罗伯特·肯尼迪 《为民服务》讲话(听译稿)

1964年10月5日，罗伯特·肯尼迪访问纽约哥伦比亚大学，回答学生的提问，为自己竞选纽约州参议员进行拉票，当一位学生询问他为何辞去司法部长职位而来竞选参议员时，罗伯特·肯尼迪说出了他的一句名言：“因为我更想为民服务”。

注：本专栏为笔者的听译稿，内容仅供参考。

It was stressed in our family that because we had these tremendous advantages which other people didn't have, that in turn, we have a responsibility to others. —— Robert F. Kennedy

我们家族总是强调，因为我们享有了别人所没有的巨大优势，这就意味着我们有责任帮助他人。 —— 罗伯特·F·肯尼迪

Student: Mr.Kennedy, I would like to ask you a question which seems to me very close to the heart of the matter. If it sounds blunt, so be it. Aren't you really using New York state as a kind of jumping-off place for you own presidential ambtions?

学生：肯尼迪先生，我想问一个直击本质的问题。我但愿这个问题不会太冒昧。您是不是真的如传言所说，只是将纽约州作为自己进军总统宝座的跳板呢？

Robert F. Kennedy: First let me say, I have [had] really two choices over the period of the last ten months, I could have stayed in – I could have retired. And I – my father has done very well and I could have lived off him. 

罗伯特·F·肯尼迪：过去10个月里，我其实一直面临着两个选择，我完全可以安于原状——我可以直接退休。况且我——我爸比较有钱，我可以啃老，一辈子吃他的喝他的。

Or I could continue to work for the government and that is my major interest - and a major interest of my family. Again I don't see anything really sinister about that. We've all worked for the United States government. I like to continue to work for the United States government. 

或者，我可以继续为政府工作，而我更喜欢后者——我们家族都更喜欢后者。还是那句话，我不知道这有什么不好的。我们都为美国政府工作。而我希望继续为美国政府服务。

And I think, to... uh, being a United States senator , seeing it in my own family, and I think it is a position,a position where you can accomplish a great deal. You talked about... asked me about the fact if I wanna use this as a jump-off place, I don't where I can jump off to as we have a Democratic President to going to be elected in 1964 and in my judgement he is...

我认为，当美国参议员，我们家族就有人当过，我认为自己可以通过这一职位做许多贡献。你刚才说...问我，我是不是只是把参议员当做跳板，问题是我往哪跳呢？我们民主党1964年的总统候选人已经定了，而且我认为他...

He is gonna to be re-elected in 1968, so the earliest date that  I'm gonna be jumping off someplace is 1972, which is years away from now. I'm gonna have to be a wonderful United States senator for years. I'm gonna have to be re-elected in 6 years. I'm gonna have to run and appear before the people of New York. I'm gonna have to done a good job in the state of New York. I don't see me working and making this kind of effort that New York loses anything by. I hear somebody else outside said, "Are you going to serve your all six years? " I don't know where I go.

他1968年肯定还能连任，所以我想跳，起码得等到1972年，那还早着呢。这几年，我得干好我的参议员。6年后我还必须能连任。我必须在纽约人民之间来回跑。我必须为纽约干出点成绩。我觉得这并不会对纽约造成什么损害。还有其他人问，“你真的要干满这6年任期吗？”那要不然呢。我不失业了吗。

I tell you frankly I don’t need this title because I [could] be called General, I understand, for the rest of my life. And I don’t need the money and I don’t need the office space. Frank as it is – and maybe it’s difficult to understand in the state of New York – I’d like to just be a good United States Senator. I’d like to serve.

说实话吧，如果我想，我余生都可以担任部长，但是我并不需要这一头衔。我不缺钱，我也不需要多大的办公室。这或许让人感到难以理解——但是事实就是如此，我想成为代表纽约州的国会参议员。我更想为民服务。

声明：本人仅按照原文翻译内容，演讲内容不代表本人观点。此专栏仅供历史和英语交流学习使用，任何读者皆可引用本人的译本。

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