Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, and fellow Americans: 议长先生、副总统先生、各位国会议员、各位美国同胞：
Tonight we meet at an urgent time for our country. We continue to face an economic crisis that has left millions of our neighbors jobless, and a political crisis that’s made things worse. 今晚我们在这个国家紧急时刻聚在一起。我们继续面临一场令数百万同胞失业的经济危机，以及一场令情况雪上加霜的政治危机。
This past week, reporters have been asking, “What will this speech mean for the President? What will it mean for Congress? How will it affect their polls, and the next election?” 过去一周，记者们一直在问："这次演讲对总统意味着什么？对国会意味着什么？会如何影响他们的民调和下次选举？"
But the millions of Americans who are watching right now, they don’t care about politics. They have real-life concerns. Many have spent months looking for work. Others are doing their best just to scrape by -- giving up nights out with the family to save on gas or make the mortgage; postponing retirement to send a kid to college. 但现在正在观看的数百万美国人，他们并不关心政治。他们有现实生活中的忧虑。许多人已经花了几个月时间寻找工作。其他人正在竭尽全力勉强维持——放弃和家人外出晚餐以省下油钱或还房贷；推迟退休以供孩子上大学。
These men and women grew up with faith in an America where hard work and responsibility paid off. They believed in a country where everyone gets a fair shake and does their fair share -- where if you stepped up, did your job, and were loyal to your company, that loyalty would be rewarded with a decent salary and good benefits; maybe a raise once in a while. If you did the right thing, you could make it. Anybody could make it in America. 这些男女成长过程中坚信这样一个美国：努力工作和尽职尽责终会有回报。他们相信这样一个国家：人人获得公平机会、尽到自己那份责任——只要你站出来、做好本职工作、对公司忠诚，这份忠诚就会以不错的薪水和良好的福利作为回报；也许偶尔还能加薪。只要做正确的事，你就能成功。任何人在美国都能成功。
For decades now, Americans have watched that compact erode. They have seen the decks too often stacked against them. And they know that Washington has not always put their interests first. 几十年来，美国人看着这一契约逐渐瓦解。他们看到局势太多次对他们不利。他们知道华盛顿并不总是把他们的利益放在首位。
The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours. The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy. The question is -- the question is whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning. 这个国家的人民辛勤工作以履行自己的责任。今晚的问题是，我们是否也能履行我们的责任。问题是，面对持续的全国性危机，我们能否停止政治闹剧，真正做些事情来帮助经济。问题是——我们能否恢复自建国以来定义这个国家的公平与安全。
Those of us here tonight can’t solve all our nation’s woes. Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s lives. 今晚在座的各位无法解决我国所有的问题。最终，我们的复苏不会由华盛顿推动，而是由我们的企业和工人推动。但我们可以提供帮助。我们可以带来改变。我们现在就可以采取行动来改善人民的生活。
I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right away. It’s called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything in here is the kind of proposal that’s been supported by both Democrats and Republicans -- including many who sit here tonight. And everything in this bill will be paid for. Everything. 我向本届国会提交了一份方案，你们应该立即通过。它叫做《美国就业法案》。这项立法没有任何争议之处。其中的每一项提案都是曾经获得民主党和共和党共同支持的——包括今晚在座的许多人。而且这项法案中的每一项都将得到充分支付。每一项都是。
The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for long-term unemployed. It will provide -- it will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business. 《美国就业法案》的宗旨很简单：让更多人重返工作岗位，让正在工作的人口袋里有更多钱。它将为建筑工人创造更多就业，为教师创造更多就业，为退伍军人创造更多就业，为长期失业者创造更多就业。它将——将为雇佣新员工的公司提供税收减免，并将每位在职美国人和每家小企业的工资税减半。
It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that if they invest and if they hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away. 它将为停滞的经济注入一剂强心针，让企业有信心：如果他们投资、如果他们招聘，就会有人购买他们的产品和服务。你们应该立即通过这项就业计划。
Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin. And you know that while corporate profits have come roaring back, smaller companies haven’t. So for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for “job creators,” this plan is for you. 在座的每个人都知道，小企业是大多数新就业岗位的起点。你们也知道，虽然企业利润已经强势回归，但小企业并没有。所以对于那些激情洋溢地谈论要为"就业创造者"减轻负担的人来说，这个计划正是为你们准备的。
Pass this jobs bill -- pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or if they raise workers’ wages. Pass this jobs bill, and all small business owners will also see their payroll taxes cut in half next year. If you have 50 employees -- if you have 50 employees making an average salary, that’s an $80,000 tax cut. And all businesses will be able to continue writing off the investments they make in 2012. 通过这项就业法案——通过这项就业法案，从明天起，小企业如果雇佣新员工或提高员工工资，就将获得减税。通过这项就业法案，所有小企业主明年也将看到他们的工资税减半。如果你有50名员工——如果你有50名拿平均工资的员工，那就是八万美元的减税。所有企业都将能够继续冲销他们在2012年所作的投资。
It’s not just Democrats who have supported this kind of proposal. Fifty House Republicans have proposed the same payroll tax cut that’s in this plan. You should pass it right away. 支持这类提案的不仅仅是民主党人。五十位共和党众议员已经提出了与该计划中相同的工资税减免方案。你们应该立即通过。
Pass this jobs bill, and we can put people to work rebuilding America. Everyone here knows we have badly decaying roads and bridges all over the country. Our highways are clogged with traffic. Our skies are the most congested in the world. It’s an outrage. 通过这项就业法案，我们就能让人们重返工作岗位，重建美国。在座的各位都知道，全国各地有严重老化的道路和桥梁。我们的公路交通拥堵。我们的天空是世界上最拥挤的。这令人愤慨。
Building a world-class transportation system is part of what made us a economic superpower. And now we’re going to sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads? At a time when millions of unemployed construction workers could build them right here in America? 建设世界级的交通体系是我们成为经济超级大国的原因之一。而现在我们要坐视中国修建更新的机场和更快的铁路吗？在数百万失业建筑工人本可以在这里、在美国建设它们的时候？
There are private construction companies all across America just waiting to get to work. There’s a bridge that needs repair between Ohio and Kentucky that’s on one of the busiest trucking routes in North America. A public transit project in Houston that will help clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country. And there are schools throughout this country that desperately need renovating. How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school -- and we can give it to them, if we act now. 全美各地有无数私营建筑公司正等着开工。俄亥俄州和肯塔基州之间有一座需要修缮的桥梁，它位于北美最繁忙的货运路线上。休斯敦有一个公共交通项目，将有助于疏通全国最严重的交通拥堵区域之一。而全国各地的学校都急需翻修。我们怎么能期望孩子们在几乎要塌了的地方做到最好？这里是美国。每个孩子都应该有一所好学校——如果我们现在行动，我们就能给他们。
The American Jobs Act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools. It will put people to work right now fixing roofs and windows, installing science labs and high-speed Internet in classrooms all across this country. It will rehabilitate homes and businesses in communities hit hardest by foreclosures. It will jumpstart thousands of transportation projects all across the country. And to make sure the money is properly spent, we’re building on reforms we’ve already put in place. No more earmarks. No more boondoggles. No more bridges to nowhere. 《美国就业法案》将修缮和现代化至少三万五千所学校。它将让人们立即开始工作，在全国各地的教室修缮屋顶和窗户、安装科学实验室和高速互联网。它将修复受止赎危机打击最严重社区的房屋和企业。它将启动全国数千个交通项目。为确保资金被合理使用，我们正在已经实施的改革基础上继续推进。不再有专项拨款。不再有铺张浪费。不再有通往无处的桥梁。
We’re cutting the red tape that prevents some of these projects from getting started as quickly as possible. And we’ll set up an independent fund to attract private dollars and issue loans based on two criteria: how badly a construction project is needed and how much good it will do for the economy. 我们正在削减阻碍这些项目尽快启动的繁文缛节。我们还将设立一个独立基金来吸引私人资金，并基于两个标准发放贷款：建设项目有多么迫切需要，以及它对经济有多大的促进作用。
This idea came from a bill written by a Texas Republican and a Massachusetts Democrat. The idea for a big boost in construction is supported by America’s largest business organization and America’s largest labor organization. It’s the kind of proposal that’s been supported in the past by Democrats and Republicans alike. You should pass it right away. 这个想法来自一位得克萨斯州共和党人和一位马萨诸塞州民主党人共同撰写的法案。大幅推动建设的想法得到了美国最大商业组织和最大劳工组织的支持。这正是过去民主党和共和党人都曾支持的那种提案。你们应该立即通过。
Pass this jobs bill, and thousands of teachers in every state will go back to work. These are the men and women charged with preparing our children for a world where the competition has never been tougher. But while they’re adding teachers in places like South Korea, we’re laying them off in droves. It’s unfair to our kids. It undermines their future and ours. And it has to stop. Pass this bill, and put our teachers back in the classroom where they belong. 通过这项就业法案，每个州数以千计的教师将重返工作岗位。正是这些男女教师肩负着为我们的孩子迎接竞争空前激烈的世界做好准备的责任。但当韩国等地在增加教师时，我们却在成批地裁减教师。这对我们的孩子不公平。它损害了他们的未来和我们的未来。这必须停止。通过这项法案，让我们的教师回到他们应该在的教室里。
Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get extra tax credits if they hire America’s veterans. We ask these men and women to leave their careers, leave their families, risk their lives to fight for our country. The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home. 通过这项就业法案，企业如果雇佣美国退伍军人将获得额外税收抵免。我们要求这些男女放下事业、离开家人、冒着生命危险为我们的国家而战。他们最不应该做的事情，就是回国后还要为一份工作而争。
Pass this bill, and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people will have the hope and the dignity of a summer job next year. And their parents -- their parents, low-income Americans who desperately want to work, will have more ladders out of poverty. 通过这项法案，数十万弱势青少年明年将拥有暑期工作的希望和尊严。而他们的父母——他们的父母，那些迫切想要工作的低收入美国人，将获得更多摆脱贫困的阶梯。
Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job. We have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for work. This jobs plan builds on a program in Georgia that several Republican leaders have highlighted, where people who collect unemployment insurance participate in temporary work as a way to build their skills while they look for a permanent job. The plan also extends unemployment insurance for another year. 通过这项就业法案，如果企业雇佣任何求职超过六个月的人，将获得四千美元的税收抵免。我们必须做更多来帮助长期失业者寻找工作。这项就业计划建立在乔治亚州的一个项目之上——该项目得到了多位共和党领导人的关注——领取失业保险的人参与临时工作，以此在寻找正式工作的同时提升技能。该计划还将失业保险延长一年。
If the millions of unemployed Americans stopped getting this insurance, and stopped using that money for basic necessities, it would be a devastating blow to this economy. Democrats and Republicans in this chamber have supported unemployment insurance plenty of times in the past. And in this time of prolonged hardship, you should pass it again -- right away. 如果数百万失业美国人停止领取这项保险，停止用那笔钱购买基本生活必需品，那将是对这个经济的毁灭性打击。这个议事厅中的民主党和共和党人过去多次支持失业保险。在这个持久困难的时期，你们应该再次通过——立即。
Pass this jobs bill, and the typical working family will get a $1,500 tax cut next year. Fifteen hundred dollars that would have been taken out of your pocket will go into your pocket. This expands on the tax cut that Democrats and Republicans already passed for this year. If we allow that tax cut to expire -- if we refuse to act -- middle-class families will get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time. We can’t let that happen. I know that some of you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on anyone for as long as you live. 通过这项就业法案，普通的工薪家庭明年将获得一千五百美元的减税。一千五百美元本会从你口袋里掏走的钱，将留在你的口袋里。这是在民主党和共和党今年已经通过的减税基础上的扩展。如果我们任由那项减税到期——如果我们拒绝行动——中产阶级家庭将在最糟糕的时刻遭受增税打击。我们不能让这种事发生。我知道你们中有些人发过誓，只要活着就绝不向任何人增税。
Now is not the time to carve out an exception and raise middle-class taxes, which is why you should pass this bill right away. 现在不是制造例外、加征中产阶级税收的时候，这就是你们应该立即通过这项法案的原因。
This is the American Jobs Act. It will lead to new jobs for construction workers, for teachers, for veterans, for first responders, young people and the long-term unemployed. It will provide tax credits to companies that hire new workers, tax relief to small business owners, and tax cuts for the middle class. And here’s the other thing I want the American people to know: The American Jobs Act will not add to the deficit. It will be paid for. And here’s how. 这就是《美国就业法案》。它将为建筑工人、教师、退伍军人、第一响应者、年轻人和长期失业者带来新的就业机会。它将为雇佣新员工的公司提供税收抵免，为小企业主提供税收减免，为中产阶级提供减税。还有一件事我要让美国人民知道：《美国就业法案》不会增加赤字。它将得到充分支付。方法如下。
The agreement we passed in July will cut government spending by about $1 trillion over the next 10 years. It also charges this Congress to come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in savings by Christmas. Tonight, I am asking you to increase that amount so that it covers the full cost of the American Jobs Act. And a week from Monday, I’ll be releasing a more ambitious deficit plan -- a plan that will not only cover the cost of this jobs bill, but stabilize our debt in the long run. 我们在七月通过的协议将在未来十年削减约一万亿美元的政府开支。它还要求本届国会在圣诞节前再提出一万五千亿美元的节支方案。今晚，我要求你们增加这个数额，使其足以覆盖《美国就业法案》的全部成本。下周一之后的一周，我将公布一个更宏大的赤字计划——一个不仅能覆盖这项就业法案成本，还能在长期稳定我们债务的计划。
This approach is basically the one I’ve been advocating for months. In addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts I’ve already signed into law, it’s a balanced plan that would reduce the deficit by making additional spending cuts, by making modest adjustments to health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and by reforming our tax code in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share. 这个方案基本上就是我几个月来一直在倡导的。除了我已经签署成法的一万亿美元开支削减之外，这是一个平衡的方案，通过进一步削减开支、对医疗照顾和医疗补助等医疗项目做出适度调整，以及以要求最富有的美国人和最大的企业缴纳公平份额的方式改革税法，来减少赤字。
What’s more, the spending cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on our economy, or prevent us from helping small businesses and middle-class families get back on their feet right away. 此外，开支削减不会来得太突然以至于拖累我们的经济，也不会妨碍我们帮助小企业主和中产阶级家庭立即恢复元气。
Now, I realize there are some in my party who don’t think we should make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid, and I understand their concerns. But here’s the truth: Millions of Americans rely on Medicare in their retirement. And millions more will do so in the future. They pay for this benefit during their working years. They earn it. But with an aging population and rising health care costs, we are spending too fast to sustain the program. And if we don’t gradually reform the system while protecting current beneficiaries, it won’t be there when future retirees need it. 我认识到，我党内有些人认为我们根本不应对医疗照顾和医疗补助做任何改变，我理解他们的担忧。但事实是：数百万美国人在退休后依赖医疗照顾。未来还会有数百万人如此。他们在工作年限内为这项福利付费。他们挣得了它。但随着人口老龄化和医疗成本上升，我们的支出增长过快，无法维持这个项目。如果我们不在保护当前受益人的同时逐步改革这个体系，当未来的退休者需要它时，它将不复存在。
We have to reform Medicare to strengthen it. 我们必须改革医疗照顾，以使之更加稳固。
I am also -- I’m also well aware that there are many Republicans who don’t believe we should raise taxes on those who are most fortunate and can best afford it. But here is what every American knows: While most people in this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of the most affluent citizens and most profitable corporations enjoy tax breaks and loopholes that nobody else gets. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary -- an outrage he has asked us to fix. We need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake and where everybody pays their fair share. 我也——我也清楚地知道，许多共和党人认为我们不应该向那些最幸运、最能负担得起的人增税。但每个美国人都知道：当这个国家大多数人在为收支平衡而挣扎时，少数最富裕的公民和最赚钱的企业却享受着其他人没有的税收减免和漏洞。现在，沃伦·巴菲特缴纳的税率比他的秘书还低——这是一种他本人要求我们修复的不公。我们需要一个让每个人都能获得公平机会、每个人都能缴纳公平份额的税法。
And by the way, I believe the vast majority of wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to do just that if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order. 顺便说一句，我相信绝大多数富有的美国人和企业首席执行官都愿意这样做，如果这有助于经济增长并使我们的财政秩序恢复正常。
I’ll also offer ideas to reform a corporate tax code that stands as a monument to special interest influence in Washington. By eliminating pages of loopholes and deductions, we can lower one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. Our tax code should not give an advantage to companies that can afford the best-connected lobbyists. It should give an advantage to companies that invest and create jobs right here in the United States of America. 我还将提出改革企业税法的想法，现行企业税法堪称特殊利益集团在华盛顿影响力的纪念碑。通过取消成页的漏洞和扣除，我们可以降低世界上最高的企业税率之一。我们的税法不应该给那些能雇得起人脉最广的游说者的公司以优势。它应该给那些在美国本土投资和创造就业的公司以优势。
So we can reduce this deficit, pay down our debt, and pay for this jobs plan in the process. But in order to do this, we have to decide what our priorities are. We have to ask ourselves, “What’s the best way to grow the economy and create jobs?” 因此我们可以减少赤字、偿还债务，并在此过程中为这项就业计划买单。但要做到这一点，我们必须决定我们的优先事项是什么。我们必须问自己："什么是促进经济增长和创造就业的最佳方式？"
Should we keep tax loopholes for oil companies? Or should we use that money to give small business owners a tax credit when they hire new workers? Because we can’t afford to do both. Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we put teachers back to work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs? Right now, we can’t afford to do both. 我们是否应该为石油公司保留税收漏洞？还是应该用那笔钱在小企业主雇佣新员工时给予他们税收抵免？因为我们无法同时负担两者。我们是否应该为百万富翁和亿万富翁保留减税？还是应该让教师重返岗位，让我们的孩子毕业时为上大学和好工作做好准备？现在，我们无法同时负担两者。
This isn’t political grandstanding. This isn’t class warfare. This is simple math. This is simple math. These are real choices. These are real choices that we’ve got to make. And I’m pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose. It’s not even close. And it’s time for us to do what’s right for our future. 这不是政治作秀。这不是阶级斗争。这是简单的数学。这是简单的数学。这些是真实的选择。这些是我们必须做出的真实选择。而且我相当确定我知道大多数美国人会选择什么。毫无悬念。现在是我们为未来做正确之事的时候了。
Now, the American Jobs Act answers the urgent need to create jobs right away. But we can’t stop there. As I’ve argued since I ran for this office, we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and start building an economy that lasts into the future -- an economy that creates good, middle-class jobs that pay well and offer security. We now live in a world where technology has made it possible for companies to take their business anywhere. If we want them to start here and stay here and hire here, we have to be able to out-build and out-educate and out-innovate every other country on Earth. 《美国就业法案》回应了立即创造就业的迫切需求。但我们不能止步于此。正如我竞选总统以来一直主张的，我们必须超越眼前的危机，开始建设一个面向未来的持久经济——一个创造薪资优厚、保障有力的良好中产阶级就业岗位的经济。我们现在生活在一个技术使企业可以在任何地方开展业务的世界。如果我们希望他们从这里起步、在这里扎根、在这里雇佣，我们就必须在建设、教育、创新上超越地球上所有其他国家。
And this task of making America more competitive for the long haul, that’s a job for all of us. For government and for private companies. For states and for local communities -- and for every American citizen. All of us will have to up our game. All of us will have to change the way we do business. 使美国在长期竞争中更具优势这项任务，是我们所有人的工作。政府有责，私营企业有责。各州有责，各地方社区有责——每个美国公民都有责。我们所有人都必须提升自己的水平。我们所有人都必须改变我们做事的方式。
My administration can and will take some steps to improve our competitiveness on our own. For example, if you’re a small business owner who has a contract with the federal government, we’re going to make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do right now. We’re also planning to cut away the red tape that prevents too many rapidly growing startup companies from raising capital and going public. And to help responsible homeowners, we’re going to work with federal housing agencies to help more people refinance their mortgages at interest rates that are now near 4 percent. 我的政府能够也将自行采取一些措施来提升我们的竞争力。例如，如果你是拥有联邦政府合同的小企业主，我们将确保你获得付款的速度比现在快得多。我们还计划削减阻碍太多快速成长的初创公司融资和上市的繁文缛节。为了帮助负责任的房主，我们将与联邦住房机构合作，帮助更多人以目前接近百分之四的利率重新融资房贷。
That’s a step -- I know you guys must be for this, because that’s a step that can put more than $2,000 a year in a family’s pocket, and give a lift to an economy still burdened by the drop in housing prices. 这是一步——我知道你们肯定赞成这一步，因为这一步可以让一个家庭每年多获得两千多美元，并为仍受房价下跌拖累的经济注入一剂强心针。
So, some things we can do on our own. Other steps will require congressional action. Today you passed reform that will speed up the outdated patent process, so that entrepreneurs can turn a new idea into a new business as quickly as possible. That’s the kind of action we need. Now it’s time to clear the way for a series of trade agreements that would make it easier for American companies to sell their products in Panama and Colombia and South Korea -– while also helping the workers whose jobs have been affected by global competition. 所以，有些事情我们可以自己做。其他步骤则需要国会采取行动。今天你们通过了改革，加快过时的专利审批流程，让创业者能够尽快将新想法转化为新业务。这就是我们需要的那种行动。现在是时候为一系列贸易协议铺平道路了，这些协议将使美国公司更容易在巴拿马、哥伦比亚和韩国销售产品——同时帮助那些就业受到全球竞争影响的工人。
If Americans can buy Kias and Hyundais, I want to see folks in South Korea driving Fords and Chevys and Chryslers. I want to see more products sold around the world stamped with the three proud words: “Made in America.” That’s what we need to get done. 如果美国人可以购买起亚和现代，我希望看到韩国人驾驶福特、雪佛兰和克莱斯勒。我希望看到更多销往世界各地的产品上印着三个令人骄傲的字："美国制造"。这就是我们需要实现的。
And on all of our efforts to strengthen competitiveness, we need to look for ways to work side by side with America’s businesses. That’s why I’ve brought together a Jobs Council of leaders from different industries who are developing a wide range of new ideas to help companies grow and create jobs. 在我们所有加强竞争力的努力中，我们需要寻找与美国企业并肩合作的方式。这就是为什么我召集了一个就业委员会，由来自不同行业的领袖组成，他们正在制定各种新想法来帮助企业成长和创造就业。
Already, we’ve mobilized business leaders to train 10,000 American engineers a year, by providing company internships and training. Other businesses are covering tuition for workers who learn new skills at community colleges. And we’re going to make sure the next generation of manufacturing takes root not in China or Europe, but right here, in the United States of America. 我们已经动员企业领袖每年培训一万名美国工程师，通过提供企业实习和培训。其他企业正在为在社区大学学习新技能的工人支付学费。我们将确保下一代制造业不是扎根于中国或欧洲，而是就在这里，在美利坚合众国扎根。
If we provide the right incentives, the right support -- and if we make sure our trading partners play by the rules -- we can be the ones to build everything from fuel-efficient cars to advanced biofuels to semiconductors that we sell all around the world. That’s how America can be number one again. And that’s how America will be number one again. 如果我们提供正确的激励、正确的支持——如果我们确保贸易伙伴遵守规则——我们就能成为从节能汽车到先进生物燃料到半导体各种产品的制造者，销往全世界。这就是美国如何能再次成为第一。这也是美国将如何再次成为第一。
Now, I realize that some of you have a different theory on how to grow the economy. Some of you sincerely believe that the only solution to our economic challenges is to simply cut most government spending and eliminate most government regulations. 我认识到，你们中有些人对如何促进经济增长有不同的理论。你们中有些人真诚地相信，应对经济挑战的唯一解决方案就是削减大部分政府开支、取消大部分政府监管。
Well, I agree that we can’t afford wasteful spending, and I’ll work with you, with Congress, to root it out. And I agree that there are some rules and regulations that do put an unnecessary burden on businesses at a time when they can least afford it. That’s why I ordered a review of all government regulations. So far, we’ve identified over 500 reforms, which will save billions of dollars over the next few years. We should have no more regulation than the health, safety and security of the American people require. Every rule should meet that common-sense test. 我同意我们不能承受浪费性支出，我会与你们、与国会合作将其根除。我也同意确实有一些规章和监管在企业最难以承受的时候给他们增加了不必要的负担。这就是为什么我下令审查所有政府监管。到目前为止，我们已经确定了五百多项改革，将在未来几年节省数十亿美元。我们的监管不应超出美国人民健康、安全和保障的需要。每一项规则都应该通过这个常识性检验。
But what we can’t do -- what I will not do -- is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that Americans have counted on for decades. I reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients. 但我们不能做的——我不会做的——是让这场经济危机被用作借口，抹去美国人几十年来所依赖的基本保障。我拒绝那种认为我们需要让人在工作和安全之间做出选择的想法。我拒绝那种认为经济要增长就必须撤销禁止信用卡公司收取隐性费用的保护、撤销防止我们的孩子接触汞的规则、撤销防止医疗保险公司短斤少两地对待患者的法律的说法。
I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy. We shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should be in a race to the top. And I believe we can win that race. 我拒绝那种认为我们必须取消集体谈判权才能在全球经济中竞争的想法。我们不应该参与一场竞相探底的竞赛，试图提供最廉价的劳动力和最差的污染标准。美国应该参与一场竞相向上的竞赛。我相信我们能赢得那场竞赛。
In fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore prosperity is just dismantle government, refund everybody’s money, and let everyone write their own rules, and tell everyone they’re on their own -- that’s not who we are. That’s not the story of America. 事实上，那种认为恢复繁荣唯一能做的就是拆解政府、退还所有人的钱、让每个人自己制定规则、告诉每个人只能靠自己——这种更大的观念不是我们的本质。那不是美国的故事。
Yes, we are rugged individualists. Yes, we are strong and self-reliant. And it has been the drive and initiative of our workers and entrepreneurs that has made this economy the engine and the envy of the world. 是的，我们是坚毅的个人主义者。是的，我们坚强自立。正是我们的工人和企业家的驱动力和进取心使这个经济成为世界的引擎和他国羡慕的对象。
But there’s always been another thread running throughout our history -- a belief that we’re all connected, and that there are some things we can only do together, as a nation. 但在我们的历史中始终贯穿着另一条主线——一种信念，即我们彼此相连，有些事情我们只能作为一个国家共同完成。
We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our Union. Founder of the Republican Party. But in the middle of a civil war, he was also a leader who looked to the future -- a Republican President who mobilized government to build the Transcontinental Railroad -- launch the National Academy of Sciences, set up the first land grant colleges. And leaders of both parties have followed the example he set. 我们都记得亚伯拉罕·林肯是拯救了联邦的领袖。他是共和党的创始人。但在内战期间，他也是一位着眼未来的领袖——一位动员政府建设横贯大陆铁路、创立国家科学院、建立第一批赠地学院的共和党总统。两党领袖都遵循了他树立的榜样。
Ask yourselves -- where would we be right now if the people who sat here before us decided not to build our highways, not to build our bridges, our dams, our airports? What would this country be like if we had chosen not to spend money on public high schools, or research universities, or community colleges? Millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, had the opportunity to go to school because of the G.I. Bill. Where would we be if they hadn’t had that chance? 问问自己——如果在我们之前坐在这里的人决定不修建我们的公路、不建造我们的桥梁、水坝和机场，我们现在会怎样？如果我们选择不在公立高中、研究型大学或社区学院上投入资金，这个国家会是什么样？数百万归来的英雄，包括我的外祖父，因为退伍军人权利法案而有了上学的机会。如果他们没有那个机会，我们会怎样？
How many jobs would it have cost us if past Congresses decided not to support the basic research that led to the Internet and the computer chip? What kind of country would this be if this chamber had voted down Social Security or Medicare just because it violated some rigid idea about what government could or could not do? How many Americans would have suffered as a result? 如果过去的国会决定不支持促成互联网和计算机芯片的基础研究，那会让我们损失多少就业岗位？如果这个议事厅否决了社会保障或医疗照顾，仅仅因为那违背了某种关于政府该做什么不该做什么的僵化观念，这个国家会变成什么样？有多少美国人会因此受苦？
No single individual built America on their own. We built it together. We have been, and always will be, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; a nation with responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another. And members of Congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities. 没有人能够独自建成美国。我们是共同建设的。我们始终是，也将永远是一个在上帝之下的国家——不可分割，自由与公正属于所有人；一个对自己负有责任、对彼此也负有责任的国家。各位国会议员，是我们履行责任的时候了。
Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight is the kind that’s been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight will be paid for. And every proposal is designed to meet the urgent needs of our people and our communities. 我今晚提出的每一项提案都是过去曾获得民主党和共和党人支持的那种。我今晚提出的每一项提案都将得到充分支付。每一项提案都旨在满足我们人民和我们社区的迫切需求。
Now, I know there’s been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics of the moment will allow us to pass this jobs plan -- or any jobs plan. Already, we’re seeing the same old press releases and tweets flying back and forth. Already, the media has proclaimed that it’s impossible to bridge our differences. And maybe some of you have decided that those differences are so great that we can only resolve them at the ballot box. 我知道，关于当前的政治环境是否允许我们通过这项就业计划——或者任何就业计划——存在很多质疑。我们已经看到了那些老一套的新闻稿和推文在来回飞舞。媒体已经宣称弥合分歧是不可能的。也许你们中有些人已经认定那些分歧太大，只能通过投票箱来解决。
But know this: The next election is 14 months away. And the people who sent us here -- the people who hired us to work for them -- they don’t have the luxury of waiting 14 months. Some of them are living week to week, paycheck to paycheck, even day to day. They need help, and they need it now. 但请知道这一点：下一次选举还有十四个月。而派我们来到这里的人——雇佣我们为他们工作的人——他们没有等十四个月的奢侈。他们中有些人一周一周地、一张薪水一张薪水地、甚至一天一天地过日子。他们需要帮助，而且现在就需要。
I don’t pretend that this plan will solve all our problems. It should not be, nor will it be, the last plan of action we propose. What’s guided us from the start of this crisis hasn’t been the search for a silver bullet. It’s been a commitment to stay at it -- to be persistent -- to keep trying every new idea that works, and listen to every good proposal, no matter which party comes up with it. 我不假装这项计划能解决我们所有的问题。它不应该、也不会是我们提出的最后一个行动计划。从这场危机一开始就指引我们的，不是寻找什么灵丹妙药。而是一种坚持不懈的承诺——保持毅力——不断尝试每一个有效的新想法，听取每一个好建议，无论来自哪个政党。
Regardless of the arguments we’ve had in the past, regardless of the arguments we will have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do right now. You should pass it. And I intend to take that message to every corner of this country. And I ask -- I ask every American who agrees to lift your voice: Tell the people who are gathered here tonight that you want action now. Tell Washington that doing nothing is not an option. Remind us that if we act as one nation and one people, we have it within our power to meet this challenge. 无论我们过去有过怎样的争论，无论我们未来将会有怎样的争论，这项计划是现在应该做的正确之事。你们应该通过它。我打算把这个信息带到这个国家的每一个角落。我请求——我请求每一个赞成的美国人发出你们的声音：告诉今晚聚集在这里的人，你们要求立即行动。告诉华盛顿，无所作为不是一个选项。提醒我们，如果我们作为一个国家和一个民族行动，我们有能力迎接这一挑战。
President Kennedy once said, “Our problems are man-made -- therefore they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants.” 肯尼迪总统曾说："我们的问题是人为的——因此可以由人来解决。而人可以如他所愿般伟大。"
These are difficult years for our country. But we are Americans. We are tougher than the times we live in, and we are bigger than our politics have been. So let’s meet the moment. Let’s get to work, and let’s show the world once again why the United States of America remains the greatest nation on Earth. 对我国来说，这是艰难的岁月。但我们是美国人。我们比我们所处的时代更坚韧，我们比我们的政治更伟大。所以让我们迎接这个时刻。让我们开始工作，让世界再次看到为什么美利坚合众国仍然是地球上最伟大的国家。
Thank you very much. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. 非常感谢。愿上帝保佑你们，愿上帝保佑美利坚合众国。