And four years ago, we started Race to the Top – a competition that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and higher standards, all for about 1 percent of what we spend on education each year. Tonight, I’m announcing a new challenge to redesign America’s high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy. And we’ll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering and math – the skills today’s employers are looking for to fill the jobs that are there right now and will be there in the future.

 

四年前，我们开始了通往巅峰之竞赛——一种让每个州都确信可以发展智能课程表和高标准的竞赛，这大约花费我们每年用于教育领域投入的1%。今晚，我宣布一个新的挑战，用以重新设计美国的高中，让他们能更好地提供给毕业生一种满足高科技经济需求的机会。我们将奖励和新大学及新雇主建立伙伴关系的高中——这些技能是当今和未来的雇主正在寻找的。

 

Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education. It’s a simple fact the more education you’ve got, the more likely you are to have a good job and work your way into the middle class. But today, skyrocketing costs price too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.

 

现在，即便拥有更好的高中，很多年轻人还是需要些高等教育。很简单的事实，如果你接受的教育越多，你拥有好工作且成为中产阶级的几率就越大。但是当今我们看到，飙升的学费让太多的年轻人上不起大学，或者让他们欠有不可持续的债务。

 

Through tax credits, grants and better loans, we’ve made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers can’t keep on subsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure that they do.

 

通过税款减免、补助及更好的贷款，我们在过去几年已经让大学变得让数百万的学生和家庭能够承担得起。但是纳税人不可能继续自助越来越高的高等教育的经费。大学必须想办法控制自己的经费，而这也是我们的职责以确保他们这样做。

 

So tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my administration will release a new “College Scorecard” that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria – where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.

 

因此今晚，我向国会提议，修改高等教育法案。这样，哪些大学的可支付学费以及它们各自的价值就能被包含在联邦资助中。明天我的政府班子 将会发布一个新的“大学记分卡”，这样家长和学生就能拿它用简单的标准来比较学校了。而这简单标准是——在哪个学校你用学费可以得到最多的快乐。

 

Now, to grow our middle class, our citizens have to have access to the education and training that today’s jobs require. But we also have to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who’s willing to work – everybody who’s willing to work hard has the chance to get ahead.

 

现在，为了扩大我们的中产阶层，我们的公民必须接受教育和当今从事工作所必备的技能培训。同时我们也要确保，在美国的每一个人只要辛勤肯干，就能获得出人头地的机会。

 

Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, faith communities – they all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done. Now is the time to get it done.

 

当我们充分发挥了人才和创新的作用，我们的经济才能更加强大，外来移民在这方面是大有希望的。如今，来自商业、劳工、执法、宗教等领域的领导者，他们都认为是进行移民制度全面改革的时候了。是时候做这件事了。是时候去完成这件事了。是时候去完成了。

 

Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my administration has already made – putting more boots on the Southern border than at any time in our history and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years.

 

真正的改革意味着需要更强有力的边境安全保障，我们能够继续推进这项政府早已在做的工作——史无前例地增加南部边境的安保力量，将非法越境事件降到40年来最低。

 

Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship – a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally.

 

真正的改革意味着需要建立一个负责人的公民权获取途径，包括身份背景审核、纳税及受罚情况、英语语言学习情况，还要先来后到、依序依法等候。

 

And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.

 

真正的改革还意味着修正移民法律体系，以便缩短申请等候的时间，以及吸引那些能够创造就业岗位、带来经济增长的高技能创业家和工程技术人员。

 

In other words, we know what needs to be done. And as we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. So let’s get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away. And America will be better for it. Let’s get it done. Let’s get it done.

 

换言之，我们知道自己需要做些什么。正如之前已经提到的，国会参众两院的有关团体正在勉力草拟一个法案，我对他们的努力表示赞赏。那么，让我们做好这件事吧。几个月以后请把移民制度全面改革的草案交给我，我会立即予以签署。美国将会因此变得刚好。让我们做好这件事。让我们做好它。

 

But we can’t stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives, our mothers, our daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. And I now urge the House to do the same. Good job, Joe. And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.

 

不过我们也不能就此止步。我们清楚，只有当我们的妻子、母亲、女儿能够免于在职场受歧视，免于家庭暴力，我们的经济才会更加强大。今天，参议院通过了最初由现任副总统乔·拜登将近20年前草拟的防止对妇女施暴法案，我希望众议院接下来也会予以批准。干得好，乔。我还要请求国会宣布，女性应该得到与之付出相配的回报，并在今年内最终通过工资公平法案。

 

We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day’s work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That’s wrong. That’s why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.

 

我们知道，只有当我们辛勤的工作获得体面的报酬时，我们的经济才会更加强大。但现在的情况是，一个全职工人每年最低工资仅为1.45万美元。即使把免税算上，一个拥有两个孩子的家庭最低工资仍处于贫困线以下。那是不对劲的。这就是为什么上次国会提高最低工资标准后，有19个州又在此基础上额外提高了标准。

 

Tonight, let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour.  We should be able to get that done.

 

今晚，让我们在这个世上最富有的国家里宣告，没有一个全职工作者会被迫生活在贫困中，宣告将联邦最低工资标准提高至每小时9美元。我们一定能够做好这件事。

 

This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. And a whole lot of folks out there would probably need less help from government. In fact, working folks shouldn’t have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here’s an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year – let’s tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.

 

这一步骤将提高几百万个工作家庭的收入。这可能意味着，原来靠救济券领取食品的人能够自己购买生活用品，原来被逐出房子的人能够租住下去，原来被生活抛弃的讲出人头地。对于全国的企业来说，这意味着拥有更多钱包满满的消费者。而对穷困人群来说，可能更少依赖于政府的救济。实际上，劳动者不必要一年又一年地等待最低工资标准的上升，而只需限制企业高管们的报酬上涨。这就是罗姆尼州长和我去年就已达成的共识，让我们将最低工资标准与生活成本挂钩，这样一来，你的最低标准总是能够支撑你的生活所需。

 

Tonight, let’s also recognize that there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it is virtually impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job. America is not a place where the chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that’s why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.

 

今晚，也让我们承认，这个国家确有一些人群他们无论怎么苦干都难以出人头地。一些工厂长期停工衰败。不可避免的贫困，无论城乡，年轻劳动力依旧为挣得第一份工作争破头。人们的命运不应该被他的出生状况和环境所决定，美国不是这样一个地方。这就是为什么我们要搭建新的机会的阶梯，让所有愿意攀登的人步入中产阶层的行列。

 

Let’s offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who’ve got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance anymore. Let’s put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. And this year, my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their feet. We’ll work with local leaders to target resources at public safety, and education, and housing.

 

让我们对那些为长期失业人群提供就业岗位的公司进行奖励。让我们引导人们重新建设那些衰败小区里冷落的家。今年，我的政府将帮助全国20个遭受贫困打击最严重的城镇重建家园。我们将与当地领导人一起，为他们争取公共安全、教育以及住房方面的资源。

 

We’ll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we’ll work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and do more to encourage fatherhood – because what makes you a man isn’t the ability to conceive a child; it’s having the courage to raise one. And we want to encourage that. We want to help that.

 

我们将通过减税鼓励企业用工和投资。我们将通过消除夫妻结婚的资金门槛来巩固家庭，并且进一步激励父亲的支撑力——因为男人之所以为男人并不是他有生孩子的能力，而是有养育孩子的勇气。而我们就是想要对此有所激励，有所帮助。

 

Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is this kind of prosperity – broad, shared, built on a thriving middle class – that has always been the source of our progress at home. It’s also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.

 

更强有力的家庭，更强有力的社区，然后才是一个更强有力的美国。正是这样的繁荣——包容、共享、建构于一个勤奋向上的中产阶层——才一直成为我们国内进步的来源。这也是我们的力量以及对整个世界的影响力的基础。

 

Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al Qaeda.

 

今晚，我们共同肃立，向为保卫我们而每天都在做出牺牲的军人和平民致敬。因为有他们，我们能够充满信心地说，美国将完成在阿富汗的使命并达到挫败基地组织核心的目标。

 

Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue and by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.

 

我们早已从阿富汗撤回3.3万名英勇的男女军人。今年春天，我们的驻军将转变为协助的角色，而由阿富汗政府军将担当主角。今晚，我宣布另外3.4万美国军人明年内将从阿富汗回家。这一撤军进程将持续到明年底，到那时阿富汗战争将会结束。

 

Beyond 2014, America’s commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We’re negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions – training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counterterrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates.

 

2014年以后，美国关于帮助重建一个统一、主权完整的阿富汗的承诺将会继续，但我们承诺的实质性内容将会改变。我们正在与阿富汗政府商谈一个协议，主要集中于两项任务：训练和装备阿富汗军队，以使其不再陷入混乱；开展反恐行动，以追剿基地组织残余及分支机构。

 

Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self.  It’s true, different al Qaeda affiliates and extremist groups have emerged – from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we don’t need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad or occupy other nations. Instead, we’ll need to help countries like Yemen, and Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali. And where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.

 

今天，在911事件中袭击我们的组织已经成为一个从前的影子。然而，另外的基地组织分支以及极端组织已经崛起，从阿拉伯半岛到非洲。这些组织所构成的威胁正在增加。但应对这些威胁，我们不需要派遣几万儿女到海外占领别的国家，而只需要帮助诸如也门、利比亚、索马里这些国家加强自己的安保，以及帮助盟友打击恐怖分子，如前不久协助法国进军马里。但如果有需要，只要能力所及，我们还会继续采取直接行动，以对付那些对美国构成最严重威胁的恐怖分子。