Hello, everybody. We've really got a full house today, huh? Well, all I want for Christmas is to take your questions. But first let me say a little bit about this year. 大家好。今天真是座无虚席啊，是吧？嗯，我圣诞节唯一想要的就是回答你们的问题。不过首先，让我谈谈这一年的情况。
In last year’s final press conference , I said that 2014 would be a year of action and would be a breakthrough year for America. And it has been. Yes, there were crises that we had to tackle around the world, many that were unanticipated. We have more work to do to make sure our economy, our justice system, and our government work not just for the few, but for the many. But there is no doubt that we can enter into the New Year with renewed confidence that America is making significant strides where it counts. 在去年的年终记者会上，我说2014年将是行动之年，将是美国的突破之年。事实也确实如此。没错，我们在世界各地不得不应对许多危机，其中很多是意料之外的。我们还有更多工作要做，以确保我们的经济、司法体系和政府不只是为少数人服务，而是为多数人服务。但毫无疑问，我们可以满怀信心地迎接新年，美国正在关键领域取得重大进展。
The steps that we took early on to rescue our economy and rebuild it on a new foundation helped make 2014 the strongest year for job growth since the 1990s. All told, over a 57-month streak, our businesses have created nearly 11 million new jobs. Almost all the job growth that we’ve seen have been in full-time positions. Much of the recent pickup in job growth has been in higher-paying industries. And in a hopeful sign for middle-class families, wages are on the rise again. 我们早些时候为拯救经济并在新基础上重建经济所采取的措施，使2014年成为自1990年代以来就业增长最强劲的一年。总的来说，在连续57个月的增长中，我们的企业创造了近1100万个新就业岗位。我们所看到的几乎所有就业增长都来自全职岗位。最近就业增长的加速很大程度上来自高薪行业。对中产阶级家庭来说，一个令人欣慰的迹象是，工资又开始上涨了。
Our investments in American manufacturing have helped fuel its best stretch of job growth also since the 1990s. America is now the number-one producer of oil, the number-one producer of natural gas. We're saving drivers about 70 cents a gallon at the pump over last Christmas. And effectively today, our rescue of the auto industry is officially over. We've now repaid taxpayers every dime and more of what my Administration committed, and the American auto industry is on track for its strongest year since 2005. And we've created about half a million new jobs in the auto industry alone. 我们对美国制造业的投资，推动了其就业增长也达到了自1990年代以来的最佳水平。美国现在是世界第一大石油生产国，也是第一大天然气生产国。与去年圣诞节相比，现在每加仑汽油能为司机省下约70美分。实际上就在今天，我们对汽车行业的救助正式结束了。我们已经偿还了纳税人的每一分钱，甚至超过了我政府承诺的数额，而美国汽车行业正有望迎来2005年以来最强劲的一年。仅在汽车行业，我们就创造了约50万个新就业岗位。
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, about 10 million Americans have gained health insurance just this past year. Enrollment is beginning to pick up again during the open enrollment period. The uninsured rate is at a near record low. Since the law passed, the price of health care has risen at its slowest rate in about 50 years. And we’ve cut our deficits by about two-thirds since I took office, bringing them to below their 40-year average. 多亏了《平价医疗法案》，仅在过去一年，就有约1000万美国人获得了医疗保险。在开放登记期内，登记人数又开始回升。未参保率处于接近历史最低水平。自该法案通过以来，医疗保健价格的上涨速度是约50年来最慢的。自我就职以来，我们已经削减了约三分之二的赤字，使其降至40年平均水平以下。
Meanwhile, around the world, America is leading. We’re leading the coalition to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL -- a coalition that includes Arab partners. We’re leading the international community to check Russian aggression in Ukraine. We are leading the global fight to combat Ebola in West Africa, and we are preventing an outbreak from taking place here at home. We’re leading efforts to address climate change, including last month’s joint announcement with China that’s already jumpstarting new progress in other countries. 与此同时，在世界各地，美国发挥着领导作用。我们领导着联盟来削弱并最终摧毁"伊斯兰国"——这个联盟包括阿拉伯国家伙伴。我们领导国际社会遏制俄罗斯在乌克兰的侵略。我们领导全球抗击西非埃博拉疫情的斗争，我们正在防止疫情在国内爆发。我们领导应对气候变化的努力，包括上个月与中国的联合声明，这已经在其他国家启动了新的进展。
We’re writing a new chapter in our leadership here in the Americas by turning a new page on our relationship with the Cuban people. 我们通过开启与古巴人民关系的新篇章，在美洲地区书写着我们领导力的新篇章。
And in less than two weeks, after more than 13 years, our combat mission in Afghanistan will be over. Today, more of our troops are home for the holidays than any time in over a decade. Still, many of our men and women in uniform will spend Christmas in harm’s way. And they should know that the country is united in support of you and grateful not only to you but also to your families. 再过不到两周，经过13年多的时间，我们在阿富汗的作战任务即将结束。今天，有更多的军人回家过节，这是十多年来最多的一次。尽管如此，我们的许多男女军人仍将在危险中度过圣诞节。他们应该知道，全国上下团结一致支持你们，不仅感激你们，也感激你们的家人。
The six years since the crisis have demanded hard work and sacrifice on everybody’s part. But as a country, we have every right to be proud of what we’ve accomplished -- more jobs; more people insured; a growing economy; shrinking deficits; bustling industry; booming energy. Pick any metric that you want -- America’s resurgence is real. We are better off. 危机爆发以来的六年，要求每个人都付出艰苦努力和牺牲。但作为一个国家，我们完全有理由为我们取得的成就感到自豪——更多的就业岗位；更多人有了保险；经济不断增长；赤字不断缩小；工业欣欣向荣；能源蓬勃发展。随便你选哪个指标——美国的复苏是真实的。我们的境况更好了。
I’ve always said that recovering from the crisis of 2008 was our first order of business, and on that business, America has outperformed all of our other competitors. Over the past four years, we’ve put more people back to work than all other advanced economies combined. We’ve now come to a point where we have the chance to reverse an even deeper problem, the decades-long erosion of middle-class jobs and incomes, and to make sure that the middle class is the engine that powers our prosperity for decades to come. 我一直说，从2008年的危机中复苏是我们的首要任务，而在这项任务上，美国的表现超过了所有其他竞争对手。在过去四年里，我们让重返工作岗位的人数超过了所有其他发达经济体的总和。我们现在已经到了这样一个关口，我们有机会扭转一个更深层次的问题，即中产阶级就业和收入长达数十年的萎缩，并确保中产阶级成为未来几十年推动我们繁荣的引擎。
To do that, we're going to have to make some smart choices; we've got to make the right choices. We're going to have to invest in the things that secure even faster growth in higher-paying jobs for more Americans. And I’m being absolutely sincere when I say I want to work with this new Congress to get things done, to make those investments, to make sure the government is working better and smarter. We're going to disagree on some things, but there are going to be areas of agreement and we've got to be able to make that happen. 要做到这一点，我们必须做出一些明智的选择；我们必须做出正确的选择。我们必须投资于那些能为更多美国人带来更快增长和更高薪工作的领域。当我说我希望与新一届国会合作以取得进展、进行这些投资、确保政府运转得更好更高效时，我是绝对真诚的。
And that's going to involve compromise every once in a while, and we saw during this lame duck period that perhaps that spirit of compromise may be coming to the fore. 我们会在一些问题上存在分歧，但也会有达成共识的领域，我们必须能够实现这一点。这需要偶尔的妥协，而我们在这次跛脚鸭会议期间看到，或许这种妥协精神正在显现。
In terms of my own job, I'm energized, I'm excited about the prospects for the next couple of years, and I'm certainly not going to be stopping for a minute in the effort to make life better for ordinary Americans. Because, thanks to their efforts, we really do have a new foundation that's been laid. We are better positioned than we have been in a very long time. A new future is ready to be written. We've set the stage for this American moment. And I'm going to spend every minute of my last two years making sure that we seize it. 就我本人的工作而言，我充满干劲，我对未来几年的前景感到兴奋，我当然不会在改善普通美国人生活的努力中有片刻停歇。因为，多亏了他们的努力，我们确实奠定了新的基础。我们的处境比很长一段时间以来都要好。新的未来正等待着被书写。我们已经为这个美国时刻奠定了基础。我将用我最后两年的每一分钟来确保我们抓住这个机遇。
My presidency is entering the fourth quarter; interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter. And I'm looking forward to it. But going into the fourth quarter, you usually get a timeout. I'm now looking forward to a quiet timeout -- Christmas with my family. So I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy New Year. I hope that all of you get some time to spend with your families as well, because one thing that we share is that we're away too much from them. 我的总统任期正进入第四节；精彩的事情总是发生在第四节。我对此充满期待。但进入第四节之前，通常会有一次暂停。我现在期待着一个安静的暂停——和我的家人一起过圣诞节。所以我想祝大家圣诞快乐，光明节快乐，新年快乐。我希望你们所有人都能抽出时间与家人团聚，因为我们的共同之处是，我们陪伴他们的时间太少了。
And now, Josh has given me the “who’s been naughty and who’s been nice” list -- and I'm going to use it to take some questions. And we're going to start with Carrie Budoff Brown of Politico. There you go, Carrie. 现在，乔什给了我一份"谁调皮、谁乖巧"的名单——我要用它来点名提问。我们先从《政客》杂志的卡丽·布多夫·布朗开始。卡丽，来吧。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I’ll start on North Korea -- that seems to be the biggest topic today. What does a proportional response look like to the Sony hack? And did Sony make the right decision in pulling the movie? Or does that set a dangerous precedent when faced with this kind of situation? 问：谢谢您，总统先生。我先从朝鲜问题开始——这似乎是今天最大的话题。对索尼黑客事件的相称回应会是什么样的？索尼撤映这部电影的决定是否正确？或者说，面对这种情况，这是否开创了一个危险的先例？
President Obama: Well, let me address the second question first. Sony is a corporation. It suffered significant damage. There were threats against its employees. I am sympathetic to the concerns that they faced. Having said all that, yes, I think they made a mistake. 奥巴马总统：嗯，让我先回答第二个问题。索尼是一家公司。它遭受了重大损失。其员工受到了威胁。我对他们面临的担忧表示同情。尽管如此，是的，我认为他们犯了一个错误。
In this interconnected, digital world, there are going to be opportunities for hackers to engage in cyber assaults both in the private sector and the public sector. Now, our first order of business is making sure that we do everything to harden sites and prevent those kinds of attacks from taking place. When I came into office, I stood up a cybersecurity interagency team to look at everything that we could at the government level to prevent these kinds of attacks. We’ve been coordinating with the private sector, but a lot more needs to be done. We’re not even close to where we need to be. 在这个互联互通的数字世界里，黑客将有机会对私营部门和公共部门发动网络攻击。现在，我们的首要任务是确保我们尽一切努力加固系统，防止此类攻击发生。在我就职时，我成立了一个网络安全跨部门小组，研究我们在政府层面可以采取的一切措施来防止这类攻击。我们一直在与私营部门协调，但还需要做更多工作。我们离需要达到的水平还差得远。
And one of the things in the New Year that I hope Congress is prepared to work with us on is strong cybersecurity laws that allow for information-sharing across private sector platforms, as well as the public sector, so that we are incorporating best practices and preventing these attacks from happening in the first place. 新年里，我希望国会准备好与我们合作的事项之一，就是制定强有力的网络安全法律，允许私营部门平台之间以及与公共部门之间进行信息共享，这样我们就能采纳最佳实践，从一开始就防止这些攻击的发生。
But even as we get better, the hackers are going to get better, too. Some of them are going to be state actors; some of them are going to be non-state actors. All of them are going to be sophisticated and many of them can do some damage. 但即使我们变得更强大，黑客也会变得更强大。其中一些将是国家行为体；一些将是非国家行为体。它们都将是复杂的，其中许多都能造成一定损害。
We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States. Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don’t like, or news reports that they don’t like. Or even worse, imagine if producers and distributors and others start engaging in self-censorship because they don’t want to offend the sensibilities of somebody whose sensibilities probably need to be offended. 我们不能允许这样一种社会：某个地方的独裁者可以开始在美国境内实施审查。因为如果有人能恐吓人们不敢发行一部讽刺电影，想象一下，当他们看到一部不喜欢的纪录片或不喜欢的新闻报道时，他们会怎么做。更糟糕的是，想象一下，如果制片方、发行方和其他人因为不想冒犯某些人的情感而开始自我审查——而那些人的情感可能恰恰需要被冒犯。
So that’s not who we are. That’s not what America is about. Again, I’m sympathetic that Sony as a private company was worried about liabilities, and this and that and the other. I wish they had spoken to me first. I would have told them, do not get into a pattern in which you’re intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks. Imagine if, instead of it being a cyber-threat, somebody had broken into their offices and destroyed a bunch of computers and stolen disks. Is that what it takes for suddenly you to pull the plug on something? 所以这不是我们的作风。这不是美国的精神。再次强调，我对索尼作为一家私营公司担心责任问题以及各种顾虑表示理解。我真希望他们事先能和我谈谈。我会告诉他们，不要陷入被这类犯罪攻击所吓倒的模式。想象一下，如果不是网络威胁，而是有人闯入他们的办公室，毁掉一堆电脑，偷走磁盘。难道那就能让你突然叫停一切吗？
So we'll engage with not just the film industry, but the news industry and the private sector around these issues. We already have. We will continue to do so. But I think all of us have to anticipate occasionally there are going to be breaches like this. They're going to be costly. They're going to be serious. We take them with the utmost seriousness. 因此，我们不仅要与电影行业接触，还要与新闻行业和私营部门就这些问题进行合作。我们已经在这样做了。我们将继续这样做。但我认为我们所有人都必须预见到，偶尔会发生这样的入侵事件。它们代价高昂。它们后果严重。我们极其严肃地对待这些问题。
But we can't start changing our patterns of behavior any more than we stop going to a football game because there might be the possibility of a terrorist attack; any more than Boston didn't run its marathon this year because of the possibility that somebody might try to cause harm. So let's not get into that way of doing business. 但我们不能开始改变我们的行为模式，就像我们不会因为可能发生恐怖袭击就不去看橄榄球比赛一样；就像波士顿不会因为有人可能试图制造伤害就不举办马拉松比赛一样。所以我们不要陷入那种行事方式。
Question: Can you just say what the response would be to this attack? Wwould you consider taking some sort of symbolic step like watching the movie yourself or doing some sort of screening here that -- 问：您能说说这次袭击的回应会是什么吗？您是否考虑采取某种象征性的举措，比如亲自观看这部电影，或者在这里举办放映会——
President Obama: I’ve got a long list of movies I’m going to be watching. 奥巴马总统：我要看的电影有一长串呢。
Question: Will this be one of them? 问：这部会在其中吗？
President Obama: I never release my full movie list. 奥巴马总统：我从不公布我的完整观影清单。
But let’s talk of the specifics of what we now know. The FBI announced today and we can confirm that North Korea engaged in this attack. I think it says something interesting about North Korea that they decided to have the state mount an all-out assault on a movie studio because of a satirical movie starring Seth Rogen and James Flacco [Franco]. I love Seth and I love James, but the notion that that was a threat to them I think gives you some sense of the kind of regime we’re talking about here. 不过让我们谈谈我们目前所知的具体情况。联邦调查局今天宣布，我们可以确认朝鲜实施了这次袭击。我认为这很能说明朝鲜的一些问题——他们竟然决定由国家发动全面攻击，就因为一部由塞斯·罗根和詹姆斯·弗兰科主演的讽刺电影。我爱塞斯，也爱詹姆斯，但认为这对他们构成威胁的想法，我觉得能让你大致了解我们在谈论什么样的政权。
They caused a lot of damage, and we will respond. We will respond proportionally, and we’ll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. It’s not something that I will announce here today at a press conference. 他们造成了巨大损失，我们将作出回应。我们将作出相称的回应，我们将在我们选择的地点、时间和方式作出回应。这不是我今天在记者会上要宣布的事情。
More broadly, though, this points to the need for us to work with the international community to start setting up some very clear rules of the road in terms of how the Internet and cyber operates. Right now, it’s sort of the Wild West. And part of the problem is, is you’ve got weak states that can engage in these kinds of attacks, you’ve got non-state actors that can do enormous damage. That’s part of what makes this issue of cybersecurity so urgent. 不过更广泛地说，这表明我们需要与国际社会合作，开始就互联网和网络运作制定一些非常明确的规则。目前，这有点像蛮荒西部。部分问题在于，有一些弱小国家可以参与这类攻击，也有一些非国家行为体可以造成巨大破坏。这就是网络安全问题如此紧迫的部分原因。
Again, this is part of the reason why it’s going to be so important for Congress to work with us and get a actual bill passed that allows for the kind of information-sharing we need. Because if we don’t put in place the kind of architecture that can prevent these attacks from taking place, this is not just going to be affecting movies, this is going to be affecting our entire economy in ways that are extraordinarily significant. 再次强调，这就是为什么国会与我们合作并通过一项真正的法案如此重要，该法案能够实现我们所需的那种信息共享。因为如果我们不建立能够防止这些攻击发生的架构，受影响的将不仅仅是电影，还将以极其重大的方式影响我们的整个经济。
And, by the way, I hear you’re moving to Europe. Where you going to be? 顺便问一下，我听说你要搬去欧洲了。你要去哪里？
Question: Brussels. 问：布鲁塞尔。
President Obama: Brussels. 奥巴马总统：布鲁塞尔。
Question: Yes. Helping Politico start a new publication. 问：是的。帮助《政客》杂志创办一份新刊物。
President Obama: Well, congratulations. 奥巴马总统：嗯，恭喜。
Question: I’ve been covering you since the beginning. 问：我从一开始就报道您。
President Obama: Well, I think -- 奥巴马总统：嗯，我想——
Question: It’s been a long road for the both of us. 问：对我们俩来说都是一段漫长的旅程。
President Obama: I think there’s no doubt that what Belgium needs is a version of Politico. 奥巴马总统：我认为毫无疑问，比利时需要的就是一个《政客》杂志版本。
Question: I’ll take that as an endorsement. 问：我就当这是您的背书了。
President Obama: The waffles are delicious there, by the way. Cheryl Bolen. You’ve been naughty. Cheryl, go ahead. 奥巴马总统：对了，那里的华夫饼很好吃。谢丽尔·博伦。你调皮了。谢丽尔，提问吧。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Looking ahead to your work with Congress next year, you’ve mentioned as an area of possible compromise tax reform. And so I am wondering, do you see a Republican Congress as presenting a better opportunity for actually getting tax reform next year? Will you be putting out a new proposal? Are you willing to consider both individual and corporate side of the tax ledger there? And also, are you still concerned about corporate inversions? 问：谢谢您，总统先生。展望明年您与国会的合作，您提到税收改革是一个可能达成妥协的领域。所以我想知道，您认为共和党控制的国会是否为明年真正推动税收改革提供了更好的机会？您会提出新的方案吗？您是否愿意同时考虑税收的个人和企业两方面？还有，您是否仍然关注税收倒置问题？
President Obama: I think an all-Democratic Congress would have provided an even better opportunity for tax reform. But I think, talking to Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell that they are serious about wanting to get some things done. The tax area is one area where we can get things done. And I think in the coming weeks leading up to the State of Union, there will be some conversations at the staff levels about what principles each side are looking at. 奥巴马总统：我认为，如果国会全由民主党控制，税收改革的机会甚至会更好。但我认为，与博纳议长和麦康奈尔领袖交谈后，他们对于想要取得一些进展是认真的。税收领域是我们可以取得进展的一个方面。我认为在未来几周直至国情咨文期间，双方工作人员将就各自关注的原则进行一些对话。
I can tell you broadly what I’d like to see. I’d like to see more simplicity in the system. I’d like to see more fairness in the system. With respect to the corporate tax reform issue, we know that there are companies that are paying the full freight -- 35 percent -- higher than just about any other company on Earth, if you're paying 35 percent, and then there are other companies that are paying zero because they’ve got better accountants or lawyers. That's not fair. 我可以大致告诉你们我希望看到什么。我希望这个系统更简洁。我希望这个系统更公平。关于企业税改革问题，我们知道有些公司在全额缴纳——35%——如果你支付35%的税率，那比地球上几乎任何其他公司都高，但也有其他公司因为有更好的会计师或律师而一分钱不缴。这不公平。
There are companies that are parking money outside the country because of tax avoidance. We think that it’s important that everybody pays something if, in fact, they are effectively headquartered in the United States. In terms of corporate inversion, those are situations where companies really are headquartered here but, on paper, switch their headquarters to see if they can avoid paying their fair share of taxes. I think that needs to be fixed. 有些公司因为避税而把资金存放在境外。我们认为，如果公司实际上总部设在美国，那么每个人都应该缴纳一些税款，这很重要。关于企业税收倒置，就是那些实际上总部设在这里、但在纸面上更换总部以试图逃避公平税负的公司的情况。我认为这需要纠正。
So, fairness, everybody paying their fair share, everybody taking responsibility I think is going to be very important. 所以，公平、每个人都缴纳公平份额、每个人都承担责任，我认为这将非常重要。
Some of those principles I’ve heard Republicans say they share. How we do that -- the devil is in the details. And I’ll be interested in seeing what they want to move forward. I’m going to make sure that we put forward some pretty specific proposals building on what we’ve already put forward. 我听说共和党人也认同其中一些原则。如何实现——细节决定成败。我很期待看到他们想要推进什么。我将确保我们在已经提出的方案基础上，提出一些相当具体的建议。
One other element of this that I think is important is -- and I’ve been on this hobby horse now for six years. [Audience member sneezes.] Bless you. We’ve got a lot of infrastructure we’ve got to rebuild in this country if we're going to be competitive -- roads, bridges, ports, airports, electrical grids, water systems, sewage systems. We are way behind. 另一个我认为很重要的因素是——六年来我一直在这个问题上奔走呼吁。[观众中有人打喷嚏。]保佑你。如果我们要保持竞争力，这个国家有大量基础设施需要重建——道路、桥梁、港口、机场、电网、供水系统、污水处理系统。我们已经远远落后了。
And early on we indicated that there is a way of us potentially doing corporate tax reform, lowering rates, eliminating loopholes so everybody is paying their fair share, and during that transition also providing a mechanism where we can get some infrastructure built. I’d like to see us work on that issue as well. Historically, obviously, infrastructure has not been a Democratic or a Republican issue, and I’d like to see if we can return to that tradition. 我们早些时候就表示，有可能通过企业税改革，降低税率，堵塞漏洞，让每个人都缴纳公平份额，并在过渡期间提供一种机制，让我们能够建设一些基础设施。我也希望我们能在这个问题上开展合作。历史上，基础设施显然不是民主党或共和党一党的事，我希望我们能回归这一传统。
Julie Pace. 朱莉·佩斯。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to ask about Cuba. What would you say to dissidents or democracy advocates inside Cuba who fear that the policy changes you announced this week could give the Castro regime economic benefits without having to address human rights or their political system? When your Administration was lifting sanctions on Myanmar you sought commitments of reform. Why not do the same with Cuba? 问：谢谢您，总统先生。我想问关于古巴的问题。您会对古巴国内的持不同政见者或民主倡导者说些什么？他们担心您本周宣布的政策变化可能会让卡斯特罗政权获得经济利益，而无需解决人权问题或其政治体制问题。当您的政府解除对缅甸的制裁时，您寻求了改革承诺。为什么不对古巴也这样做呢？
And if I could just follow up on North Korea. Do you have any indication that North Korea was acting in conjunction with another country, perhaps China? 我还想追问一下朝鲜的问题。您有没有迹象表明朝鲜是在与另一个国家合作，也许是中国？
President Obama: We’ve got no indication that North Korea was acting in conjunction with another country. 奥巴马总统：我们没有迹象表明朝鲜在与另一个国家合作。
With respect to Cuba, we are glad that the Cuban government have released slightly over 50 dissidents; that they are going to be allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations human rights agencies to operate more freely inside of Cuba and monitor what is taking place. 关于古巴，我们感到欣慰的是，古巴政府已经释放了50多名持不同政见者；他们将允许红十字国际委员会和联合国人权机构在古巴境内更自由地开展活动，并监督正在发生的事情。
I share the concerns of dissidents there and human rights activists that this is still a regime that represses its people. And as I said when I made the announcement, I don’t anticipate overnight changes, but what I know deep in my bones is that if you’ve done the same thing for 50 years and nothing has changed, you should try something different if you want a different outcome. And this gives us an opportunity for a different outcome, because suddenly Cuba is open to the world in ways that it has not been before. It’s open to Americans traveling there in ways that it hasn’t been before. 我理解那里的持不同政见者和人权活动人士的担忧，即这仍是一个压迫人民的政权。正如我在宣布这一决定时所说，我不指望一夜之间发生变化，但我骨子里深知，如果你50年来一直做同一件事却毫无改变，那么想要不同的结果就应该尝试不同的做法。这给了我们一个获得不同结果的机会，因为古巴突然以一种前所未有的方式向世界开放。
It’s open to church groups visiting their fellow believers inside of Cuba in ways they haven't been before. It offers the prospect of telecommunications and the Internet being more widely available in Cuba in ways that it hasn’t been before. 它以一种前所未有的方式向前往那里的美国人开放。它以一种前所未有的方式向教会团体开放，让他们能够探访在古巴的同信众。它为电信和互联网在古巴更广泛的普及带来了前景，这也是前所未有的。
And over time, that chips away at this hermetically sealed society, and I believe offers the best prospect then of leading to greater freedom, greater self-determination on the part of the Cuban people. 随着时间的推移，这将逐步侵蚀这个与世隔绝的社会，我相信这为古巴人民带来更大自由、更多自决权提供了最好的前景。
I think it will happen in fits and starts. But through engagement, we have a better chance of bringing about change then we would have otherwise. 我认为这一过程会断断续续地发生。但通过接触，我们比不接触更有可能带来变革。
Question: Do you have a goal for where you see Cuba being at the end of your presidency? 问：对于您总统任期结束时古巴会是什么样子，您有目标吗？
President Obama: I think it would be unrealistic for me to map out exactly where Cuba will be. But change is going to come to Cuba. It has to. They’ve got an economy that doesn’t work. They’ve been reliant for years first on subsidies from the Soviet Union, then on subsidies from Venezuela. Those can’t be sustained. And the more the Cuban people see what’s possible, the more interested they are going to be in change. 奥巴马总统：我认为，要确切规划古巴未来的发展状况对我来说是不现实的。但变革必将降临古巴。这是必然的。他们的经济行不通。多年来他们先是依赖苏联的补贴，后来又依赖委内瑞拉的补贴。这些都是不可持续的。古巴人民看到的可能性越多，他们对变革的兴趣就会越大。
But how societies change is country-specific, it’s culturally specific. It could happen fast; it could happen slower than I’d like; but it’s going to happen. And I think this change in policy is going to advance that. 但社会如何变革是因国而异、因文化而异的。可能很快发生；也可能比我希望的要慢；但变革一定会发生。我认为这一政策变化将推动这一进程。
Lesley Clark. 莱斯利·克拉克。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I had a number of questions on Cuba as well. Appreciate that. I wanted to -- 问：谢谢您，总统先生。我也有一些关于古巴的问题。感谢您的回答。我想——
President Obama: Do I have to write all these down? How many are there? “A number” sounded intimidating. 奥巴马总统：我得把这些问题都写下来吗？有多少个？"一些"听起来挺吓人的。
Question: As quick as I can. As quick as I can. I wanted to see if you got an assurances from the Cuban government that it would not revert to the same sort of -- sabotage the deal, as it has in the past when past Presidents had made similar overtures to the government. President Obama: Meaning? Be specific. What do you mean? 问：我会尽快的。我会尽快的。我想了解，您是否得到了古巴政府的保证，保证它不会重蹈覆辙——破坏协议，就像过去历任总统向该国政府作出类似姿态时那样。奥巴马总统：什么意思？具体点。你指的是什么？
Question: When the Clinton Administration made some overtures, they shot down planes. They sort of had this pattern of doing provocative -- provocative events. President Obama: Okay, so just general provocative activity. 问：克林顿政府作出一些姿态时，他们击落了飞机。他们似乎有这种挑衅的模式——挑衅行为。奥巴马总统：好的，所以就是一般的挑衅活动。
Question: Provocative activities any time the U.S. has sort of reached out a hand to them. I wanted to see what is your knowledge of whether Fidel Castro -- did he have any role in the talks? When you talked to President Raul Castro, did Fidel Castro's name come up? Or did you ask about him? How he's doing? People haven't seen him in a while. 问：每当美国向他们伸出援手时，就会有挑衅活动。我想了解，您知道菲德尔·卡斯特罗是否——他在谈判中起了什么作用吗？当您与劳尔·卡斯特罗总统交谈时，菲德尔·卡斯特罗的名字被提到了吗？还是您问起过他？他近况如何？人们有一阵子没见到他了。
Given the deep opposition from some Republicans in Congress to lifting the embargo, to an embassy, to any of the changes that you're doing, are you going to personally get involved in terms of talking to them about efforts that they want to do to block money on a new embassy? 鉴于国会中一些共和党人强烈反对解除禁运、反对设立大使馆、反对您正在进行的任何变革，您是否会亲自参与与他们的对话，讨论他们想要阻止新大使馆资金的努力？
President Obama: All right, Lesley, I think I’m going to cut you off here. This is taking up a lot of time. 奥巴马总统：好的，莱斯利，我得打断你了。这占了太多时间。
Question: Okay, all right. 问：好的，好的。
President Obama: All right. So, with respect to sabotage, I mean, my understanding of the history, for example, of the plane being shot down, it’s not clear that that was the Cuban government purposely trying to undermine overtures by the Clinton Administration. It was a tragic circumstance that ended up collapsing talks that had begun to take place. I haven't seen a historical record that suggests that they shot the plane down specifically in order to undermine overtures by the Clinton government. 奥巴马总统：好的。关于破坏协议的问题，我的意思是，根据我对历史的了解，比如击落飞机事件，目前还不清楚那是古巴政府故意试图破坏克林顿政府的接触姿态。那是一个悲剧性的事件，最终导致刚刚开始的谈判破裂。我没有看到历史记录表明他们击落飞机是专门为了破坏克林顿政府的接触姿态。
I think it is not precedented for the President of the United States and the President of Cuba to make an announcement at the same time that they are moving towards normalizing relations. So there hasn’t been anything like this in the past. That doesn’t meant that over the next two years we can anticipate them taking certain actions that we may end up finding deeply troubling either inside of Cuba or with respect to their foreign policy. And that could put significant strains on the relationship. But that’s true of a lot of countries out there where we have an embassy. 我认为，美国总统和古巴总统同时宣布他们正走向关系正常化，这是史无前例的。所以过去从未发生过这样的事情。
And the whole point of normalizing relations is that it gives us a greater opportunity to have influence with that government than not. 但这并不意味着在未来两年里，我们可以预期他们不会采取某些我们可能深感不安的行动，无论是在古巴国内还是在其外交政策方面。这可能会给两国关系带来巨大压力。但对于我们设有大使馆的许多国家来说，情况也是如此。而关系正常化的全部意义就在于，它让我们有更多机会对该国政府施加影响，而不是相反。
So I would be surprised if the Cuban government purposely tries to undermine what is now effectively its own policy. I wouldn’t be surprised if they take at any given time actions that we think are a problem. And we will be in a position to respond to whatever actions they take the same way we do with a whole range of countries around the world when they do things we think are wrong. But the point is, is that we will be in a better position I think to actually have some influence, and there may be carrots as well as sticks that we can then apply. 所以，如果古巴政府故意试图破坏现在实际上也是他们自己的政策，我会感到惊讶。如果他们在任何时候采取我们认为有问题的行动，我不会感到惊讶。我们将能够像对待世界上许多其他国家一样，对他们采取的任何行动作出回应。但关键在于，我认为我们将处于更有利的地位来真正施加一些影响，而且我们可能既可以使用胡萝卜，也可以使用大棒。
The only way that Fidel’s name came up -- I think I may have mentioned this in the Davie Muir article -- interview that I did -- was I delivered a fairly lengthy statement at the front end about how we’re looking forward to a new future in the relationship between our two countries, but that we are going to continue to press on issues of democracy and human rights, which we think are important. 菲德尔的名字被提到的唯一一次——我想我在接受戴维·缪尔采访时可能提到过——是我在开头发表了一份相当长的声明，谈到我们期待着两国关系的新未来，但我们将继续在民主和人权问题上施压，我们认为这些问题很重要。
My opening remarks probably took about 15 minutes, which on the phone is a pretty long time. And at the end of that, he said, Mr. President, you’re still a young man. Perhaps you have the -- at the end of my remarks I apologized for taking such a long time, but I wanted to make sure that before we engaged in the conversation he was very clear about where I stood. He said, oh, don’t worry about it, Mr. President, you’re still a young man and you have still the chance to break Fidel’s record -- he once spoke seven hours straight. 我的开场白大概持续了15分钟，在电话里这是相当长的时间。最后，他说，总统先生，您还年轻。也许您还有——在我讲话结束时，我为讲了这么长时间道歉，但我想确保在我们开始交谈之前，他非常清楚我的立场。他说，哦，别担心，总统先生，您还年轻，您还有机会打破菲德尔的纪录——他曾经一口气讲了七个小时。
And then, President Castro proceeded to deliver his own preliminary remarks that last at least twice as long as mine. And then I was able to say, obviously it runs in the family. But that was the only discussion of Fidel Castro that we had. 然后，卡斯特罗总统接着发表了他自己的开场白，至少有我的两倍长。然后我就说，显然这是家族遗传。但那是我们唯一一次讨论菲德尔·卡斯特罗。
I sort of forgot all the other questions. 我把其他问题都忘了。
Question: I have a few more if you’re -- how personally involved are you going to get in -- 问：我还有几个问题，如果您——您会在多大程度上亲自参与——
President Obama: With respect to Congress? We cannot unilaterally bring down the embargo. That’s codified in the Libertad Act. And what I do think is going to happen, though, is there’s going to be a process where Congress digests it. There are bipartisan supporters of our new approach, there are bipartisan detractors of this new approach. People will see how the actions we take unfold. And I think there’s going to be a healthy debate inside of Congress. 奥巴马总统：关于国会吗？我们不能单方面解除禁运。这已写入《自由法案》。但我认为将会发生的是，国会将有一个消化过程。我们的新做法有两党的支持者，也有两党的反对者。人们将看到我们采取的行动如何展开。我认为国会内部将展开一场健康的辩论。
And I will certainly weigh in. I think that ultimately we need to go ahead and pull down the embargo, which I think has been self-defeating in advancing the aims that we’re interested in. But I don’t anticipate that that happens right away. I think people are going to want to see how does this move forward before there’s any serious debate about whether or not we would make major shifts in the embargo. 我当然会参与其中。我认为我们最终需要解除禁运，我认为禁运在推进我们所关注的目标方面适得其反。但我预计这不会马上发生。我认为在就是否对禁运作出重大调整展开任何严肃辩论之前，人们希望看到这一进程如何推进。
Roberta Rampton. 罗伯塔·兰普顿。
Question: I want to follow on that by asking, under what conditions would you meet with President Castro in Havana? Would you have certain preconditions that you would want to see met before doing that? And on the hack, I know that you said that you’re not going to announce your response, but can you say whether you’re considering additional economic or financial sanctions on North Korea? Can you rule out the use of military force or some kind of cyber hit of your own? 问：我想就此追问一下，在什么条件下您会在哈瓦那与卡斯特罗总统会面？您会有某些希望看到满足的前提条件吗？关于黑客袭击，我知道您说过不会宣布您的回应，但您能说一下您是否在考虑对朝鲜实施额外的经济或金融制裁吗？您能排除使用武力或某种网络反击的可能性吗？
President Obama: I think I’m going to leave it where I left it, which is we just confirmed that it was North Korea; we have been working up a range of options. They will be presented to me. I will make a decision on those based on what I believe is proportional and appropriate to the nature of this crime. 奥巴马总统：我想我就说到这里——我们刚刚确认是朝鲜所为；我们一直在制定一系列选项。这些选项将提交给我。我将根据我认为与这一罪行性质相称和适当的标准来作出决定。
With respect to Cuba, we’re not at a stage here where me visiting Cuba or President Castro coming to the United States is in the cards. I don’t know how this relationship will develop over the next several years. I’m a fairly young man so I imagine that at some point in my life I will have the opportunity to visit Cuba and enjoy interacting with the Cuban people. But there’s nothing specific where we're trying to target some sort of visit on my part. 关于古巴，我们目前还没有到我访问古巴或卡斯特罗总统访美的阶段。我不知道这种关系在未来几年会如何发展。我还相当年轻，所以我想在我人生的某个阶段会有机会访问古巴，享受与古巴人民的交流。但目前没有任何具体计划说要安排我的访问。
Colleen McCain Nelson. 科琳·麦凯恩·纳尔逊。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. 问：谢谢您，总统先生。
President Obama: There you are. 奥巴马总统：你在那儿啊。
Question: You spoke earlier about 2014 being a breakthrough year, and you ended the year with executive actions on Cuba and immigration and climate change. But you didn't make much progress this year on your legislative agenda. And some Republican lawmakers have said they're less inclined to work with you if you pursue executive actions so aggressively. Are you going to continue to pursue executive actions if that creates more roadblocks for your legislative agenda? Or have you concluded that it’s not possible to break the fever in Washington and the partisan gridlock here? 问：您早些时候谈到2014年是突破性的一年，您在年底就古巴、移民和气候变化采取了行政行动。但您今年在立法议程上进展不大。一些共和党议员表示，如果您如此积极地采取行政行动，他们就不太愿意与您合作。如果行政行动会给您的立法议程造成更多障碍，您还会继续采取吗？还是您已经得出结论，认为不可能打破华盛顿的狂热和党派僵局？
President Obama: I think there are real opportunities to get things done in Congress. As I said before, I take Speaker Boehner and Mitch McConnell at their words that they want to get things done. I think the American people would like to see us get some things done. The question is going to be are we able to separate out those areas where we disagree and those areas where we agree. I think there are going to be some tough fights on areas where we disagree. 奥巴马总统：我认为在国会取得进展确实存在真正的机会。正如我之前所说，我相信博纳议长和米奇·麦康奈尔说他们想要取得进展是真心的。我认为美国人民希望看到我们取得一些进展。问题在于我们是否能够区分我们存在分歧的领域和我们达成一致的领域。我认为在我们存在分歧的领域，将会有一些激烈的斗争。
If Republicans seek to take health care away from people who just got it, they will meet stiff resistance from me. If they try to water down consumer protections that we put in place in the aftermath of the financial crisis, I will say no. And I’m confident that I’ll be able to uphold vetoes of those types of provisions. But on increasing American exports, on simplifying our tax system, on rebuilding our infrastructure, my hope is that we can get some things done. 如果共和党人试图剥夺刚刚获得医保的人们的医保，他们将遭到我的坚决抵制。如果他们试图削弱我们在金融危机后实施的消费者保护措施，我将否决。我相信我能够维持对这类条款的否决。但在增加美国出口、简化税收制度、重建基础设施方面，我的希望是我们能够取得一些进展。
I’ve never been persuaded by this argument that if it weren’t for the executive actions they would have been more productive. There’s no evidence of that. So I intend to continue to do what I’ve been doing, which is where I see a big problem and the opportunity to help the American people, and it is within my lawful authority to provide that help, I’m going to do it. And I will then, side-by-side, reach out to members of Congress, reach out to Republicans, and say, let’s work together; I’d rather do it with you. 我从不相信这样一种说法，即如果不是因为行政行动，他们会更有成效。没有证据支持这一点。所以我打算继续做我一直在做的事情，也就是当我看到一个大问题和帮助美国人民的机会，并且提供这种帮助在我的合法权力范围内时，我就会去做。
Immigration is the classic example. I was really happy when the Senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration bill. And I did everything I could for a year and a half to provide Republicans the space to act, and showed not only great patience, but flexibility, saying to them, look, if there are specific changes you’d like to see, we're willing to compromise, we're willing to be patient, we're willing to work with you. Ultimately it wasn’t forthcoming. 与此同时，我会与国会议员接触，与共和党人接触，并说，让我们一起努力；我更愿意与你们一起做。
And so the question is going to be I think if executive actions on areas like minimum wage, or equal pay, or having a more sensible immigration system are important to Republicans, if they care about those issues, and the executive actions are bothering them, there is a very simple solution, and that is: Pass bills. And work with me to make sure I’m willing to sign those bills. 移民就是一个典型的例子。当参议院通过一项两党全面移民法案时，我真的很高兴。在一年半的时间里，我尽我所能为共和党人采取行动提供空间，并表现出极大的耐心和灵活性，对他们说，看，如果你们希望看到一些具体的改变，我们愿意妥协，我们愿意保持耐心，我们愿意与你们合作。最终还是没有结果。
Because both sides are going to have to compromise. On most issues, in order for their initiatives to become law, I'm going to have sign off. And that means they have to take into account the issues that I care about, just as I'm going to have to take into account the issues that they care about. 所以我认为问题在于，如果最低工资、同工同酬或更合理的移民制度等领域的行政行动对共和党人来说很重要，如果他们关心这些问题，而行政行动又让他们感到困扰，那么有一个非常简单的解决方案，那就是：通过法案。并与我合作，确保我愿意签署这些法案。
All right. I think this is going to be our last question. Juliet Eilperin. There you go. 因为双方都必须妥协。在大多数问题上，为了使他们的倡议成为法律，我必须签字同意。这意味着他们必须考虑我关心的问题，就像我必须考虑他们关心的问题一样。
Question: Thanks so much. So one of the first bills that Mitch McConnell said he will send to you is one that would authorize the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. 好的。我想这将是我们的最后一个问题。朱丽叶·艾尔珀林。来吧。
When you talked about this in the past, you've minimized the benefits and you highlighted some of the risks associated with that project. I'm wondering if you could tell us both what you would do when faced with that bill, given the Republican majority that we'll have in both chambers. 问：非常感谢。那么，米奇·麦康奈尔说他将提交给您的首批法案之一，就是授权建设Keystone XL输油管道的法案。当您过去谈到这个问题时，您淡化了其好处，并强调了与该项目相关的一些风险。
And also, what do you see as the benefits? And given the precipitous drop we've seen in oil prices recently, does that change the calculus in terms of how it will contribute to climate change, and whether you think it makes sense to go ahead with that project? 我想知道您能否告诉我们，鉴于两院都将由共和党占多数，当您面对这项法案时您会怎么做。还有，您认为好处是什么？鉴于最近油价的急剧下跌，这是否改变了对气候变化影响的考量，以及您是否认为推进该项目是有意义的？
President Obama: Well, I don’t think I’ve minimized the benefits, I think I’ve described the benefits. At issue in Keystone is not American oil. It is Canadian oil that is drawn out of tar sands in Canada. That oil currently is being shipped out through rail or trucks, and it would save Canadian oil companies and the Canadian oil industry an enormous amount of money if they could simply pipe it all the way through the United States down to the Gulf. Once that oil gets to the Gulf, it is then entering into the world market, and it would be sold all around the world. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我不认为我淡化了好处，我认为我只是客观描述了好处。Keystone项目的关键问题不是美国石油。而是从加拿大油砂中开采的加拿大石油。目前这些石油通过铁路或卡车运输，如果能直接通过管道穿越美国一直运到墨西哥湾，将为加拿大石油公司和加拿大石油行业节省大量资金。一旦石油到达墨西哥湾，就进入了世界市场，将销往世界各地。
So there’s no -- I won’t say “no” -- there is very little impact, nominal impact, on U.S. gas prices -- what the average American consumer cares about -- by having this pipeline come through. And sometimes the way this gets sold is, let’s get this oil and it’s going to come here. And the implication is, is that’s going to lower gas prices here in the United States. It’s not. There’s a global oil market. It’s very good for Canadian oil companies and it’s good for the Canadian oil industry, but it’s not going to be a huge benefit to U.S. consumers. 所以没有——我不会说"完全没有"——但对美国天然气价格——也就是普通美国消费者关心的价格——的影响非常小，名义上的影响，几乎可以忽略不计，因为这条管道的修建。有时候推销这个项目的说辞是，让我们获取这些石油，它就会来到这里。言下之意是，这会降低美国的天然气价格。不会的。石油是全球市场。这对加拿大石油公司非常有利，对加拿大石油行业也有利，但对美国消费者不会有太大好处。对美国消费者甚至连名义上的好处都算不上。
It’s not even going to be a nominal benefit to U.S. consumers. Now, the construction of the pipeline itself will create probably a couple thousand jobs. Those are temporary jobs until the construction actually happens. There’s probably some additional jobs that can be created in the refining process down in the Gulf. Those aren’t completely insignificant -- it’s just like any other project. 现在，管道建设本身可能会创造几千个就业岗位。这些都是临时工作，只持续到建设完成。在墨西哥湾的炼油过程中可能会创造一些额外的就业岗位。这些并非完全微不足道——就像任何其他项目一样。
But when you consider what we could be doing if we were rebuilding our roads and bridges around the country -- something that Congress could authorize -- we could probably create hundreds of thousands of jobs, or a million jobs. So if that's the argument, there are a lot more direct ways to create well-paying Americans construction jobs. 但如果你想想，如果我们在全国各地重建道路和桥梁——这是国会可以授权的——我们可能会创造数十万甚至上百万个就业岗位。所以如果这就是理由，那么有很多更直接的方法来创造高薪的美国建筑工作岗位。
And then, with respect to the cost, all I've said is that I want to make sure that if, in fact, this project goes forward, that it's not adding to the problem of climate change, which I think is very serious and does impose serious costs on the American people -- some of them long term, but significant costs nonetheless. If we've got more flooding, more wildfires, more drought, there are direct economic impacts on that. 至于成本，我所说的只是，我想确保如果这个项目真的推进，它不会加剧气候变化问题，我认为气候变化是非常严重的，确实会给美国人民带来沉重代价——其中一些是长期的，但仍然是巨大的代价。如果我们有更多的洪水、更多的野火、更多的干旱，那就会产生直接的经济影响。
And as we’re now rebuilding after Sandy, for example, we’re having to consider how do we increase preparedness in how we structure infrastructure and housing, and so forth, along the Jersey Shore. That’s an example of the kind of costs that are imposed, and you can put a dollar figure on it. 例如，在桑迪飓风后我们进行重建时，我们不得不考虑如何提高泽西海岸沿线基础设施和住房结构等方面的防灾准备能力。这就是所产生成本的一个例子，而且是可以用美元计算的。
So, in terms of process, you’ve got a Nebraska judge that’s still determining whether or not the new path for this pipeline is appropriate. Once that is resolved, then the State Department will have all the information it needs to make its decision. 所以，在程序方面，内布拉斯加州的一名法官仍在裁定这条管道的新路线是否合适。一旦这个问题解决，国务院将拥有做出决定所需的所有信息。
But I’ve just tried to give this perspective, because I think that there’s been this tendency to really hype this thing as some magic formula to what ails the U.S. economy, and it’s hard to see on paper where exactly they’re getting that information from. 但我只是试图给出这个视角，因为我认为人们有一种倾向，把这件事炒作成解决美国经济弊病的灵丹妙药，而从纸面上很难看出他们这种说法的依据到底来自哪里。
In terms of oil prices and how it impacts the decision, I think that it won’t have a significant impact except perhaps in the minds of folks -- when gas prices are lower, maybe they’re less susceptible to the argument that this is the answer to lowering gas prices. But it was never going to be the answer to lowering gas prices, because the oil that would be piped through the Keystone pipeline would go into the world market. And that’s what determines oil prices, ultimately. 至于油价及其对决定的影响，我认为不会产生重大影响，除非可能在人们的心目中——当天然气价格较低时，人们可能不太容易接受这是降低天然气价格的答案这种说法。但它从来就不是降低天然气价格的答案，因为通过Keystone管道输送的石油将进入世界市场。而最终决定油价的是世界市场。
Question: And in terms of Congress forcing your hand on this, is this something where you clearly say you’re not going to let Congress force your hand on whether to approve or disapprove of this? 问：关于国会强迫您在这个问题上表态，您是否明确表示不会让国会强迫您决定批准还是不批准？
President Obama: I’ll see what they do. We’ll take that up in the New Year. 奥巴马总统：我要看他们怎么做。我们新年再讨论这个问题。
Question: Any New Year’s resolutions? 问：有什么新年愿望吗？
President Obama: I’ll ask -- April, go ahead. 奥巴马总统：我请——艾普丽尔，提问吧。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Last question, I guess. Six years ago this month, I asked you what was the state of black America in the Oval Office, and you said it was the “the best of times and the worst of times.” You said it was the best of times in the sense that there was -- has never been more opportunity for African Americans to receive a good education, and the worst of times for unemployment and the lack of opportunity. We're ending 2014. What is the state of black America as we talk about those issues as well as racial issues in this country? 问：谢谢您，总统先生。我想这是最后一个问题了。六年前的这个月，我在椭圆形办公室问您，美国黑人的状况如何，您说是"最好的时代，也是最坏的时代"。您说最好的时代是指非裔美国人从未有过这么多接受良好教育的机会，最坏的时代是指失业和缺乏机会。现在2014年就要结束了。在谈论这些问题以及这个国家的种族问题时，您认为美国黑人的状况如何？
President Obama: Like the rest of America, black America in the aggregate is better off now than it was when I came into office. The jobs that have been created, the people who’ve gotten health insurance, the housing equity that’s been recovered, the 401 pensions that have been recovered -- a lot of those folks are African American. They’re better off than they were. 奥巴马总统：和其他美国人一样，总的来说，美国黑人现在的境况比我就职时要好。创造的就业岗位、获得医保的人们、恢复的房屋净值、恢复的401养老金——其中很多人都是非裔美国人。他们的境况比以前更好了。
The gap between income and wealth of white and black America persists. And we’ve got more work to do on that front. I’ve been consistent in saying that this is a legacy of a troubled racial past of Jim Crow and slavery. That’s not an excuse for black folks. And I think the overwhelming majority of black people understand it’s not an excuse. They’re working hard. They’re out there hustling and trying to get an education, trying to send their kids to college. But they’re starting behind, oftentimes, in the race. 美国白人和黑人之间的收入和财富差距依然存在。在这方面我们还有更多工作要做。我一直认为，这是吉姆·克劳法和奴隶制等种族问题遗留的后果。这不是黑人的借口。我认为绝大多数黑人都明白这不是借口。他们在努力工作。他们在拼命奋斗，努力接受教育，努力送孩子上大学。但他们往往在起跑线上就落后了。
And what’s true for all Americans is we should be willing to provide people a hand up -- not a handout, but help folks get that good early childhood education, help them graduate from high school, help them afford college. If they do, they’re going to be able to succeed, and that’s going to be good for all of us. 对所有美国人来说都是如此，我们应该愿意向人们伸出援手——不是施舍，而是帮助人们获得良好的幼儿教育，帮助他们高中毕业，帮助他们负担大学费用。如果他们做到了，他们就能够成功，这对我们所有人都有好处。
And we’ve seen some progress. The education reforms that we’ve initiated are showing measurable results. We have the highest high school graduation that we’ve seen in a very long time. We are seeing record numbers of young people attending college. In many states that have initiated reforms, you’re seeing progress in math scores and reading scores for African American and Latino students as well as the broader population. But we’ve still got more work to go. 我们已经看到了一些进展。我们发起的教育改革正在显现可衡量的成果。我们的高中毕业率达到了很长时间以来的最高水平。我们看到上大学的年轻人数量创下了纪录。在许多发起改革的州，非裔美国人和拉丁裔学生的数学和阅读成绩以及总体人口的成绩都在提高。但我们还有更多工作要做。
Now, obviously, how we’re thinking about race relations right now has been colored by Ferguson, the Garner case in New York, a growing awareness in the broader population of what I think many communities of color have understood for some time, and that is that there are specific instances at least where law enforcement doesn’t feel as if it’s being applied in a colorblind fashion. 现在，显然，我们当前对种族关系的看法受到了弗格森事件、纽约加纳案的影响，更广泛的公众越来越意识到我认为许多有色人种社区早就明白的事情，那就是至少在某些具体案例中，执法并没有做到一视同仁。
The task force that I formed is supposed to report back to me in 90 days -- not with a bunch of abstract musings about race relations, but some really concrete, practical things that police departments and law enforcement agencies can begin implementing right now to rebuild trust between communities of color and the police department. 我成立的工作组应在90天内向我汇报——不是提交一堆关于种族关系的抽象思考，而是提出一些非常具体、切实可行的措施，供警察部门和执法机构立即开始实施，以重建有色人种社区与警察部门之间的信任。
And my intention is to, as soon as I get those recommendations, to start implementing them. Some of them we’ll be able to do through executive action. Some of them will require congressional action. Some of them will require action on the part of states and local jurisdictions. 我的打算是，一旦收到这些建议，就开始实施。其中一些我们可以通过行政行动来完成。一些将需要国会采取行动。一些将需要各州和地方司法管辖区采取行动。
But I actually think it’s been a healthy conversation that we’ve had. These are not new phenomenon. The fact that they’re now surfacing, in part because people are able to film what have just been, in the past, stories passed on around a kitchen table, allows people to make their own assessments and evaluations. And you’re not going to solve a problem if it’s not being talked about. 但我实际上认为，我们进行的这场对话是健康的。这些都不是新现象。它们现在浮出水面，部分原因是人们能够拍摄到过去只是在厨房餐桌旁口口相传的事情，这让人们能够做出自己的判断和评价。而一个不被谈论的问题是无法解决的。
In the meantime, we’ve been moving forward on criminal justice reform issues more broadly. One of the things I didn’t talk about in my opening statement is the fact that last year was the first time in 40 years where we had the federal prison population go down and the crime rate go down at the same time, which indicates the degree to which it’s possible for us to think smarter about who we’re incarcerating, how long we’re incarcerating, how are we dealing with nonviolent offenders, how are we dealing with drug offenses, diversion programs, drug courts. 与此同时，我们一直在更广泛地推进刑事司法改革问题。我在开场白中没有提到的一件事是，去年是40年来第一次联邦监狱人口下降而犯罪率也下降的一年，这表明我们在多大程度上可以更明智地思考我们关押谁、关押多久、如何处理非暴力罪犯、如何处理毒品犯罪、转介项目、毒品法庭等问题。
We can do a better job of -- and save money in the process by initiating some of these reforms. And I’ve been really pleased to see that we’ve had Republicans and Democrats in Congress who are interested in these issues as well. 通过启动其中一些改革，我们可以做得更好——同时还能省钱。我真的很高兴看到国会中共和党人和民主党人都对这些问题感兴趣。
The one thing I will say -- and this is going to be the last thing I say -- is that one of the great things about this job is you get to know the American people. I mean, you meet folks from every walk of life and every region of the country, and every race and every faith. And what I don’t think is always captured in our political debates is the vast majority of people are just trying to do the right thing, and people are basically good and have good intentions. Sometimes our institutions and our systems don’t work as well as they should. 我要说的一件事——这将是我要说的最后一件事——这份工作最棒的事情之一就是你有机会了解美国人民。我的意思是，你会遇到各行各业、来自全国各地、各个种族、各种信仰的人们。我认为在我们的政治辩论中不常被捕捉到的是，绝大多数人只是在努力做正确的事，人们本质上是善良的，有着良好的意愿。
Sometimes you've got a police department that has gotten into bad habits over a period of time and hasn’t maybe surfaced some hidden biases that we all carry around. But if you offer practical solutions, I think people want to fix these problems. It’s not -- this isn’t a situation where people feel good seeing somebody choked and dying. I think that troubles everybody. So there’s an opportunity of all of us to come together and to take a practical approach to these problems. 有时候我们的制度和体系运转得不够好。有时候一个警察部门在一段时间内养成了坏习惯，可能没有暴露我们每个人都有的一些隐性偏见。但如果你提供切实可行的解决方案，我认为人们是愿意解决这些问题的。这不是——这不是一种人们看到有人被掐死会感到开心的情况。我认为这让每个人都感到不安。所以我们所有人都有机会走到一起，以务实的态度处理这些问题。
And I guess that's my general theme for the end of the year -- which is we’ve gone through difficult times. It is your job, press corps, to report on all the mistakes that are made and all the bad things that happen and the crises that look like they're popping. And I understand that. But through persistent effort and faith in the American people, things get better. The economy has gotten better. Our ability to generate clean energy has gotten better. We know more about how to educate our kids. We solved problems. 我想这就是我年终的总体主题——我们经历了艰难时期。你们的工作，新闻界的工作，就是报道所有犯下的错误、所有发生的坏事以及看似不断爆发的危机。我理解这一点。但通过坚持不懈的努力和对美国人民的信心，事情会变得更好。经济变得更好了。我们开发清洁能源的能力变得更强了。我们更了解如何教育我们的孩子。我们解决了问题。
Ebola is a real crisis; you get a mistake in the first case because it’s not something that's been seen before -- we fix it. You have some unaccompanied children who spike at a border, and it may not get fixed in the time frame of the news cycle, but it gets fixed. 埃博拉是一场真正的危机；第一例病例中出现了失误，因为这是以前从未见过的情况——我们纠正了它。边境出现了一些无人陪伴儿童的激增，可能在新闻周期的时间框架内没有得到解决，但最终得到了解决。
And part of what I hope as we reflect on the New Year this should generate is some confidence. America knows how to solve problems. And when we work together, we can't be stopped. 我希望在我们反思新年时，这能带来一些信心。美国知道如何解决问题。当我们共同努力时，我们势不可挡。
And now I’m going to go on vacation. Mele Kalikimaka, everybody. Mahalo. 现在我要去度假了。大家圣诞快乐。谢谢。
Thank you, everybody. 谢谢大家。
