Class of 2009, you have an historic opportunity. Every class is told that, and to some extent I suppose it is always true. But just in the course of this commencement ceremony, you’ve heard several references to the global economic crisis. The times that you are graduating in are, yes, perhaps more difficult and somewhat more daunting. But that’s when we really rise together. One of the best lines from one of my favorite baseball movies, A League of Their Own – (applause) – said it well, “If it were easy, anybody could do it.”

2009年畢業(yè)班的同學們，你們面臨著歷史性的機遇。每一屆畢業(yè)生都聽到這樣的話，而且我認為在某種程度上確實如此。不過，在今天的畢業(yè)典禮上，你們已多次聽到有關全球經濟危機的話題。應該承認，你們畢業(yè)的這個時代或許更為困難，在某種意義上也更令人生畏。然而，這正是需要我們共同挺身而出的時候。我不禁想起一部我喜愛的關于棒球的影片，《女子棒球隊》(A League of Their Own)，其中一句精彩的臺詞 ── (掌聲) ── 說得真好，"如果沒有困難，任何人都能做到"。

You know, when the Yankees moved in to their old stadium next door in 1923, there was only person on the roster from west of St. Louis. Their team mostly looked the same, talked the same, and came from the same kind of cities and towns and rural areas across America. Think about the team that plays in this new stadium. It includes players from Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Panama, four other countries. The Dominican Republic alone is home to seven Yankees. In the same way, NYU has evolved as well. The university was founded to serve the City of New York. Today it serves the world.

你們知道，當揚基隊(Yankees)于1923年遷入隔壁的舊體育場時，名冊上只有一位隊員來自圣路易斯城(St.Louis)以西的地區(qū)。這支球隊的隊員外表大同小異，說話語氣相同，均來自美國同一類地區(qū)的城鎮(zhèn)和鄉(xiāng)村。再看看今天在這個新場地競技的球隊，其中有來自墨西哥、日本、臺灣、巴拿馬及其他四國的隊員。揚基隊就有七名隊員來自多米尼加共和國(Dominican Republic)。同樣，紐約大學也在演變。學校創(chuàng)立時只為紐約市服務，如今則為全球服務。

We know that there is much yet ahead that none of us can predict. There is no way to stop change. Change will come. What is unknown is whether it will bring progress or not. But you have done what you needed to do to get the best insurance policy you could, and that is an NYU education. (Applause.) And so armed with that education, I have every confidence that you will not only succeed by the dint of your own hard work and effort, but you will contribute far beyond your own personal needs. This is your moment. You’ve made it to the big leagues, and you are up to bat. Go out and give us a future worthy of this great university, of this great city, of this great country, and of the world we all wish to create together.

我們知道，前方有許多未知數，我們誰都無法預測。變革不可逆轉。變革終會來臨。無法預知的是，變革能否帶來進步。然而，你們已盡了一切努力，獲得了最好的保障，那就是紐約大學的教育。 (掌聲) 有了這樣的教育，我完全相信，你們不僅可憑著你們自身的勤奮努力獲得成功，而且還能為社會做出重大貢獻，遠遠超出自身的需求。這是你們的時刻。你們加入了這個宏大的聯(lián)隊，你們可以出擊了。踏上征途，開創(chuàng)我們的未來，使之無愧于這所偉大的學府，無愧于這座偉大的城市，無愧于這個偉大的國家，無愧于我們都希望共同建立的世界。

想為世博會工作嗎？填寫下面的表格，你也有機會?。ㄕ?zhí)钫鎸嵭畔⑴叮?/strong>詳情請見>>