Weekly Address: President Obama Underscores Commitment to Strengthening Our Education System
每周电视讲话：奥巴马总统着重承诺要加强教育系统建设
WASHINGTON- In this week’s address, President Obama said that, even as we work to rebuild our economy and jumpstart job creation, it is imperative that we offer our children a quality education in order for America to succeed in the 21st century. While Republicans in Congress are looking to cut education funding by 20 percent, the President remains committed to enacting reforms that provide every child with a world-class education while at the same time equipping them with the skills and training they need to compete in the new global economy. The President will continue fighting for an education system that helps to build a strong middle class and gives our children the best possible chance in life.
华盛顿：在本周的讲话中，奥巴马总统说，在我们努力重建经济和推动创造就业的时候，为我们的孩子们提供高质量的教育以使得美国能在21世纪取得成功也异常紧要。虽然国会共和党人正在寻求削减20%的教育基金，总统依然承诺要进行改革来为每个孩子提供世界一流的教育，同时为他们提供他们所需的技能训练和培训来参与新的全球经济的竞争。总统将继续为打造一个建立坚实中产阶级和为我们的孩子提供最好的人生机会的教育系统而不懈努力。
The other day, I was talking about education with some folks in the backyard of an Albuquerque home, and someone asked a question that’s stayed with me. He asked, if we don’t have homes to go to, what good is an education? It was a heartfelt question, one that could be asked by anyone who’s lost a home or a job in this recession.
前几天，我在阿尔伯克基（Albuquerque,美国新墨西哥州中部城市）一户人家后院与人们谈论教育的时候，有人问了我一个一直难忘的问题。他说，如果我们无家可归了，教育还有什么用？这是个让人心酸的问题，是一个在这次衰退中失去家园或工作的任何一个人都可能会问的问题。
Because if you’re out of work or facing foreclosure, all that really matters is a new job. All that really matters is a roof over your head. All that really matters is getting back on your feet. That’s why I’m fighting each and every day to jumpstart job-creation in the private sector; to help our small business owners grow and hire; to rebuild our economy so it lifts up a middle class that’s been battered for so long.
因为当你失业或是面临房屋被银行强制收回的时候,真正重要的是找到一份新的工作。真正重要的是有一个栖身之所。真正重要的是重新自食其力。这也是为什么我每一天每一日都在为推动私营部门创造就业而努力工作的原因；帮助中小企业主实现增长和雇用人力的原因；重建我们的经济来提升长时间遭受重创的中产阶级的原因。
But even as we focus on doing all that; even as we focus on speeding up our economic recovery; we also know that when it comes to jobs, opportunity, and prosperity in the 21st century, nothing is more important than the quality of your education. At a time when most of the new jobs being created will require some kind of higher education; when countries that out-educate us today will outcompete us tomorrow, giving our kids the best education possible is an economic imperative.
即便当我们专注于做这些的时候，当我们专注于加速我们经济复苏的时候，我们依然要知道面临21世纪的就业，机遇和繁荣这些问题时，没有什么能比教育质量更重要了。当大部分新的就业机会需要更高的教育基础时，当今天在教育上超过我们的国家将在明天的竞争中超越我们的时候，为我们的孩子提供可以做到的最好的教育就是一个势在必行的经济问题了。
That’s why, from the start of my administration, we’ve been fighting to offer every child in this country a world-class education – from the cradle to the classroom, from college through a career. Earlier this week, I announced a new Skills for America’s Future initiative that will help community colleges and employers match what’s taught in the classroom with what’s needed in the private sector, so we can connect students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire.
这就是为什么，从我执政之初，我们就一直为这个国家的每个孩子提供世界一流的教育而努力的原因——从摇篮到教室，从大学贯穿职业生涯。本周早些时候，我发表了一份新的《美国未来技能培训》倡议，这将帮助社区大学和雇主在学校的教学内容如何适应私营部门的需求上找到契合点，这样我们就可以将学生找工作和公司招聘结合起来。
We’re eliminating tens of billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies for banks to administer student loans, and using that money to make college more affordable for millions of students. And we’ve launched a Race to the Top in our states to make sure our students, all of them, are graduating from high school ready for college – so we can meet our goal of graduating a higher proportion of students from college than any other country in the world by 2020.
我们正在削减对负责助学贷款的银行的数十亿美元的浪费性补贴，并用这些钱让数百万学生更好的担负大学学费。我们也在各州开展了一项争创一流活动，确保我们所有的学生从高中毕业就可以适应大学教育——这样我们就可以到2020年达到大学毕业生比例超过世界上其他任何国家的目标。
And yet, if Republicans in Congress had their way, we’d have a harder time meeting that goal. We’d have a harder time offering our kids the best education possible. Because they’d have us cut education by 20 percent – cuts that would reduce financial aid for eight million students; cuts that would leave our great and undervalued community colleges without the resources they need to prepare our graduates for the jobs of the future.
然而，如果国会共和党人得逞的话，我们实现这个目标就有点困难了。我们在为孩子们提供可做到的最好教育上也就更困难了。因为他们要求我们在教育上减少20%的投入——这项削减计划将减少对800万学生的资金援助，让我们重要却被低估的社区大学失去所需的资源来为毕业生提供未来职业的培训。
Now, it is true that when it comes to our budget, we have real challenges to meet. And if we’re serious about getting our fiscal house in order, we’ll need to make some tough choices. I’m prepared to make those choices. But what I’m not prepared to do is shortchange our children’s education. What I’m not prepared to do is undercut their economic future, your economic future, or the economic future of the United States of America.
现在，面临我们的预算时这确实是个真实的挑战。但如果我们严肃对待理顺国库（的资金使用）时，我们就需要做些艰难的抉择。我已经做好选择的准备。但我并没有准备缩减对我们孩子教育的投入。我不想削弱他们的经济前途，你们的经济前途，以及美利坚合众国的经济前途。
Nothing would be more detrimental to our prospects for success than cutting back on education. It would consign America to second place in our fiercely competitive global economy. But China and India aren’t playing for second. South Korea and Germany aren’t playing for second. They’re playing for first – and so should America.
没有什么能比削减教育投入对我们的前景损害更大了。这将让美国在激烈的国际经济竞争中屈居老二。但中国和印度是不会甘当老二的，南韩和德国也是不会甘当老二的。他们是想当老大的——因此美国也必须争当老大。
Instead of being shortsighted and shortchanging our kids, we should be doubling down on them. We should be giving every child in America a chance to make the most of their lives; to fulfill their God-given potential. We should be fighting to lead the global economy in this century, just like we did in the last. And that’s what I’ll continue fighting to do in the months and years ahead. Thanks, everybody, and have a nice weekend.
我们应该加倍增加对孩子们的投入，而不是目光浅短的削减对他们的投入。我们应该给每个美国儿童追求人生幸福和快乐的机会；去发挥他们的天赋潜能的机会。我们要为在本世纪引领全球经济而努力奋斗，就像过去一样。这也是我在将来的岁月里继续努力奋斗的目标。谢谢各位，周末愉快！
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