16岁的传奇少女马拉拉(Malala Yousafzai )是巴基斯坦西北部的一名女学生,以争取妇女接受教育的权利而闻名。2012年10月9日,马拉拉在乘校车回家途中,遭到塔利班枪手企图暗杀,头部和颈部中枪,一度情况危殆。为表彰马拉拉不畏塔利班威胁、积极为巴基斯坦女童争取受教育权利所作出的杰出贡献,联合国将每年的7月12日(马拉拉生日)定为“马拉拉日”。
这篇演讲是马拉拉16岁生日,也就是马拉拉日当天在联合国青年大会上的演讲,呼吁女性受教育权利,强调书和笔作为武器是最有力的。马拉拉也是2013年诺贝尔和平奖的候选人之一。
In the name of God, the most beneficent, the most merciful.
以最善良,最慈悲的真主名义。
Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, respected president of the General Assembly Vuk Jeremic, honourable UN envoy for global education Mr Gordon Brown, respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters: Assalamu alaikum.
尊敬的联合国秘书长潘基文先生,尊敬的联合国大会主席耶雷米奇先生,尊敬的联合国全球教育特使戈登·布朗先生,尊敬的长辈和我亲爱的兄弟姐妹们:祝愿你们平安。
Today is it an honour for me to be speaking again after a long time. Being here with such honourable people is a great moment in my life and it is an honour for me that today I am wearing a shawl of the late Benazir Bhutto. I don’t know where to begin my speech. I don’t know what people would be expecting me to say, but first of all thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and new life. I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good-wish cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me. I would like to thank my nurses, doctors and the staff of the hospitals in Pakistan and the UK and the UAE government who have helped me to get better and recover my strength.
继一段漫长时日之后,今日我很荣幸能再次发言。在此与诸位可敬的人聚集在这里的这一刻,将成为我人生中的重要时刻。我也很荣幸能在今日穿戴已故民选总理、贝娜姬·布托的披肩。我不知道该从哪儿开始我的演讲。我不知道人们会期望我说些甚么,但首先,感谢真主让我们所有人都平等,也感谢每一位为我祷告、冀望我快速康复、开始新生活的人。我无法相信人们向我展现出如此多的爱。我收到了来自世界各地的数千份问候卡和礼物。感谢所有人。感谢孩子们,他们天真的话语鼓励了我。感谢我的长辈,他们的祈祷让我变得更坚强。我要感谢在巴基斯坦、英国和阿联酋政府的医院里照顾我,帮助我恢复健康和重获力量的护士、医生和职员。
I fully support UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his Global Education First Initiative and the work of UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown and the respectful president of the UN General Assembly Vuk Jeremic. I thank them for the leadership they continue to give. They continue to inspire all of us to action. Dear brothers and sisters, do remember one thing: Malala Day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.
我完全支持联合国秘书长潘基文先生领导的全球教育优先计划,还有联合国全球教育特使戈登·布朗和尊敬的大会主席耶雷米奇先生的工作。我感谢他们持续提供的领导能力。他们不断地激励我们作出实践。亲爱的兄弟姐妹们,请记得一件事:“马拉拉日”不是属于我的日子。今日是属于曾为自己的权利说话的每一位女性,每一位男孩和每一位女孩。
There are hundreds of human rights activists and social workers who are not only speaking for their rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goal of peace, education and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them. So here I stand, one girl among many. I speak not for myself, but also those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to live in peace. Their right to be treated with dignity. Their right to equality of opportunity. Their right to be educated.
数以百计的人权活动家和社会工作者不仅为自己的权利发声,同时也努力去实现和平、教育与平等等目标。成千上万的人被恐怖分子杀害,数百万人因恐怖袭击而受伤。我只是其中之一。为此我站在这里,作为那些受到伤害的人群中的一员。我不仅为自己说话,也为那些无法让人听到他们声音的人说话。那些为自己的权利抗争的人。他们能和平居住的权利。他们能受到尊严对待的权利。他们能享有平等机会的权利。他们能接受教育的权利。
Dear friends, on 9 October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends, too. They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed. And out of that silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. And my dreams are the same. Dear sisters and brothers, I am not against anyone. Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group. I am here to speak for the right of education for every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me.
亲爱的朋友,在2012年10月9日,塔利班往我的左额开枪。他们也射杀我的朋友。他们以为子弹将会让我们沉默,但他们失败了。那一沉默中响起了成千上万的声音。恐怖分子以为他们能够改变我的目标,阻止我的理想。但是我的生活没任何改变,除了:已逝去的懦弱、恐惧与无助。坚定、力量与勇气诞生了。我还是同一个马拉拉。我的理想依旧。我的希望亦如故。而我的梦想依然不变。亲爱的姐妹兄弟,我不反对任何人。我在这儿演讲也非出于报个人之仇而对抗塔利班或其它恐怖组织。我在这儿为每一位孩子能接受教育的权利发言。我希望塔利班、所有恐怖分子和极端分子的儿女都能受教育。我甚至不怨恨射杀我的塔利班成员。
Even if there was a gun in my hand and he was standing in front of me, I would not shoot him. This is the compassion I have learned from Mohamed, the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This the legacy of change I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
即使我手上有支枪而他站在我面前,我不会射杀他。这是我从穆罕默德先知、耶稣和佛陀身上学得的慈悲。这是我从马丁·路德·金、纳尔逊·曼德拉和穆罕默德·阿里·真纳身上学得的变革之遗产。
This is the philosophy of nonviolence that I have learned from Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learned from my father and from my mother. This is what my soul is telling me: be peaceful and love everyone.
这是我从甘地(Gandhi)、帕夏汗(Bacha Khan)和特蕾莎修女(Mother Teresa)身上学得的非暴力哲学。这是我从父母身上学得的宽恕。这是我的灵魂告诉我的:爱好和平,爱每一个人。
Dear sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. The wise saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” It is true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them. This is why they killed 14 innocent students in the recent attack in Quetta. And that is why they kill female teachers. That is why they are blasting schools every day because they were and they are afraid of change and equality that we will bring to our society. And I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist: “Why are the Taliban against education?”He answered very simply by pointing to his book, he said: “A Talib doesn’t know what is written inside this book.”
亲爱的姐妹兄弟们,看到黑暗我们认识到光明的重要。在沉默中我们认识到声音的重要。同样地,当我们在巴基斯坦北部的斯瓦特,当我们见到枪械时我们认识到笔与书本的重要。“笔比剑锋”这一睿语如是说。确实如此。极端主义者害怕书与笔。他们害怕教育的力量。他们害怕女性。他们害怕女性声音的力量。这就是为什么在最近于奎塔达的侵袭中他们杀害14位无辜学生。这也是为什么他们杀害女教师。这也是为什么他们每日炸毁学校,因为他们从过去至今一直都害怕我们能为社会带来的改变与平等。我记得学校里有一位小男孩,记者问他,“为什么塔利班反对教育?”他指着自己的书本简单地回答:“塔利班不知道这书里写着甚么。”
They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would point guns at people’s heads just for going to school. These terrorists are misusing the name of Islam for their own personal benefit. Pakistan is a peace-loving, democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood. It is the duty and responsibility to get education for each child, that is what it says. Peace is a necessity for education. In many parts of the world, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, terrorism, war and conflicts stop children from going to schools. We are really tired of these wars. Women and children are suffering in many ways in many parts of the world.
他们以为真主是个会把枪指向去上学的人的头部的微小保守者。这些恐怖主义分子为了自身利益滥用伊斯兰教名义。巴基斯坦是个热爱和平民主的国家。普什图人要他们的女儿与儿子接受教育。伊斯兰教是个推崇和平、仁善与手足情谊的宗教。让每位孩子上学是它的义务与责任,伊斯兰教是这么说的。和平是教育之必要。世界上许多地方,特别是巴基斯坦与阿富汗,恐怖主义、战争和冲突阻挠了孩子就学的机会。我们对这些战争感到疲倦不堪。女人与孩子在很多方面和世界上许多地方饱受受折磨。
In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labour. Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria. People in Afghanistan have been affected by extremism. Young girls have to do domestic child labour and are forced to get married at an early age. Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights are the main problems, faced by both men and women.
在印度,无辜与贫困的孩子是童工受害者。在尼日利亚许多学校惨遭摧毁。在阿富汗,阿富汗人遭受极端主义的影响。年轻的女孩必须做家务童工并且在年幼时就被逼迫结婚。贫穷、无知、不公、种族主义和基本权利的剥夺,是男女都得面对的最大问题。
Today, I am focusing on women’s rights and girls’ education because they are suffering the most. There was a time when women activists asked men to stand up for their rights. But this time we will do it by ourselves. I am not telling men to step away from speaking for women’s rights, but I am focusing on women to be independent and fight for themselves. So dear sisters and brothers, now it’s time to speak up. So today, we call upon the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favour of peace and prosperity. We call upon the world leaders that all of these deals must protect women and children’s rights. A deal that goes against the rights of women is unacceptable.
今天,我关注女性权益和女童教育,因为她们承受最多的苦难。曾经,女性活动家要求男性为她们争取权益。但这次我们会为自己争取权益。我不是在告诉男性不须再为女性权益发声了,我是在关注女性的自主独立和为她们抗争。那么,亲爱的姐妹兄弟们,现在是为自己说话的时候了。今天,我们呼吁世界各国领袖改变他们的政策方针以支持和平与繁荣。我们呼吁各国领袖所有协议必须保护女性与儿童的权益。违背妇女权益的协议是不可接受的。
We call upon all governments to ensure free, compulsory education all over the world for every child. We call upon all the governments to fight against terrorism and violence. To protect children from brutality and harm. We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of education opportunities for girls in the developing world. We call upon all communities to be tolerant, to reject prejudice based on caste, creed, sect, colour, religion or agenda to ensure freedom and equality for women so they can flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave, to embrace the strength within themselves and realise their full potential.
我们呼吁所有政府确保每一位儿童能接受免费和义务的教育。我们呼吁所有政府对抗恐怖主义与暴力。保护儿童让他们免于暴行与伤害。我们呼吁先进国家支持并扩展女童在发展中国家接受教育的机会。我们呼吁所有社区心怀宽容、拒绝基于种姓、教义、派系、肤色、宗教或议程的偏见,确保女性的自由和平等,让她们茁壮。当我们中的一半人遭到阻碍我们无法彻底取得成功。我们呼吁处在世界各地的姐妹勇敢起来,去拥抱她们内心的力量,去实现她们的最大潜能。
Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child’s bright future. We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education. No one can stop us. We will speak up for our rights and we will bring change to our voice. We believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the whole world because we are all together, united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.
亲爱的兄弟姐妹们,为了每位孩子的璀璨未来我们要求学校和教育。我们会继续旅程,向和平与教育的目的地前进。没有任何人可以阻止我们。我们会为自己争取权益,我们会为自己的声音带来改变。我们相信发自我们话语的感染力与力量。我们的话语可以改变全世界——因为我们众志成城,为教育事业团结奋斗。如果我们要实现目标,那么让我们利用知识这一武器自我激励,让我们通过团结与友爱自我保护。
Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty and injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of their schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright, peaceful future.
亲爱的兄弟姐妹们,我们不可忘记数以百万计的人在贫困、不公与无知中遭受苦难。我们不可忘记数以百万计的失学儿童。我们不可忘记我们的姐妹兄弟等待着一个璀璨与和平的未来。
So let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism, let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first. Thank you.
那么,让我们开展一场对抗文盲、贫困和恐怖主义的壮丽抗争,让我们捡起我们的课本和笔,它们才是威力最强大的武器。一个孩子、一位教师、一本书和一支笔可以改变世界。教育是唯一的答案。教育为先。谢谢大家。
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(来源:沪江英语 编辑:yaning)