Today, old adversaries are at peace, and emerging democracies are potential partners. New markets for our goods stretch from Asia to the Americas. A new push for peace in the Middle East will begin here tomorrow. Billions of young people want to move beyond the shackles of poverty and conflict. As the leader of the free world, America will do more than just defeat on the battlefield those who offer hatred and destruction -we will also lead among those who are willing to work together to expand freedom and opportunity for all people.

今天,老的对手基本都处于和平状态,新兴的民主也都成为潜在的伙伴。我们的商品新市场从亚洲亚伸到美国,中东和平的新谈判将从明天开始。数十亿年轻人想摆脱贫困和冲突的镣铐。作为自由世界的领导者,美国必须做得更多,不仅仅在战场上击败那些制造仇恨和毁灭的敌人,还要领导那些愿意同心协力扩大自由和机会的人。

That effort must begin within our own borders. Throughout our history, America has been willing to bear the burden of promoting liberty and human dignity overseas, understanding its link to our own liberty and security. But we have also understood that our nation's strength and influence abroad must be firmly anchored in our prosperity at home. And the bedrock of that prosperity must be a growing middle class.

这种努力必须从我们自己的边境开始。纵览历史,美国一直愿意承担促进人类自由和尊严、理解其与我们自己的自由和安全关系的重任。但是我们也明白,我们国家在国外的强大影响力必须基于国内的繁荣,而繁荣的基础就是日益增长的中产阶级。

Unfortunately, over the last decade, we have not done what is necessary to shore up the foundation of our own prosperity. We have spent over a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas. This, in turn, has short-changed investments in our own people, and contributed to record deficits. For too long, we have put off tough decisions on everything from our manufacturing base to our energy policy to education reform. As a result, too many middle class families find themselves working harder for less, while our nation's long-term competitiveness is put at risk.

不幸地是,在过去10年间,我们没有为这些支持国家繁荣的“柱石”提供太多必要帮助。我们花费一万亿美元用于战争,经常靠海外借款维持财政。这样做不仅欺骗了自己的人民,还让美国的赤字居高不下。长期以来,我们一直在制造业、能源政策以及教育改革等领域推迟采取强硬措施,结果许多中产阶级家庭发现,越努力工作获取的就越少,而我们国家的长期竞争力正陷入危险之中。

And so at this moment, as we wind down the war in Iraq, we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy, and grit, and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad. They have met every test that they faced. Now, it is our turn. Now, it is our responsibility to honor them by coming together, all of us, and working to secure the dream that so many generations have fought for -the dream that a better life awaits anyone who is willing to work for it and reach for it.

此时此刻,当我们结束伊拉克战争的时候,我们必须同时着手解决这些国内挑战,比如能源、电力以及国内外部队之间缺乏认同感的问题。这些军人已经通过了所有考验,现在该轮到我们了。给与他们应得的荣誉是我们的责任,我们所有人都必须努力确保无数仁人志士为之奋斗的梦想——每个人都能过上更好的生活。

Our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work. To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy. We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs. This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President.

现在我们面临的最紧迫任务就是恢复国内经济,帮助数百万失业美国人重新找到工作。为了加强我们的中产阶级,我们必须给与所有孩子应得的教育,给与所有工人在全球竞争中需要的技术;我们必须启动能够创造工作机会的行业,结束对外国石油的依赖;我们必须鼓励革新,允许新产品尽快投入生产,并且培养企业家的创新意识。尽管这些工作很困难,但在未来的日子里,它们毕将成为我们的中心任务,也是我作为总统的重要职责。

Part of that responsibility is making sure that we honor our commitments to those who have served our country with such valor. As long as I am President, we will maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and do whatever it takes to serve our veterans as well as they have served us. This is a sacred trust. That is why we have already made one of the largest increases in funding for veterans in decades. We are treating the signature wounds of today's wars post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, while providing the health care and benefits that all of our veterans have earned. And we are funding a post-9/11 GI Bill that helps our veterans and their families pursue the dream of a college education. Just as the GI Bill helped those who fought World War II- including my grandfather- become the backbone of our middle class, so today's servicemen and women must have the chance to apply their gifts to expand the American economy. Because part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it.

我的部分责任是确保那些为国家英勇服役的军人获得应得的荣誉。只要我还是美国总统,我将竭力维护这支世界上最好的战斗部队,像他们为我们服务那样,竭尽所能为他们提供服务。这是一种神圣的信任,也是数十年来我们对老兵的支持不断增加的原因。我们正在为战争中受伤的士兵提供最好的治疗,并且为所有老兵提供医疗保障和其他帮助;我们还为那些“9-11”恐怖袭击后的老兵和他们的家人,追求大学梦想提供资金支持。就如帮助二战中的老兵一样(包括我的祖父),他们如今都已经成为中产阶级的骨干,因此今天的军人有机会应用他们的天赋,为发展美国经济出力。

Two weeks ago, America's final combat brigade in Iraq -the Army's Fourth Stryker Brigade -journeyed home in the pre-dawn darkness. Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles made the trip from Baghdad, the last of them passing into Kuwait in the early morning hours. Over seven years before, American troops and coalition partners had fought their way across similar highways, but this time no shots were fired. It was just a convoy of brave Americans, making their way home.

两周前,美国最后一支战斗部队——美军第二步兵师第4斯特赖克旅在黎明前的黑暗中,踏上了回家的路。数千士兵和数百辆军车从巴格达出发,他们将在清晨进入科威特境内。7年前,美国军队及其盟友一路战斗着通过这条路线,但是这次他们没有开火。只是护送勇敢的美国人,踏上他们回家的路。

Of course, the soldiers left much behind. Some were teenagers when the war began. Many have served multiple tours of duty, far from their families who bore a heroic burden of their own, enduring the absence of a husband's embrace or a mother's kiss. Most painfully, since the war began fifty-five members of the Fourth Stryker Brigade made the ultimate sacrifice -part of over 4,400 Americans who have given their lives in Iraq. As one staff sergeant said, "I know that to my brothers in arms who fought and died, this day would probably mean a lot."

当然,士兵们的身后留下了许多东西。一些战争开始时还是十几岁青年的士兵,许多人已经多次服役,远离家人承担起英雄的责任,忍受缺乏丈夫拥抱或者母亲之吻的寂寞。最痛苦的是,自从战争开始后,这支部队已经有55人牺牲,成为在伊拉克牺牲的4400名阵亡士兵中的一部分。正如一名上士说的那样:“我知道,我在军中的许多战友在战斗或者牺牲了,这天可能意味着许多。”

Those Americans gave their lives for the values that have lived in the hearts of our people for over two centuries. Along with nearly 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq, they fought in a faraway place for people they never knew. They stared into the darkest of human creations -war -and helped the Iraqi people seek the light of peace.

这些人为了活在我们心中200多年的价值观献出了他们的生命。连同150万在伊拉克服役的美国人一起,他们在遥远的地方为了不认识的人战斗,他们凝视着人类创造中最黑暗的一面——战争,帮助伊拉克人寻找希望的光芒。

In an age without surrender ceremonies, we must earn victory through the success of our partners and the strength of our own nation. Every American who serves joins an unbroken line of heroes that stretches from Lexington to Gettysburg; from Iwo Jima to Inchon; from Khe Sanh to Kandahar - Americans who have fought to see that the lives of our children are better than our own. Our troops are the steel in our ship of state. And though our nation may be travelling through rough waters, they give us confidence that our course is true, and that beyond the pre-dawn darkness, better days lie ahead.

在一个没有投降礼节的时代,我们必须通过我们的伙伴以及我们自己国家的力量赢得胜利。从列克星敦到盖茨堡,从硫磺岛到仁川,从越南溪山到阿富汗坎大哈,每个美国人都在为“孩子的生活比我们更好”而战斗。我们的军队就是国家这艘大船上的钢铁,虽然国家正在汹涌的波涛中航行,但他们给与我们信心,冲破黎明前的黑暗,更美好的日子就在前方。

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America, and all who serve her.

感谢你们,上帝保佑你们!上帝保佑美利坚合众国,以及所有为他服务的人。

注:中文翻译转自腾讯新闻