比爾·蓋茨哈佛大學畢業典禮演講

以下是一篇“比爾·蓋茨哈佛大學畢業典禮演講”，供大家瀏覽。

Members of the Harvard Family:

哈佛是一個大家庭。

Here in the Yard is one of the great collections of intellectual talent in the world.

這個院子裏在場的人們，是全世界最有智力的人類羣體之一。

For what purpose?

我們可以做些什麼?

There is no question that the faculty, the alumni, the students, and the benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world.

毫無疑問，哈佛的老師、校友、學生和資助者，已經用他們的能力改善了全世界各地人們的生活。

But can we do more?

但是，我們還能夠再做什麼呢?

Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name?

有沒有可能，哈佛的人們可以將他們的智慧，用來幫助那些甚至從來沒有聽到過“哈佛”這個名字的人?

Let me make a request of the deans and the professors-the intellectual leaders here at Harvard:

請允許我向各位院長和教授，提出一個請求:

As you hire new faculty, award tenure, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask yourselves:

你們是哈佛的智力領袖，當你們僱用新的老師、授予終身教職、評估課程、決定學位頒發標準的時候，請問你們自己如下的問題：

Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems?

我們最優秀的人才是否在致力於解決我們最大的問題?

Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world's worst inequities?

哈佛是否鼓勵她的老師去研究解決世界上最嚴重的不平等?

Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty…

哈佛的學生是否從全球那些極端的貧窮中學到了什麼…

the prence of world hunger…

世界性的饑荒…

the scarcity of clean water…

清潔的水資源的缺乏…

the girls kept out of school…

無法上學的女童…

the children who die from diseases we can cure?

死於非惡性疾病的兒童…

Should the world's most privileged people learn about the lives of the world's least privileged?

那些世界上過着最優越生活的人們，有沒有從那些最困難的人們身上學到東西?

These are not rhetorical questions-you will answer with your policies.

這些問題並非語言上的修辭。你必須用自己的行動來回答它們。

My mother, who was filled with pride the day I was admitted here-never stopped pressing me to do more for others.

我的母親在我被哈佛大學錄取的那一天，曾經感到非常驕傲。她從沒有停止督促我，去為他人做更多的事情。

A few days before my wedding, she hosted a bridal event, at which she read aloud a letter about marriage that she had written to Melinda.

在我結婚的前幾天，她主持了一個新娘進我家的儀式。在這個儀式上，她高聲朗讀了一封關於婚姻的信，這是她寫給 Melinda 的。

My mother was very ill with cancer at the time,

那時，我的母親已經因為癌症病入膏肓，

but she saw one more opportunity to deliver her message, and at the close of the letter she said: From those to whom much is given, much is expected.

但是她還是認為這是又一個傳播她 的信念的機會。在那封信的結尾，她寫道：“對於那些接受了許多幫助的人們，他們還在期待更多的幫助。”

When you consider what those of us here in this Yard have been given-in talent, privilege, and opportunity-there is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect from us.

想一想吧，我們在這個院子裏的這些人，被給予過什麼—天賦、特權、機遇—那麼可以這樣説，全世界的人們幾乎有無限的權力，期待我們做出貢獻。