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Who Are you and what are you doing here? Mark Edmundson
你們是誰？來這兒做什么？馬克·埃德蒙森
Welcome and congratulations: Getting to the first day of college is a major achievement. You're to be commended, and not just you, but the parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts who helped get you here.
歡迎并祝賀大家:進入大學的第一天是一項重大成就。你們值得表揚，不僅僅是你們，還包括幫助你們成功進人大學的爸爸媽媽、爺爺奶奶、外公外婆、叔叔嬸嬸。
It's been said that raising a child effectively takes a village: Well, as you may have noticed, our American village is not in very good shape. We've got guns, drugs, two wars, fanatical religions, a slime-based popular culture, and some politicians who—a little restraint here—aren't what they might be. To merely survive in this American village and to win a place in the entering class has taken a lot of grit on your part. So, yes, congratulations to all.
荷人說培養一個孩子需要整個村莊: 當然，你們也注意到了，我們這個美國村并不是完美無缺,這兒有槍、有毒品、兩次戰爭、狂熱宗教分子，還有低俗的流行文化以及一些名不副實的政治家，雖然這樣說有些刻薄。僅僅在這個美國村生存下來并且贏得進入這個班級的機會就要付出巨大的努力，因此，是的，恭喜在座的每一位。
You now may think that you've about got it made. Amidst the impressive college buildings, in company with a high-powered faculty,surrounded by the best of your generation, all you need is to keep doing what you've done before: Work hard, get good grades, listen to your teachers, get along with the people around you, and you'll emerge in four years as an educated young man or woman. Ready for life.
現在，你們或許認為自己就要成功了。置身于宏偉壯觀的大學建筑之中，在兢兢業業的老師的陪伴下，在最優秀的同齡人的圍繞下，你們需要做的就是繼續之前所做的事情:努力學習、取得好成績、認真聽講、和周圍的人友好相處，四年后，你們會成為一位受過高等教育的男性或女性，為生活做好了準備。
Do not believe it. It is not true. If you want to get a real education in America you're going to have to fight—and I don't mean just fight against the drugs and the violence and against the slime-based culture that is still going to surround you. I mean something a little more disturbing. To get an education, you're probably going to have to fight against the institution that you find yourself in—no matter how prestigious it may be. (In fact, the more prestigious the school, the more you'll probably have to push.) You can get a terrific education in America now,there are astonishing opportunities at almost every college,but the education will not be presented to you wrapped and bowed. To get it, you'll need to struggle and strive, to be strong, and occasionally even to piss off some admirable people.
別相信這些，都是騙人的。想要在美國獲得真正的教育，你們必須戰斗——不是和毒品與暴力戰斗，也不是和你們周圍的低俗文化戰斗，而是和某些更加令人煩憂的事物戰斗。要獲得教育，你們可能要和自己所在的學院戰斗——不管它多么權威。（事實上，學院越是權威，你們就更有必要挑戰它。）在如今的美國，你們可以獲得很好的教育,幾乎每一所大學都能提供令人難以置信的好機會,但是教育不會像禮物一樣包裝好、扎好蝴蝶結送到你們面前。要獲得教育，你們需要戰斗，你們需要堅強，有的時候甚至需要惹怒自己敬佩的人。
