Throughout（贯穿） my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain a basic level of （最基本的、最低限度的）privacy. I come from humble roots（出身草根）, and I don’t seek to（寻求） draw attention to（吸引别人对…的关注） myself. Apple is already one of the most closely watched（最受人关注的）companies in the world, and I like keeping the focus on our products and the incredible things our customers achieve with them.
在我的职业生涯中，我始终在努力保护自己最基本的隐私。我在卑微中长大，我不希望吸引其他人关注。苹果已经成为世界上最受关注的公司之一，我希望能够专注于我们的产品，并开发出令客户难以置信的神奇物件。

 

At the same time, I believe deeply in（深深地相信） the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, who said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” I often challenge myself with（用…来挑战…） that question, and I’ve come to realize that（开始意识到）my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from（阻止…做…）doing something more important. That’s what has led me to today.
与此同时，我深信马丁·路德·金曾说过的一句话。他说：“生命中最持久和最紧迫的问题是：你正在为其他人做什么？”我经常用这个问题挑战自己，我已经意识到，我保护自己个人隐私的渴望已经成为阻止我去做更重要事情的障碍。

 

For years, I’ve been open with many people about （向…开诚布公…）my sexual orientation（性取向）. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference（有区别，有不一样）in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the goodfortune to（很幸运…）work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences（接受人们的多元化）. Not everyone is so lucky.
多年来，我向许多人公开了我的性取向。苹果的许多同事也知道我是一个同性恋者，但他们对待我的态度没有什么不同。当然，我很幸运地在一家喜欢创新和创造的公司工作。我还知道，只有当你接受其他人的不同时，你的公司才会蓬勃发展。但实际上，并非每个人都如此幸运。

 

While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear（明确地说）: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among （这里可以省略一个“as”）the greatest gifts God has given me.
我从未否认过自己的性取向，但我也从未公开承认过，直到现在。现在我明确宣布：我为自己身为同性恋而感到自豪。我认为身为同性恋是上帝赐予我的最好礼物。

 

Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of（让我深刻意识到）what it means to（…意味着什么） be in the minority and provided a window into（开了一扇通往…的窗户） the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times（常常）, but it has given me the confidence tobe myself, to follow my own path（忠于自己的道路）, and to rise above（超越） adversity and bigotry. It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy（很好用） when you’re the CEO of Apple.
身为同性恋，意味着我可以更深入地理解少数群体，我也获得一个窗口去了解其他少数群体每天需要面临的挑战。这让我更富同情心，同时让我的生活更加富足。有时候，作为同性恋，生活变得十分困难和不舒服，但这也让我能够相信自己，去走自己的路，去超越逆境与偏执。与此同时，身为同性恋也给了我一张“犀牛皮”。在担任苹果CEO的时候，这特别有用。

 

The world has changed so much since I was a kid（世界变化太快）. America is moving toward（走向） marriage equality, and the public figures（公众人物） who have bravely come out have helped change perceptions（改变观念） and made our culture more tolerant（让社会变得更包容）. Still, there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire people based solely on（仅仅基于） their sexual orientation. There are many places where landlords can evict（驱逐）tenants for being gay, or where we can be barred from（被禁止做某事） visiting sick partners and sharing in their legacies. Countless people, particularly kids, face fear and abuse everyday because of their sexual orientation.
世界已经发生太大变化，与我儿时完全不同。美国正走向婚姻平等，公众人物勇敢地站出来帮助改变人们对同性恋的态度，我们的文化越来越具包容性。当前，世界上大多数国家的法律体系中，允许雇主仅以员工的性取向为借口解雇员工。在许多地方，房主甚至可以驱逐同性恋房客，禁止同性恋者探访生病的伴侣或分享遗产。每天有无数人因为他们的性取向而生活在恐惧和虐待中，特别是孩子。

 

I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from（从…受益） the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with（与…妥协） who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on（坚守） their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with（用…来交换的一场交易） my own privacy.
我不认为自己是个同性恋活动家，但我意识到自己从其他人的牺牲中获益良多。因此，如果听说苹果CEO是个同性恋能够帮助那些挣扎于性别困境中的人，或带给那些感觉孤独、渴望获得平等权利的人以安慰的话，那么这值得我用公开自己的隐私来交换。

 

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