2016 Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama (1-10)
被J.K. Rowling的英式英語折磨了一星期，今天拿歐巴馬夫人Michelle的美式英語來比較
今年七月，美國民主黨代表大會前夕，危機解密(WikiLeaks)公布一件希拉蕊重大醜聞，群情譁然，黨大會噓聲罵聲不斷，主持人完全無法壓制
這時候歐巴馬夫人Michelle挺身而出，14分鐘的演講，完全控制場面
試想，如果是J.K. Rowling，講一句話大家還得想三分鐘，只會讓群眾的情緒更加火爆
請大家欣賞全美國口才最好的女性之一，Michelle Obama，如何漂亮的使用英文
Thank you all. Thank you so much. You know, it’s hard to believe that it has been eight years since I first came to this convention to talk with you about why I thought my husband should be President.
Remember how I told you about his character and conviction, his decency and his grace – the traits that we’ve seen every day that he’s served our country in the White House.
感謝大家，很難想像上次來大會convention跟大家說為什麼我丈夫必須當總統，到現在已經八年了
記得當時告訴大家他的品格character和信念conviction ，莊重decency和優雅grace ，在白宮每一天看他服務我們國家served our country，都見到這些特點traits
I also told you about our daughters – how they are the heart of our hearts, the center of our world.
And during our time in the White House, we’ve had the joy of watching them grow from bubbly little girls into poised young women, a journey that started soon after we arrived in Washington, when they set off for their first day at their new school.
I will never forget that winter morning as I watched our girls, just seven and ten years old, pile into those black SUVs with all those big men with guns.
我同時提到我們女兒，她們是我們的心肝寶貝，我們生活的中心
我們在白宮的這段日子，我們開心地看她們從天真快樂的bubbly小女孩變成端莊的poised年輕女性，這段旅程從我們抵達華盛頓，她們出發去set off for新的學校第一天開始
我忘不了那冬天的早晨，看著才七歲和十歲的女兒，走進去pile into那些黑色的SUV，旁邊都是帶槍的大漢
Bubbly:
always happy, friendly, and eager to do things
Pile into:
always happy, friendly, and eager to do things
And I saw their little faces pressed up against the window, and the only thing I could think was, “What have we done?”
See, because at that moment, I realized that our time in the White House would form the foundation for who they would become, and how well we managed this experience could truly make or break them.
That is what Barack and I think about every day as we try to guide and protect our girls through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight, how we urge them to ignore those who question their father’s citizenship or faith.
我見到她們的小臉蛋往車窗擠pressed up ，這時我心中只有一句話：「我們到底做了什麼事？」
看吧，在那個時候，我體會到我們在白宮的日子將會建立form她們成長的基礎foundation ，我們如何處理managed這段白宮經驗，不是成就她們，就是毀了她們make or break them
這就是Barack和我每天在想要如何在鎂光燈之下in the spotlight引導和保護我們的女孩度過這種非比尋常生活的挑戰，敦促urge她們不要計較外面質問question他父親國籍citizenship和(對國家)信仰faith的問題
Press
to move in a particular direction by pushing
How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country.
How we explain that when someone is cruel, or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level.
No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.
With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us.
We as parents are their most important role models.
我們堅持insist告訴她們在電視上看到的那些公眾人物public figures發表的仇恨言語hateful language不能代表represent國家的精神
我們向她們解釋，見到殘忍的人或者欺凌弱小的人bully ，我們不能墮落到那樣的程度stoop to their level
不可以這樣，我們的座右銘motto是，見不賢，內自省
我們每講出utter的每一個字，做出的每一個動作，我們知道孩子都在一邊看著
為人父母是兒女最重要的楷模role models
Stoop to something
to do something bad or morally wrong, which you do not normally do
And let me tell you, Barack and I take that same approach to our jobs as President and First Lady, because we know that our words and actions matter not just to our girls, but to children across this country – kids who tell us, “I saw you on TV, I wrote a report on you for school.”
Kids like the little black boy who looked up at my husband, his eyes wide with hope, and he wondered, “Is my hair like yours?”
And make no mistake about it, this November, when we go to the polls, that is what we’re deciding – not Democrat or Republican, not left or right.
我跟大家說，Barack和我都是用同樣的方法approach當總統和第一夫人，因為我們知道我們講的話和行為不僅影響女兒，而是會影響整個國家的across this country孩童，有孩子會說：「我在電視上看到你們，我學校的報告以你們為主題」
像這樣的小黑鬼抬頭看我丈夫，他睜大期盼的眼睛，想知道：「我的頭髮跟你一不一樣」
不要誤會我的意思make no mistake about it ，今年十一月，我們去投表所polls的時候，我們講好，不是投民主黨或共和黨，不是投左派或右派
No, this election, and every election, is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives.
And I am here tonight because in this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility, only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be President of the United States, and that is our friend, Hillary Clinton.
決不是，這次選舉，還有每一次的選舉，是選誰有能力在往後的四年或八年，能夠塑造shape我們的孩子
今晚在這裡，是因為這次選舉，我只信任一個人能承擔這樣的責任，我只相信一個人真正有資格qualified當美國總統，她就是我們的朋友，希拉蕊柯林頓
See, I trust Hillary to lead this country because I’ve seen her lifelong devotion to our nation’s children – not just her own daughter, who she has raised to perfection - but every child who needs a champion:
Kids who take the long way to school to avoid the gangs.
Kids who wonder how they’ll ever afford college.
Kids whose parents don’t speak a word of English but dream of a better life.
Kids who look to us to determine who and what they can be.
我相信希拉蕊可以領導這個國家，因為我親眼見到她一聲奉獻lifelong devotion在我們國家的孩子身上，不僅僅是教養她自己達到完美raised to perfection ，而是每一個孩子都需要有一個強而有力的捍衛者champion
這些孩子為了躲幫派份子avoid the gangs ，要繞好一大段路take the long way上學；這些孩子想知道他們有沒有能力負擔大學學費afford college；這些孩子的父母一句英文都不會說，但是夢想要有更好的生活；這些孩子指望look to us我們去決定determine他們可以當誰，他們將來能做什麼
Champion of something/somebody
someone who publicly fights for and defends an aim or principle, such as the rights of a group of people
You see, Hillary has spent decades doing the relentless, thankless work to actually make a difference in their lives - advocating for kids with disabilities as a young lawyer.
Fighting for children’s health care as First Lady and for quality child care in the Senate.
And when she didn’t win the nomination eight years ago, she didn’t get angry or disillusioned.
Hillary did not pack up and go home.
希拉蕊用了數十年decades的時間毫不間斷relentless 、不求感謝thankless做這些工作，讓這些孩子的生命真正的改變make a difference ，身為年輕的律師為殘障disabilities兒童說話advocating
她身為第一夫人時為孩子的健保奮鬥，她身為參議員為更優質的兒童健保quality child care奮鬥
八年前她沒有獲得提名nomination ，她沒有生氣或幻滅喪志disillusioned
希拉蕊沒有打包回家一走了之pack up and go home
Disillusion
to make someone realize that something which they thought was true or good is not really true or good
Because as a true public servant, Hillary knows that this is so much bigger than her own desires and disappointments.
So she proudly stepped up to serve our country once again as Secretary of State, traveling the globe to keep our kids safe.
And look, there were plenty of moments when Hillary could have decided that this work was too hard, that the price of public service was too high, that she was tired of being picked apart for how she looks or how she talks or even how she laughs.
因為身為真正的公僕public servant ，希拉蕊知道，對孩子的使命遠大於她個人的欲望和失望
所以她驕傲地挺身而出stepped up ，再一次當國務卿Secretary of State為國家服務，為兒童的安全世界趴趴走traveling the globe
請看，有數不清plenty of的時候，希拉蕊本可因為認為could have decided工作太困難、公眾服務的代價太大，連長相、講話、甚至笑的樣子都被拿來挑三揀四picked apart
But here’s the thing - what I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure.
She never takes the easy way out.
And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.
And when I think about the kind of President that I want for my girls and all our children, that’s what I want.
I want someone with the proven strength to persevere, someone who knows this job and takes it seriously, someone who understands that the issues a President faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters.
但事情是這樣子的here’s the thing ，我最敬佩希拉蕊的是，她從不會在壓力下under pressure屈服buckles
她從來不會走敷衍了事takes the easy way out
希拉蕊這輩子從沒有在任何事情面前放棄quit on anything
當我思考什麼樣的總統是我想要給兒女的，就是像她這樣
我要一個經過證實proven有不屈不撓persevere實力strength的人，一個懂這份總統工作而且嚴肅面對takes it seriously的人，一個了解總統所面對的問題不是黑或白，不可以把問題濃縮為be boiled down to 140個單字(推文)
Buckle
Bend and give way under pressure or strain
Boil down to
[Informal] if a long statement, argument etc boils down to a single statement, that statement is the main point or cause
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