pursuing your dreams, you all remain resolute, that you go forward without limits, and that you use your talents -- because there are many. We've seen them. It's there. That you use them to create the world as it should be. Because we are counting on you. We are counting on every single one of you to be the very best that you can be. Because the world is big. And it's full of challenges. And we need strong, smart, confident young women to stand up and take the reins.

我丈夫在一个大办公室里工作。 他们管它叫椭圆办公室。 在白宫里，有一个他坐在那儿办公的桌子。 那个办公桌名为“坚决”。 桌子是用女王陛下“坚决”号船的木料打造的。 是维多利亚女王送的。 它是我们两国之间友谊的永久象征。 它的名字，“坚决”， 提醒我们要有这样的风骨，不只是领导一个国家， 而且要度过一个有意义的人生。 我希望在追求你们的梦想时，你们都能保持坚定， 向前进而不受限制， 发挥你们的才能 -- 因为你们才华横溢。我们见识过确实有才华。 用你们的才华去创建那个理想世界，因为我们指望着你们。 我们指望着你们每一个人尽你们的全力，做到最好。 因为这个世界很大。 充满了挑战。 我们需要坚强的，聪明的，自信的年轻女性站出来执掌乾坤。

We know you can do it. We love you. Thank you so much.

我们知道你们能做到。我们爱你们。谢谢大家。