Weekly Address: Commemorating Labor Day
每周例行讲话：庆祝劳工节
August 31, 2013
2013年8月31日
Hi, everybody. This Labor Day weekend, as we gather with family and friends, we’ll also come together as a nation to honor some of our own – the working men and women of America who, across the generations, built this country up and helped make us who we are today.
大家好。在劳工节前的这个周末，当我们与亲朋好友团聚之时，我们也将作为一国人民向我们中间的一部分人致敬——美国的男女劳动者，他们世世代代地努力建立起这个国家并造就了我们的今天。
On Monday, we’ll celebrate that proud history. We’ll pay tribute to the values working Americans embody – hard work; responsibility; sacrifice; looking out for one another. And we’ll recommit ourselves to their cause; to securing for them a better bargain so that everyone who works hard in America has a chance to get ahead.
周一，我们将庆祝这段我们引以为豪的历史。我们还要赞扬美国的劳动者所体现的价值观——勤奋、负责任、乐于牺牲、互相帮助。我们自己将重新致力于劳动者的事业，为他们谋求更多福祉，使在美国努力工作的每个人都有机会获得成功。
See, over the past four and a half years, we’ve fought our way back from the worst recession of our lifetimes. And thanks to the grit and resilience of the American people, we’ve begun to lay a foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth. But as any working family will tell you, we’re not where we need to be.
过去四年半以来，我们一直努力从我们有生之年所经历的最严重的经济衰退中恢复。多亏美国人民坚韧不拔的毅力，我们现已开始奠定坚实的基础，将能够促使经济更强劲、更持久地增长。但任何一个工薪家庭都会告诉你，我们还没有实现应当实现的目标。
For over a decade, working Americans have seen their wages and incomes stagnate, even as corporate profits soar and the pay of a fortunate few explodes. For even longer than that, inequality has steadily risen; the journey of upward mobility has become harder. And in too many communities across this country, the shadow of poverty continues to cast a pall over our fellow citizens.
十余年来，尽管部分企业利润飙升，少数幸运者薪酬暴涨，但大多数美国劳动者的工资和收入僵固不变。甚至在更长的时间里，这种不平等现象一直日趋严重；提升地位之路愈加困难。在我们国家有太多的社区，那里贫困的阴影依然笼罩着我们的同胞。
Reversing that trend needs to be Washington’s highest priority. It’s certainly mine. That’s why, over the past month, I’ve traveled all across America, laying out my ideas for how we can build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class. A good job that pays a good wage. A good education. A home of your own. Health care when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. And more chances for folks to earn their way into the middle class as long as they’re willing to work for it.
扭转这一趋势必须成为华盛顿的当务之急，当然也是我的当务之急。这就是为什么在过去一个月里我奔走于全国各地，阐述我对我们如何在构建中产阶级的基石之上继续努力的想法。提供薪酬不错的好工作。受到良好的教育。拥有自己的房子。在生病时能享受到医疗服务。不富有也能安享退休生活。以及只要人们愿意努力工作，就有更多机会提高收入并迈进中产阶级。
The truth is, it’s not going to be easy to reverse the forces that have conspired – for decades – against working Americans. But if we take a few bold steps – and if Washington is able to come together with common purpose and common resolve – we’ll get there. Our economy will keep getting stronger and more Americans will be able to join the ranks of the middle-class.
事实是，扭转某些势力并非易事，因为它们已经杵逆美国劳动者几十年了。但如果我们采取一些大胆的措施——而且如果华盛顿能够以共同的目标和决心齐心努力——我们便可以实现目标。我们的经济将继续发展壮大，更多的美国人将能够步入中产阶级的行列。
So this Labor Day, while you’re out there grilling in the backyard, or taking that final trip for the summer, I hope you’ll also take a moment to reflect on the many contributions of our working men and women. For generations, it was the great American middle class that made our economy the envy of the world. And as long as I’m President, I’m going to keep fighting to make sure that happens again.
值此劳工节，当你们在后院烧烤，或在这个暑假最后一次外出旅行时，我希望你们也能花点时间来反思一下我们的劳动者做出的诸多贡献。几代人以来，正是伟大的美国中产阶级创造了受到全世界羡慕的美国经济。只要我还是总统，就将继续为再次做到这一点而奋斗。
Thanks, and have a great weekend.
谢谢。祝大家周末愉快。