耶鲁大学校长苏必德2021 开学典礼演讲

　　16:20Good morning, everyone. To all Eli Whitney students, transfer students, visiting international students, and first year Yale college students, welcome to Yale.

　　大家早上好。所有大一新生们、转校生、来访的国际交换生、Eli Whitney 项目的学生们：欢迎来到耶鲁。

　　Let me begin by saying it is good, really good to see you here today. And many families and loved ones are watching today's ceremonies online.

　　我想说，今天在这里可以看到你们，真的很棒。此时，也有许多亲朋好友在线上观看我们的开学典礼。

　　And on behalf of my colleagues here on stage and the entire Yale community, I want to extend a warm greeting to everyone joining us wherever you are right now. This is a big moment for you, our newest students, and for Yale, I'm so glad you're here.

　　无论你现在身在何处，我代表台上的同事及整个耶鲁大学，向大家表示热烈的欢迎。这对你，我们的新同学，对耶鲁来说，都是一个重要的时刻。很高兴大家相遇于此！

　　51 years ago, university President Kingman Brewster delivered an address to the entering class of new undergraduates, welcoming them to Yale, just as I'm doing now. At the time the university was coming out of a very unusual year.

　　51 年前，耶鲁大学校长金曼·布鲁斯特向新入学的本科生发表讲话，欢迎他们来到耶鲁，正如我现在一样。当时，该大学正从一个非常不寻常的年份走出来。

　　We can relate. Just a few months earlier in May 1970, tens of thousands of people from across the country had come to New Haven and to Yale to protest the trials of Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins, leaders of the Black Panther Party who were being tried for murder.

　　我们可以（将这两段时间）联系起来。就在几个月前的 1970 年 5 月，来自全国各地的数万人来到纽黑文和耶鲁，抗议对因谋杀罪受审的黑豹党领导人鲍比·西尔和埃里卡·哈金斯的审判。

　　Thousands of National Guard troops had been deployed to the city, as some expected the protests to turn violent. The situation was extremely tense.

　　数以千计的国民警卫队被部署到该市，因有人预计抗议活动会变成暴力活动。局势非常紧张。

　　Fortunately, reason prevailed, the protests remained largely peaceful and no one was seriously injured, let alone killed. Still, these events rocked Yale's campus.

　　幸运的是，理性占了上风，抗议活动在很大程度上保持了平和，未出现严重伤亡。但是，这些事件还是震撼了耶鲁大学的校园。

　　War was raging in Southeast Asia. Movements for civil rights and women's rights were heading in new directions.

　　战争在东南亚肆虐。民权和女权运动正朝着新的方向发展。

　　And across society, it seemed like a younger generation was rising up to challenge the old guard. Against this backdrop, many people were wondering about Yale's future.

　　而在整个社会中，年轻一代似乎正在崛起，挑战守旧派。在这种背景下，许多人对耶鲁的未来感到疑惑。

　　They were uncertain about the university's role, its purpose in a rapidly changing and unpredictable society. Standing here today I'm feeling many of the same emotions that President Brewster must have felt in 1970.

　　他们不确定大学的角色，不确定它在一个快速变化和不可预测的社会中的目的。今天，我站在这里，想起布鲁斯特校长在 1970 年的演讲，真的感同身受。

　　Looking out over that gathering of new students, he knew many of them are anxious. He knew they had questions about what they would do at Yale and many more about the kind of society they would encounter when they graduated.

　　看着那场新生的聚会，他知道其中许多人深陷焦虑。布鲁斯特知道这些学生对自己在耶鲁大学能做什么感到疑问，还有很多人对他们毕业后社会的样子充满疑惑。

　　Yet, in his speech, he was asking them to study, to go to the library, to write papers, to conduct experiments. He was asking them to be students.

　　然而，在他的演讲中，他要求他们去学习，去图书馆，去写论文，去做实验。他要求他们成为学生。

　　And so he gave voice to a question that was probably on the minds of many, a question I also pose to you today. He asked, and these are his words, "Where then is the purpose, which makes patient learning supportable when the world is on fire?"

　　因此，他说出了一个可能在许多人心中都存在的问题，一个今天我也想向你们提出的问题。他问道，这是他的原话，“当世界置身火海时，耐心学习有何意义？”

　　"Where then is the purpose, which makes patient learning supportable when the world is on fire?" Today, again, it seems like the world is on fire, literally and metaphorically.

　　“当世界置身火海时，耐心学习有何意义？”今天，无论是从字面上还是隐喻上看，世界似乎同样深陷火海。

　　The United States is in the midst of its greatest crisis since 9/11. We are fighting a global pandemic, which will be for many of us, the most significant geopolitical and perhaps personal event of our lives.

　　美国正处于自 9/11 以来最大的危机之中。我们正在与新型冠状病毒搏斗，这次全球疫情或将成为我们生命里最重要的地缘政治事件，或许也是一些个人生命的不可承受之重。

　　But that is not all. This summer, we have witnessed terrible wildfires, drought, and flooding in many corners of the globe.

　　但这还不是全部。今年夏天，我们目睹了全球许多地方发生的可怕的野火、干旱和洪水。

　　Some of you have experienced these climate disasters firsthand. Not only climate change, but also racism, extremism, the widening gulf between the rich and poor.

　　你们中的一些人已经亲身经历了这些气候灾难。不仅是气候变化，还有种族主义、极端主义、富人和穷人之间日益扩大的鸿沟。

　　These are complex challenges that call out for urgent and concerted action. The world is on fire, and again, we asked, what is our purpose here?

　　这些都是复杂的挑战，需要迫切采取协调一致的行动。当世界置身火海，我们再次问道，我们在这里的目的是什么？

　　And how do we learn patiently, seriously, and rigorously, as I sincerely hope you will, in times such as these? In thinking about the answer to this question, I was reminded of Musar sometimes called Mussar in English, a 19th-century Jewish movement that came out of Lithuania, very close to where my ancestors were rabbis.

　　在这样的时代，你们如何耐心、认真、严谨地学习——正如我希望的那样？在思考这个问题的答案时，我想起了穆萨，在英语中有时也被称为 Mussar，这是 19 世纪的犹太运动，源于立陶宛，非常接近我的祖先拉比（犹太宗教领袖）的地方。

　　The central idea of the Musar movement and of similar religious and ethical practices beyond Judaism is that we must improve ourselves before looking outward at society seeking to change it. We must examine our values, expand our knowledge, and develop our empathy and imagination.

　　穆萨运动以及犹太教以外的类似宗教和道德实践的中心思想是，在向外看寻求改变社会之前，我们必须先改善自己。我们必须审视自己的价值观，扩充我们的知识，发展我们的同理心和想象力。

　　One of the rabbis of the time is said to have told this story, "I set out to try to change the world, but I failed." "So I decided to scale back my efforts and only try to influence the Jewish community of Poland. But I failed there too."

　　据说当时的一位拉比曾讲过这样一个故事：“我开始试图改变世界，但失败了。”“所以我决定缩减我的努力，只尝试影响波兰的犹太社区。但我在那里也失败了。”

　　"So I targeted the community in my hometown of Rodan, but achieved no greater success." "Then I gave all my efforts to changing my own family, and failed at that as well."

　　“于是我把目标锁定在我的家乡罗丹的社区，但也没有取得更大的成功。”“然后我把所有的努力都用于改变自己的家庭，但也失败了。”

　　"Finally, I decided to change myself and that's how I had such an impact on the world." Much like this Sage, we are here to make an impact on our communities and on the world, don't get me wrong.

　　“最后，我决定改变自己，这就是我对世界产生如此大影响的原因。”和这位圣人一样，我们在这里是为了对我们的社区和世界产生影响，不要误会我的意思。

　　But first, we must start by improving ourselves. Your college years are a time to develop your strengths and talents, to challenge yourself in ways you did not think possible, to gain knowledge and understanding, and to explore.

　　但首先，我们必须从提高自己开始。你的大学时代是发展你自身优势和才能的时候，以你认为不可能的方式挑战自己，获得知识和理解，并进行探索。

　　Here at Yale, you will encounter new ideas and engage with people from different backgrounds and walks of life. You will take intellectual risks and ask questions about everything from the structure of the cosmos, to the structure of a novel.

　　在耶鲁大学，你将遇到新的想法，并与来自不同背景、各行各业的人接触。你们可以从宇宙大爆炸一路探索讨论到一本小说的结构，体会知识无边际漫游的智力冒险，去追问宇宙万物一切未知问题。

　　Improving yourself means leaving your comfort zone, signing up for classes that sound interesting, but unfamiliar. Going to office hours with slightly intimidating professors, you may be surprised by the conversation that unfolds.

　　提升自我意味着离开你的舒适区，报名参加那些听起来很有趣，但不熟悉的课程。和令人感到胆怯的教授一起交谈，你可能会对展开的对话感到惊讶。

　　Attending talks by speakers whose views are different than yours, and really listening to their arguments. Regardless of what you study or the clubs you join, I promise you that you will not leave Yale the same person you are today.

　　参加那些与你观点不同的演讲者的讲座，并用心倾听他们的论点。无论你学的是什么或加入什么俱乐部，我向你保证，你离开耶鲁时不会再是今天的那个你。

　　You will be changed, transformed by Yale. We know that you are ready for these challenges, and we are excited to see what contributions you will make to Yale, how you will write new chapters in our shared history in the coming days, weeks, and years.

　　你将被改变，被耶鲁改变。我们知道你们已经为这些挑战做好了准备，我们很高兴看到你们将为耶鲁做出贡献，在未来的几天、几周和几年里，你们会在我们的历史中书写新的篇章。

　　Thinking back to that spring of 1970, I'm reminded of four Yale college students, who with others, played a pivotal role in the mayday events. Kurt Schmoke, Ralph Dawson, Bill Farley, Glenn de Chabert.

　　回想 1970 年的那个春天，我想起了四个耶鲁大学的学生，他们和其他人一起，在五月的事件中发挥了关键作用。他们四个人分别是库尔特·施莫克、拉尔夫·道森、比尔·法利、格伦·德-查伯特。

　　They were serious students and active in founding and leading the Black Student Alliance at Yale. Two would be named Rhodes Scholars.

　　他们都是严谨认真的学生，积极创建并领导了耶鲁大学的黑人学生联盟。其中两人即将被评定为罗德奖学金获得者。

　　That spring, along with Kingman Brewster, his special assistant, Sam Chauncey, and other administrators, these students showed exemplary leadership during a time of crisis. There were instrumental in helping keep the peace on campus and most likely saving lives.

　　那年春天，这些学生与校长金曼·布鲁斯特、校长特别助理山姆·昌西、其他耶鲁大学的管理人员一起，在危机时刻表现出了堪称楷模的领导力。他们在维护校园治安方面发挥了重要作用，甚至可能拯救了无数生命。

　　The world was on fire, but their time at Yale prepared them to tackle important challenges, then and after graduation. One as a big city mayor and university president, others as distinguished attorneys, all as engaged community members.

　　当时的世界身处一片火海，但他们在耶鲁的学习，为他们毕业后应对更重大挑战备足了能量。其中一个后来成了一个城市的市长和大学校长，另一些成了杰出的律师。所有人都是耶鲁大学的成员。

　　Like generations of alumni, these Yalies were deeply committed to making themselves better, making the university better, and making the world better. You too are joining the Yale community at a historic moment.

　　就像历届校友一样，这群耶鲁人坚定不移地践行着独善其身，又兼济天下的使命。你们也一样，在一个历史性的时刻加入了耶鲁社区。

　　We're surrounded on all sides by fires, small and large. And yet I could think of no better moment to be at Yale.

　　我们都被火海包围，或大或小，四面楚歌。然而，我想不出有什么比在耶鲁更好的时刻了。

　　We begin this academic year with a renewed commitment, to nurture this community and the people in it. Yalies, you will soon discover love to learn, they seek out new experiences and they immerse themselves fully in everything they do.

　　学年伊始，我们带来了一份新的承诺，旨在培养这个社区和其中的人。你们很快就会发现，耶鲁人热爱学习，他们寻求新的体验，并将自己完全沉浸在他们所做的一切之中。

　　At Yale, you can study with top public health experts who are advising governments on the pandemic response. You can take a seminar with a Pulitzer Prize winning historian of Frederick Douglas, or a leading authority on John Milton.

　　在耶鲁，你可以与正在为政府提供大流行病应对建议的顶级公共卫生专家一起学习。你可以参加普利策奖获得者、历史学家弗雷德里克·道格拉斯或权威学者约翰·弥尔顿的研讨会。

　　You can conduct research alongside faculty members in over 1200 laboratories. Yale's great strength now as always is that we learn from and are inspired by one another.

　　你可以在 1200 多个实验室中与教师们一起进行研究。耶鲁现在一如既往地强大之处在于我们互相学习，互相启发。

　　Although we come from different places, we share a common purpose and that is to improve ourselves so that we can improve the world. Yale's mission statement expresses our highest ambitions. It says in part, Yale is committed to improving the world today and for future generations.

　　虽然我们来自不同的地方，但我们有一个共同的目标，那就是改善我们自己，以便我们能够改善世界。耶鲁大学的使命宣言表达了我们的最高抱负。其部分内容是：耶鲁大学致力于改善今天和未来的世界。

　　It goes on to say, Yale educates aspiring leaders worldwide who serve all sectors of society. You, you are those aspiring leaders.

　　还有，耶鲁大学教育全世界有抱负的领导人，他们为社会的各个部门服务。你，你们，就是这些有抱负的领导人。

　　And this mission is our answer to the question my predecessor asked over 50 years ago. I believe the patient learning President Brewster spoke of means deep engagement in your studies.

　　而这一使命正是我们对前任校长 50 多年前提出的问题的回答。我相信布鲁斯特校长所说的耐心学习就是意味着深入参与你们的学习。

　　It means challenging your thoughts and beliefs. It means expanding the frontiers of knowledge, your own, and then the world.

　　它意味着挑战你的思想和信仰。它意味着拓展你自己知识的前沿，然后再扩充到全世界。

　　It means using your time at Yale to prepare for the trials ahead. In this sense, patient learning is not only supportable, but essential if we are to fulfill Yale's mission, and indeed improve the world.

　　它意味着利用你在耶鲁的时间为未来的考验做准备。从这个意义上说，如果我们要完成耶鲁使命、改善世界的话，“在火海中学习” 不仅是有益的，而且是必不可少的。

　　I will end with lyrics written by one of my favorite folk singers, Woody Guthrie in his song Worlds on Fire. His words are only too applicable.

　　伍迪·格思是我最喜欢的民谣歌手之一，他有一首歌 Worlds on Fire，我将以其中的部分歌词作为今天演讲的结尾。他的词太贴切了。

　　While the skies, they're clearing we'll rise up dreaming. Build our city from the ashes.

　　当天空正在放晴，梦想苏醒。从废墟中重建我们的城市。

　　Yes, the world is on fire, but right in front of me, I see many reasons for optimism. Together, as part of this community, you will dream.

　　是的，世界身处一片火海，但看到你们，我仍对未来葆以乐观和热情。作为耶鲁大学的一员，从今天开始，你们将一起筑梦。

　　You will build. And you will prepare for lives of leadership and service.

　　我们一起建设。你们将开始谋划你们未来领导和公共服务的使命。

　　Welcome to Yale.

　　欢迎来到耶鲁。

　　举报/反馈