議長先生,副總統先生,國會議員們,美國同胞們:
We are 15 years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world. It has been, and still is, a hard time for many.
我們跨入新世紀已經15年了。新世紀一開始,我們就遭受了恐怖襲擊,新一代人就投入了兩場曠日持久而又代價昂貴的戰爭,后來又發生了席卷全國乃至全球的惡性衰退。對很多人來說,那時候是,現在也仍然是一段艱難的時期。
But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before. And we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years.
但是今天晚上,我們將翻開新的一頁。今晚,在美國取得了突破性進展的一年后,我們的經濟在增長,新的就業機會在以1999年以來最快的速度增加。我們現在的失業率甚至低于金融危機之前。從學校畢業的孩子人數比以往任何時候都多,得到醫療保障的民眾也超過以往,我們還打破了過去近30年一直依賴外國石油的狀態。
Tonight, for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over. Six years ago, nearly 180,000 American troops served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, fewer than 15,000 remain. And we salute the courage and sacrifice of every man and woman in this 9/11 Generation who has served to keep us safe. We are humbled and grateful for your service.
今晚,我們自9·11恐怖襲擊以來首次結束了在阿富汗的戰斗任務。6年前,將近18萬美國軍人在阿富汗或是伊拉克服役,今天,留守那里的只有不到15000人。我們向9·11之后一代服役的男女軍人所付出的犧牲和所展示的勇氣表示敬意,因為他們的守護,我們得以安全。我們對你們的服務充滿敬意和感激。
America, for all that we have endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.
美國同胞,為了我們所承受的一切,為了重振所需要的努力和辛苦工作,為了面前的任務,我們應該明白:危機的陰影已過去,我們的國家現在很強大。
At this moment -- with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, booming energy production -- we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next 15 years and for decades to come.
此時此刻,隨著我們經濟的發展、財政赤字的縮減、工業的興旺發展、以及能源生產的蒸蒸日上,我們擺脫了經濟衰退,比地球上任何其他國家都更加自由地書寫我們的未來?,F在我們可以自主選擇我們未來十五年、乃至未來的幾十年要成為什么樣子。
Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?
我們要接受一種只有極個別人能大發橫財的經濟?還是應該致力于發展使每一個努力的人都能夠增加收入、得到機會的經濟?
Will we approach the world fearful and reactive, dragged into costly conflicts that strain our military and set back our standing? Or will we lead wisely, using all elements of our power to defeat new threats and protect our planet?
我們是否要以一種恐懼和被動的姿態來應對這個世界,被卷入昂貴的沖突,消耗我們的軍力,并削弱我們的地位?還是要以一種明智的姿態來引導,盡我們的所能,擊敗這些新的威脅并保護我們的星球?
Will we allow ourselves to be sorted into factions and turned against one another? Or will we recapture the sense of common purpose that has always propelled America forward?
我們是否要允許自己卷入派別紛爭,互相打擊?還是我們要重新找到讓美國前行的共同目標?
In two weeks, I will send this Congress a budget filled with ideas that are practical, not partisan. And in the months ahead, I'll crisscross the country making a case for those ideas. So tonight, I want to focus less on a checklist of proposals, and focus more on the values at stake in the choices before us.
再過兩個星期,我就要向國會遞交預算。這個預算里都是現實的想法,并無黨派之見。接下來的幾個月,我會遍訪全國為這些想法爭取支持。今天晚上,我不想花太多時間列出這些議題,而是著重談談擺在我們面前的選擇當中涉及的價值觀。