Weekly Address: America Can Do Anything

每周电视讲话：美国能行

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President remarked on the incredible progress that has been made in the American auto industry.  Just seven years ago, the industry was on the brink of collapse, with plants closing and hundreds of thousands of workers getting laid off.  The President made a decision in his first couple of months in office to place his bet on American workers and American manufacturing, implementing a strategy to bring the American auto industry back.  Since then, Detroit-area unemployment has been cut by more than half, and automakers have added more than 640,000 new jobs.  On January 20, the President will visit the Detroit Auto Show to see this progress firsthand.  Because the story of the auto industry is an apt illustration of all that America has accomplished in the past seven years, and all that it can do.

华盛顿：在本周的讲话红，奥巴马总统回顾了美国汽车产业取得了非凡成就。七年前，这一行业处在崩溃的边缘，大量工厂倒闭，成千上万的工人失业。奥巴马总统在他上任之后的几个月内就做出重大决定，要重振美国制造业，与美国的工人们同舟共济，通过战略调整让美国的汽车产业再创辉煌。自那以后，底特律地区的失业率降低了一半以上，汽车生产商增加了64万个就业岗位。1月20日，总统将参加底特律车展，亲眼看看这些年所取得的成就。因为汽车产业复苏的故事正是美国七年来所取得的成就的典型范例，因此，美国能够完成任何想要做好的事情。

Hi everybody.  Seven years ago, the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse.  Plants were closing.  Hundreds of thousands of workers were getting laid off from jobs that had been their ticket to a middle-class life.  And as the pain spread across the country, another one million Americans would have lost their jobs in the middle of the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes.

大家好。七年前，美国的汽车产业面临崩溃。工厂倒闭，成千上万的工人失去工作，同时也失去了跻身中产阶级的门票。随着这种趋势蔓延下去，我们遭遇了此生最严重的经济危机，100多万人失去了工作。

Some said it was too late to turn things around.  But I refused to turn my back on so many of the workers that I’d met.  Instead, I placed my bet on American workers.  I placed my bet on American manufacturing.  In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility.  We said the auto industry would have to truly change, not just pretend that it did.  We got labor and management to settle their differences.  We got the industry to retool and restructure.  Everyone had some skin in the game.

有人说，太晚了，局势无法扭转了。但我亲眼见过这些工人，我拒绝放弃他们。相反，我选择与美国的工人们同舟共济。我选择与美国的制造业同舟共济。为了得到帮助，我们需要负起责任。我们说过，汽车产业需要进行真正的变革，而不是做做假把式。我们让职工与管理层进行对话，解决分歧。我们对整个行业进行升级改造。每个人都是这场运动中的一分子。

Our plan wasn’t popular.  Critics said it was a “road to socialism,” or a “disaster” waiting to happen.  But I’d make that bet again any day of the week.  Because today, the American auto industry is back.  Since our plan went into effect, our automakers have added more than 640,000 new jobs.  We’ve cut the Detroit-area unemployment rate by more than half.  The Big Three automakers are raising wages.  Seven years ago, auto sales hit a 27-year low.  Last year, they hit an all-time high.

我们的计划一开始并不受欢迎。批评人士说，这是“社会主义道路”，或是迟早要发生的“灾难”。但我每一周、每一天我都下定决心要坚持下去。因为今天，美国的汽车产业又回归了。当我们的政策产生效果之后，汽车生产商共增加了64万个工作岗位。我们将底特律地区的失业率降低了一半以上。三大汽车生产商也纷纷提高工资标准。七年前，汽车销量创下27年的最低值，而去年，他们却创下有史以来的新高。

Later this month, I’ll visit the Detroit Auto Show to see this progress firsthand.  Because I believe that every American should be proud of what our most iconic industry has done.

这个月末，我会参加底特律车展，以第一视角看看我们取得的成绩。因为我相信，每个美国人都应该为美国的标志性行业的取得的成就而感到自豪。

It’s not unlike what America overall has done these past seven years.  Our businesses are now on a 70-month streak of job creation, with more than 14 million new jobs in all.  We’ve revamped our schools and the way we pay for college.  We’ve made historic investments in clean energy and put ourselves on a path to a low-carbon future.  We’ve brought more than 17 million Americans into our health care system, seen health care prices grow at the lowest rate in fifty years, and covered more than 90 percent of our people for the very first time.  We’ve even cut our deficits by nearly 75 percent in the process.

回顾美国各行各业在过去七年里所做的事情，不能不让人惊叹。我们的企业创下连续79个月就业增长的记录，共新增1400多万个就业岗位。我们对学校进行改革，改变了大学学费的支付方式。我们对新能源领域进行了历史性的投资，低碳走向未来。我们让1700多万美国人民加入医保体系，看到医保价格增长速度降到50年来的最低水平，而且首次让90%以上的人都得到保障。与此同时，我们将财政赤字削减了将近75%。

The point is America can do anything.  Even in times of great challenge and change, our future is entirely up to us.  That’s been on my mind while I’m writing my final State of the Union Address.  And on Tuesday, I’m going to talk about the choices we have to make to set this country firmly on an even better, brighter course for decades to come.

关键点是，美国能够做好任何事情。即便面临巨大的挑战和变革，我们的未来依然完全掌握在我们自己手中。在我准备我最后一次国情咨文演讲的过程中，这个概念一直浮现在我的脑海中。下周二，我会谈谈我们需要做出的选择，为了赢得更美好、更光明的未来我们要为这个国家打下坚实的基础。

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

谢谢大家。周末愉快！