奥巴马在父亲节的讲话

“父亲”是男人最温柔、最伟大的名字。

父亲的爱是无言的支撑，是默默的关怀。

对父亲来说，最有效的家庭教育就是以身作则。

身为两个女儿的父亲，美国总统奥巴马有哪些为人父的经验？
Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important. And we are called to recognize and honor how critical every father is to that foundation. They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.
今天这个日子提醒我们，在我们缔造生活所依赖的基石中，最为重要的是家庭。

我们必须认识并且肯定每一位父亲在这个基石中起到的关键作用。

父亲既循循善诱，又训练指导；既指明方向，又言传身教。

父亲既是成功的榜样，又是不断推动我们走向成功的人。

The first is setting an example of excellence for our children——because if we want to set high expectations for them, we’ve got to set high expectations for ourselves. It’s great if you have a job; it’s even better if you have a college degree. It’s a wonderful thing if you are married and living in a home with your children, but don’t just sit in the house and watch “ Sports Center” all weekend long. That’s why so many children are growing up in front of the television. As fat hers and parents, we’ve got to spend more time with them, and help them with their homework, and replace the video game or the remote control with a book once in a while. That’s how we build that foundation.
第一个经验是，我们必须给子女作出一个绝佳的榜样——因为如果我们对他们抱有厚望，我们自己也应该志存高远。

你有工作是件好事，有个大学文凭好上加好。

如果你结婚成家，儿女绕膝，那再好不过，但不要整个周末泡在家里看ESPN体育台的“体育中心”。

许多孩子就是在这样的影响下傍着电视机长大的。

作为父亲，作为家长，我们应该花更多的时间陪伴孩子，帮助他们完成作业，时不时地把他们手中的游戏机或电视遥控器换成一本书。

这就是我们打好家庭基石的方法。

We know that education is everything to our children’s future. We know that they will compete for good jobs with children from all over the world. We know the work and the studying and the level of education that requires. To compete, they need to graduate high school, and then they need to graduate college, and they probably need a graduate de gree too. So let’s give them a handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library！
我们明白学校教育是创造孩子未来的关键。

我们明白为了获得好的工作，他们要跟世界各地的孩子竞争。

我们明白为此所需的辛劳、学习和所应达到的教育水平。

要想真正参与竞争，他们需要高中毕业，然后大学毕业，也许还得拿一张研究生文凭。

让我们握握他们的手，叫他们把屁股挪回到图书馆的座椅上吧！
It’s up to us——as fathers and parents——to instill this ethic of excellence in our children. It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals.
要把这种追求卓越的理念灌输进孩子的头脑，就得靠作为父亲和家长的我们。

我们有责任告诉我们的女儿，别让你的自身价值被电视上的形象所影响，因为我期望你的梦想无极限，期望你去追求这些梦想。

The second thing we need to do as fathers is pass along the value of empathy to our children. Not sympathy, but empathy——the ability to stand in somebody else’s shoes; to look at the world through their eyes.
第二个经验是，作为父亲，我们应该传递给孩子感同身受的价值观。

不是同情，而是感同身受——能设身处地地为人着想，能从别人的角度看世界。

And that is why the final lesson we must learn as fathers is also the greatest gift we can pass on to our children——and that is the gift of hope.
因此，我们作为父亲应该总结的最后一个经验，也是我们可以传给孩子的最为贵重的礼物，就是希望。

I’m not talking about an idle hope that’s little more than blind optimism or willful ignorance of the problems we face. I’m talking about hope as that spirit inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that somet hing better is waiting for us if we’re willing to work for it and fight for it. If we are willing to believe.
我讲的希望不是空谈的希望，不是那种盲目的乐观主义，或是对所面临问题的有意忽视。

我讲的希望是那种长存于我们内心的精神——即使所有迹象都不乐观，这精神也让我们坚信有更好的未来在等待着我们，只要我们愿意为之努力、为之奋斗。

只要我们有这个信念。

We try. We hope. We do what we can to build our house upon the sturdiest rock. And when the winds come, and the rains fall, and they beat upon that house, we keep faith that our Father will be there to guide us, and watch over us, and protect us, and lead His children through the da rkest of storms into light of a better day. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father’s Day, and that is my hope for this country in the years ahead.
我们尝试，我们希望，我们尽力把我们的房子建在最坚实的基石上。

当风吹时，当雨打时，当风雨侵袭我们的房子时，我们坚信上帝会引导我们，注视我们，保护我们，引领着他的孩子们穿过最黑暗的暴风骤雨，走向光明的美好未来。

这就是今天父亲节这个日子我为大家所作的祈祷，也是我对国家的未来所抱的希望。

（摘自2009年6月《新东方英语》）。