First of all, let me thank Dr. [Francis] Collins not just for the introduction but for his incredible leadership at NIH. Those of you who know Francis also know that he’s quite a gifted singer and musician. So I was asking whether he was going to be willing to sing the introduction -- and he declined. 首先，我要感谢弗朗西斯·柯林斯博士，不仅感谢他的介绍，也感谢他在美国国立卫生研究院展现的卓越领导力。熟悉弗朗西斯的人也知道，他是一位颇有才华的歌手和音乐家。所以我刚才问他愿不愿意用歌声为我作介绍——他拒绝了。
But his leadership has been extraordinary. And I’m glad I’ve been promoted Scientist-in-Chief. Given my grades in physics, I’m not sure it’s deserving. But I hold science in proper esteem, so maybe that gives me a little credit. 但他的领导工作确实非同寻常。我也很高兴自己刚刚晋升为“首席科学家”。考虑到我当年的物理成绩，我不确定自己是否当之无愧。不过，我对科学怀有应有的敬意，也许这一点能给我加点分。
Today I’ve invited some of the smartest people in the country, some of the most imaginative and effective researchers in the country -- some very smart people to talk about the challenge that I issued in my State of the Union address: to grow our economy, to create new jobs, to reignite a rising, thriving middle class by investing in one of our core strengths, and that’s American innovation. 今天，我邀请了全国一些最聪明的人、最富想象力且卓有成效的研究人员——一群非常聪明的人——来讨论我在国情咨文中提出的挑战：投资于我们的核心优势之一，也就是美国的创新能力，以推动经济增长、创造新就业，并重新点燃一个不断壮大、蓬勃发展的中产阶级。
Ideas are what power our economy. It’s what sets us apart. It’s what America has been all about. We have been a nation of dreamers and risk-takers; people who see what nobody else sees sooner than anybody else sees it. We do innovation better than anybody else -- and that makes our economy stronger. When we invest in the best ideas before anybody else does, our businesses and our workers can make the best products and deliver the best services before anybody else. 思想是我们经济发展的动力，也是让我们与众不同的力量。美国一直以此为本。我们是一个由梦想家和敢于冒险者组成的国家；我们总有人能比别人更早看到尚无人看见的可能。我们的创新能力胜过任何国家，这让我们的经济更加强大。当我们抢先投资于最优秀的创意时，美国企业和劳动者就能率先制造最好的产品、提供最优质的服务。
And because of that incredible dynamism, we don’t just attract the best scientists or the best entrepreneurs -- we also continually invest in their success. We support labs and universities to help them learn and explore. And we fund grants to help them turn a dream into a reality. And we have a patent system to protect their inventions. And we offer loans to help them turn those inventions into successful businesses. 正因为拥有这种非凡的活力，我们不仅吸引最优秀的科学家和企业家，也不断为他们的成功投入资源。我们支持实验室和大学，帮助他们学习与探索；提供资助，帮助他们把梦想变为现实；建立专利制度，保护他们的发明；还提供贷款，帮助他们把发明转化为成功的企业。
And the investments don’t always pay off. But when they do, they change our lives in ways that we could never have imagined. Computer chips and GPS technology, the Internet -- all these things grew out of government investments in basic research. And sometimes, in fact, some of the best products and services spin off completely from unintended research that nobody expected to have certain applications. Businesses then used that technology to create countless new jobs. 这些投资并非总能获得回报。但一旦成功，它们就会以我们从未想象过的方式改变生活。计算机芯片、全球定位系统和互联网，全都源于政府对基础研究的投入。事实上，有时一些最出色的产品与服务，完全脱胎于原本无人预料会有特定用途的研究。随后，企业利用这些技术创造了无数新的就业岗位。
So the founders of Google got their early support from the National Science Foundation. The Apollo project that put a man on the moon also gave us eventually CAT scans. And every dollar we spent to map the human genome has returned $140.00 to our economy -- $1.00 of investment, $140.00 in return. Dr. Collins helped lead that genome effort, and that’s why we thought it was appropriate to have him here to announce the next great American project, and that’s what we're calling the BRAIN Initiative. 因此，谷歌创始人早期就得到了美国国家科学基金会的支持。把人类送上月球的阿波罗计划，最终还为我们带来了计算机断层扫描技术。我们在绘制人类基因组图谱上每投入1美元，都为经济带来了140美元的回报——投入1美元，回报140美元。柯林斯博士曾参与领导这项基因组工程，所以我们认为，请他来这里共同宣布下一项伟大的美国工程再合适不过，而这就是我们所称的“脑研究计划”。
As humans, we can identify galaxies light years away, we can study particles smaller than an atom. But we still haven’t unlocked the mystery of the three pounds of matter that sits between our ears. But today, scientists possess the capability to study individual neurons and figure out the main functions of certain areas of the brain. But a human brain contains almost 100 billion neurons making trillions of connections. So Dr. Collins says it’s like listening to the strings section and trying to figure out what the whole orchestra sounds like. 作为人类，我们能辨认数光年之外的星系，也能研究比原子还小的粒子。但我们仍未解开双耳之间这三磅物质的奥秘。如今，科学家已经能够研究单个神经元，并弄清大脑特定区域的主要功能。然而，人脑包含近1000亿个神经元，彼此形成数万亿个连接。因此，柯林斯博士说，这就像只听弦乐声部，却试图弄清整支管弦乐队听起来是什么样。
So as a result, we’re still unable to cure diseases like Alzheimer’s or autism, or fully reverse the effects of a stroke. And the most powerful computer in the world isn’t nearly as intuitive as the one we’re born with. 也正因为如此，我们仍无法治愈阿尔茨海默病或自闭症等疾病，也无法完全逆转中风造成的影响。世界上最强大的计算机，也远不如我们与生俱来的这台计算机那样直觉敏锐。
So there is this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked, and the BRAIN Initiative will change that by giving scientists the tools they need to get a dynamic picture of the brain in action and better understand how we think and how we learn and how we remember. And that knowledge could be -- will be -- transformative. 所以，还有一个巨大的谜团等待我们解开，而脑研究计划将通过为科学家提供所需工具来改变这一局面，让他们获得大脑活动的动态图景，更深入地理解我们如何思考、如何学习、又如何记忆。这些知识可能会——也必将——带来变革。
In the budget I will send to Congress next week, I will propose a significant investment by the National Institutes of Health, DARPA, and the National Science Foundation to help get this project off the ground. I’m directing my Bioethics Commission to make sure all of the research is being done in a responsible way. And we’re also partnering with the private sector, including leading companies and foundations and research institutions, to tap the nation’s brightest minds to help us reach our goal. 在我下周提交国会的预算中，我将提议由美国国立卫生研究院、国防高级研究计划局和国家科学基金会投入一笔可观的资金，帮助这一项目起步。我已要求生物伦理委员会确保所有研究都以负责任的方式开展。我们还将与私营部门合作，包括一流的企业、基金会和研究机构，汇聚全国最聪明的人才，帮助我们实现目标。
And of course, none of this will be easy. If it was, we would already know everything there was about how the brain works, and presumably my life would be simpler here. It could explain all kinds of things that go on in Washington. We could prescribe something. 当然，这一切都不会轻而易举。要是容易，我们早就彻底了解大脑如何运作了，想必我在这里的日子也会轻松一些。它或许能解释华盛顿发生的种种事情。我们说不定还能开点药方。
So it won't be easy. But think about what we could do once we do crack this code. Imagine if no family had to feel helpless watching a loved one disappear behind the mask of Parkinson’s or struggle in the grip of epilepsy. Imagine if we could reverse traumatic brain injury or PTSD for our veterans who are coming home. Imagine if someone with a prosthetic limb can now play the piano or throw a baseball as well as anybody else, because the wiring from the brain to that prosthetic is direct and triggered by what's already happening in the patient's mind. 所以，这不会容易。但想想看，一旦破解了这套密码，我们能够做到些什么。试想，如果再没有任何家庭只能无助地看着挚爱亲人在帕金森病的面具后逐渐消失，或在癫痫的折磨中苦苦挣扎；如果我们能够逆转归国军人所遭受的创伤性脑损伤或创伤后应激障碍；如果装有假肢的人也能像任何人一样弹钢琴、投棒球，因为大脑与假肢之间能够直接连通，并由患者头脑中正在发生的活动触发——那会怎样？
What if computers could respond to our thoughts or our language barriers could come tumbling down. Or if millions of Americans were suddenly finding new jobs in these fields -- jobs we haven’t even dreamt up yet -- because we chose to invest in this project. 如果计算机能够回应我们的思想，或者语言障碍从此土崩瓦解，又会怎样？又或者，因为我们选择投资这个项目，数百万美国人突然在这些领域找到了新工作——一些我们甚至还没有想象出来的工作。
That's the future we're imagining. That's what we're hoping for. That’s why the BRAIN Initiative is so absolutely important. And that’s why it’s so important that we think about basic research generally as a driver of growth and that we replace the across-the-board budget cuts that are threatening to set us back before we even get started. A few weeks ago, the directors of some of our national laboratories said that the sequester -- these arbitrary, across-the-board cuts that have gone into place -- are so severe, so poorly designed that they will hold back a generation of young scientists. 这就是我们所设想的未来，也是我们所期盼的未来。这正是脑研究计划如此重要的原因。也正因如此，我们必须把基础研究广泛视为增长的驱动力，并取消那些可能让我们尚未起步就已落后的全面预算削减。几周前，我国一些国家实验室的负责人表示，自动减支——这些已经生效、武断而全面的削减措施——幅度极大、设计极差，将会耽误整整一代年轻科学家。
When our leading thinkers wonder if it still makes sense to encourage young people to get involved in science in the first place because they're not sure whether the research funding and the grants will be there to cultivate an entire new generation of scientists, that's something we should worry about. We can’t afford to miss these opportunities while the rest of the world races ahead. We have to seize them. I don’t want the next job-creating discoveries to happen in China or India or Germany. I want them to happen right here, in the United States of America. 当我们最杰出的思想家开始怀疑，是否还有必要鼓励年轻人投身科学——因为他们不确定未来是否还有研究经费和资助来培养全新一代科学家——这就值得我们忧虑。当世界其他地方竞相向前时，我们不能错失这些机会。我们必须抓住它们。我不希望下一批创造就业机会的发现诞生在中国、印度或德国，而希望它们就诞生在这里，诞生在美利坚合众国。
And that's part of what this BRAIN Initiative is about. That’s why we’re pursuing other “grand challenges” like making solar energy as cheap as coal or making electric vehicles as affordable as the ones that run on gas. They’re ambitious goals, but they’re achievable. And we’re encouraging companies and research universities and other organizations to get involved and help us make progress. 这也是脑研究计划所要做的一部分。因此，我们还在追求其他“重大挑战”，例如让太阳能与煤炭一样便宜，或让电动汽车与燃油汽车一样实惠。这些目标雄心勃勃，但并非遥不可及。我们也在鼓励企业、研究型大学和其他组织参与进来，帮助我们取得进展。
We have a chance to improve the lives of not just millions, but billions of people on this planet through the research that's done in this BRAIN Initiative alone. But it's going to require a serious effort, a sustained effort. And it’s going to require us as a country to embody and embrace that spirit of discovery that is what made America, America. 仅凭脑研究计划所开展的研究，我们就有机会改善这个星球上数十亿人的生活，而不仅仅是数百万人。但这需要认真而持久的努力，也需要我们整个国家体现并拥抱那种探索精神——正是这种精神成就了今日的美国。
The year before I was born, an American company came out with one of the earliest mini-computers. It was a revolutionary machine, didn't require its own air conditioning system. That was a big deal. It took only one person to operate, but each computer was eight feet tall, weighed 1,200 pounds, and cost more than $100,000. 在我出生前一年，一家美国公司推出了最早期的小型计算机之一。那是一台革命性的机器，不需要配备专用的空调系统。这在当时可是件了不起的事。它只需要一个人操作，但每台机器高达八英尺，重达1200磅，售价超过10万美元。
And today, most of the people in this room, including the person whose cell phone just rang -- have a far more powerful computer in their pocket. Computers have become so small, so universal, so ubiquitous, most of us can't imagine life without them -- certainly, my kids can't. 而今天，这个房间里的大多数人——包括刚才手机响了的那位——口袋里都装着一台强大得多的计算机。计算机已经变得如此小巧、如此普及、如此无处不在，以至于我们大多数人都无法想象没有它们的生活——我的孩子们肯定无法想象。
And, as a consequence, millions of Americans work in fields that didn't exist before their parents were born. Watson, the computer that won “Jeopardy,” is now being used in hospitals across the country to diagnose diseases like cancer. That's how much progress has been made in my lifetime and in many of yours. That's how fast we can move when we make the investments. 由此，数百万美国人如今从事的行业，在他们父母出生之前根本不存在。曾在《危险边缘》节目中获胜的计算机沃森，如今正被美国各地的医院用于诊断癌症等疾病。这就是在我的一生、也在你们许多人的一生中取得的巨大进步。这就是当我们愿意投资时所能达到的前进速度。
But we can't predict what that next big thing will be. We don't know what life will be like 20 years from now, or 50 years, or 100 years down the road. What we do know is if we keep investing in the most prominent, promising solutions to our toughest problems, then things will get better. 但我们无法预言下一个重大突破会是什么。我们不知道20年、50年乃至100年后的生活会是什么样。我们能够确定的是，只要继续投资于解决最棘手问题的那些最重要、最有希望的方案，一切就会变得更好。
I don't want our children or grandchildren to look back on this day and wish we had done more to keep America at the cutting edge. I want them to look back and be proud that we took some risks, that we seized this opportunity. That's what the American story is about. That's who we are. That's why this BRAIN Initiative is so important. And if we keep taking bold steps like the one we’re talking about to learn about the brain, then I’m confident America will continue to lead the world in the next frontiers of human understanding. And all of you are going to help us get there. 我不希望我们的子孙日后回望今天时，遗憾我们当初没有付出更多努力，让美国始终站在最前沿。我希望他们回望时，会为我们敢于承担风险、抓住这次机遇而自豪。这就是美国故事的内涵。这就是我们的本色。这正是脑研究计划如此重要的原因。只要我们继续采取像今天探究大脑这项计划一样的大胆行动，我相信，美国就会继续引领世界，开拓人类认识的下一个前沿。而在座各位都将帮助我们抵达那里。
So I’m very excited about this project. Francis, let’s get to work. 所以，我对这个项目感到无比振奋。弗朗西斯，让我们开始行动吧。
God bless you and God bless the United States of America. 愿上帝保佑你们，愿上帝保佑美利坚合众国。
Thank you. 谢谢大家。
