用Google Translate 翻譯美語的一次嚐試

A New Era of Service

一個誌願服務的新時代

[這是Obama發表在《時代》周刊的呼籲誌願服務的文章，用Google Translate http://translate.google.com/

翻譯成中文後，略加編輯，似乎還不錯。在此為大家提供一個參考]

I started my career more than two decades ago as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, working with churches to help neighborhoods that had been devastated by plant closings. Block by block, we fought to create job-training programs, improve housing conditions and help people live their lives with some measure of dignity. And eventually, I realized that I wasn't just helping other people — through service, I also found a community that embraced me, a church to belong to and the direction I'd been seeking. Through service, I found that my own story fit into a larger American story.

我的職業生涯開始於20多年前, 作為芝加哥南部一個社區組織者， 我與教堂一起幫助由於工廠關閉而受困社區。一個街區又一個街區，我們力爭創造就業培訓計劃，改善住房條件，並幫助人們過上有一定程度尊嚴的生活。最終，我意識到，我並不僅僅是在幫助他人——通過服務，我還發現了一個接納我的社區，一個我可歸屬的教會，以及我一直在尋求的人生方向。通過服務，我發現我個人的故事融入了更宏大的美國故事。

It's an experience that Americans of all ages and backgrounds have every day on battlefields and in classrooms, food pantries and even corporate boardrooms. Last year 62 million Americans gave 8 billion hours of service. Back in January, I joined with Colin Powell to ask Americans to give back on Martin Luther King Jr. Day; the result was the largest ever turnout for that day of service.

在戰場上，在教室裏，在食品儲藏間中（注：可能是指食品分發中心），甚至在各家公司的董事會議室裏，不同年齡和背景的美國人每天都在誌願服務。去年六千二百萬美國人貢獻了八十億小時的無償服務。在今年的1月份，我和科林鮑威爾一起，號召美國人民把馬丁路德金日貢獻回社會；結果這一天參與誌願服務人數是有史以來最多的。 

For decades, leaders from both parties have sought to promote that ethic of service: President Richard Nixon expanded opportunities for senior citizens to serve; President George H.W. Bush called for volunteers to serve as "points of light" in their communities; President Bill Clinton established the Corporation for National and Community Service. And on Sept. 11, 2008, in the midst of a spirited general-election campaign, Senator John McCain and I put aside our differences and came together in New York City to issue a joint call to public service. It was an important reminder that while our politics is often focused on what divides us, there is much more that unites us.

幾十年來，國會兩黨的領導人一直追求推進誌願服務這一道德風尚：尼克鬆總統擴展了年長者為社會誌願服務的機會;喬治HW布什總統曾呼籲誌願者擔任自己社區的“閃光點”;克林頓總統建立了一個為國家和社區服務的專門機構。2008年9月11日，在激情高漲的總統競選中，參議員麥凱恩和我擱置分歧，共同在紐約市發表一項關於公共服務聯合呼籲。推進誌願服務給了我們一個重要的醒示，就是雖然我們搞政治時往往側重於我們的分歧，但有很多事情上我們可以團結在一起。

In this spirit, Congress is now poised to send me bipartisan legislation — the Serve America and GIVE Acts — that, if passed, will usher in a new era of service in this new century.

本著這一精神，國會已準備呈交給我一項兩黨共同的立法——為美國服務法案和世代振興誌願服務和教育法案（GIVE），如果獲得通過，這將在新世紀開創一個誌願服務的新時代。

This legislation will help connect people at all stages of life with opportunities to serve. It will establish an army of 250,000 Americans a year who are willing to serve part time or full time working to meet our most pressing challenges, from modernizing our schools to building homes for those in need. And this legislation will provide new support for social entrepreneurship, identifying and nurturing promising new service programs around the country.

這項立法將有助於在生命各個階段的人們都能找到誌願服務的機會。它將建立一支每年有250000美國人的誌願者隊伍，兼職或全職，以滿足從學校現代化到為貧困者的建造家園的最緊迫的挑戰。這一立法將對社會企業精神提供新的支持，可在全國各地發現和培養有前途的新的誌願服務項目。 

Members of Congress from across the political spectrum — from Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Enzi and Representative Howard (Buck) McKeon to Senators Ted Kennedy and Barbara Mikulski and Representative George Miller — have pledged their support for this legislation. I urge Congress to follow their lead and move quickly to pass it so that I can sign it into law. And I pledge that my Administration will also do its part to help more Americans serve their communities. At this time of economic crisis, when so many people are in need of help, this work could not be more urgent.

從參議員奧林哈奇，邁克恩茲，眾議員霍華德麥克科恩到參議員泰德肯尼迪， 芭芭拉米庫斯基，眾議員喬治米勒——來自不同政治背景的國會成員都已承諾支持這項立法。我敦促國會緊跟他們並迅速采取行動以通過這項立法，這樣我可以簽署它成為法律。我保證，我的行政機構也將盡自己的一份力量，以幫助更多的美國人為他們的社區服務。在這經濟危機的時刻，當如此多的人需要幫助，這項工作(通過這項立法)萬分緊迫。

But we know that government alone is not the answer to the challenges we face. Yes, our government must rebuild our schools, but we also need people to serve as mentors and tutors in those schools. Yes, our government must modernize our health-care system, but we also need people to volunteer in our hospitals and communities to care for the sick and help people lead healthier lives. Yes, our government must maintain the finest military in the history of the world, but that is only possible if brave men and women across America sign up to serve in that military.

但我們知道，單靠政府是不能解決我們所麵臨的挑戰。是的，我們的政府必須重建我們的學校，但我們也需要人去擔任學校裏的指導和教師。是的，我們的政府必須使我們的健康保健製度現代化，但我們也需要誌願者在醫院和社區照顧病人和幫助人們過上更健康的生活。是的，我們的政府必須維持世界曆史上最棒的軍隊，但這隻有美國各地勇敢的男女們都踴躍參軍才有可能。

And while our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential by hitching our wagon to something bigger than ourselves.

我們的政府可以給我們為社區服務提供一切可以想象的機會，但全靠我們每個人去抓住這些機會。盡我們的一份努力去幫助我們的美國同胞吧。投身於超越自我的偉大事業以實現我們自己的真正的潛力。

In the end, I have no illusions about the magnitude of the challenges we face. But I have no doubt that we can meet them if we each do our part. So I urge you to get involved, right now, at this defining moment in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. And I won't promise that it will always be easy or that you'll accomplish all your goals all at once.

總之，我不會輕估我們麵臨挑戰的嚴重性。但我毫不懷疑，如果我們每個人盡自己的力量，我們是能夠對付這些挑戰的。所以，我敦促你們現在就投身於這個決定性的曆史時刻。我不會告訴你應該擔當的角色，你的作用由你自己去發現。我不會保證你會一帆風順或很快就會完成你所有目標。

But as I learned in the shadow of an empty steel plant more than two decades ago, while you can't necessarily bend history to your will, you can do your part to see that, in the words of Dr. King, it "bends toward justice." So I hope that you will stand up and do what you can to serve your community, shape our history and enrich both your own life and the lives of others across this country.

不過，正如我20多年前在一個空關的鋼廠陰影下學到的那樣，你不一定能讓曆史按您的意願走，但你可以參與去見證曆史。用金博士話來說，曆史會“走向正義”。所以，我希望你能站出來，盡可能為你的社區做一些事，塑造我們的曆史並在這個國家豐富自己的生命得同時也豐富別人的生命。

[blueskychina]

Google translate翻譯科技文字就不太好，要做不少modifications，但是對於English不是很好的人是一個很不錯是工具。