Class of 2009!I don't think I heard you.Class of 2009!First I want you to stand up
and wave and cheer your supportivefamily and friends!I am sure you can find them out there.Show your love!It is a great honor for me to be here today.
09屆的同學(xué)們！來(lái)點(diǎn)激情給我個(gè)回應(yīng)。各位同學(xué)，我希望大家站起來(lái)向支持你們的親朋好友揮手致意。你們一定能在人群中找到他們，借此機(jī)會(huì)表達(dá)你們的愛(ài)吧！能站在這里我感到非常榮幸。
Now wait a second.I know:that's such a cliche.You're thinking: every graduation speaker says that - It's a great honor.But, in my case, it really is so deeply true being here is more special and more personal for me than most of you know. I'd like to tell you why.A long time ago,in this cold September of 1962,there was a Steven's co-op at this very university.That co-op had a kitchen with a ceiling that had been cleaned by student volunteers probably every decade or so.
等等，大家可能覺(jué)得有點(diǎn)矯情。"我很榮幸"這句話都說(shuō)爛了。但真的是大實(shí)話，大家不知道：我對(duì)密歇根大學(xué)有特殊的感情。很久以前，1962年9月，天很冷，在密歇根大學(xué)里有一家餐廳，學(xué)生志愿者負(fù)責(zé)打掃廚房的天花板，大約十年才會(huì)打掃一次。
Picture a college girl named Gloria,climbing up high on a ladder,struggling to clean that filthy ceiling.Standing on the floor, a young boarder named Carl was admiring the view.And that's how they met.They were my parents,so I suppose you could say I'm a direct result of that kitchen chemistry experiment, right here at Michigan.My Mom is here with us today,and we should probably go find the spot and put a plaqueup on the ceiling that says: "Thanks Mom and Dad!"
想象一下：有個(gè)叫格洛麗亞的女學(xué)生，爬上了高高的梯子，努力地打掃臟兮兮的天花板。而一個(gè)叫卡爾的寄宿生在下面偷窺，這是他倆的初次邂逅，他們就是我父母。所以說(shuō)，我是地地道道從密歇根大學(xué)廚房里造出來(lái)的，我母親今天也來(lái)了。我想找到當(dāng)年那個(gè)廚房，在天花板掛個(gè)匾上刻"感謝父母"！
Everyone in my family went here to Michigan:my brother, my Mom ,my Dad -- all of us.My Dad actually got the quantity discount:He got all three and a half of his degrees here.His Ph.D. was in Communication Science because they thought Computers were just a passing fad when he earned it 44 years ago.He and Mom made a big sacrifice for that degree.They argued at times over pennies, while raising my newborn brother.Mom typed
my Dad's dissertation by hand,kind of ironic of those computer science dissertation.
我的家人都畢業(yè)于密歇根大學(xué)：我哥、我父母、還有我。我爸在文憑數(shù)量上更勝一籌：他在這獲得了三個(gè)半學(xué)位，其中一個(gè)是通信工程的博士。44年前，他們認(rèn)為計(jì)算機(jī)火不了多久。為取得這個(gè)學(xué)位，爸媽做出了很大的犧牲。為了撫養(yǎng)剛出生的哥哥，省吃儉用。堂堂計(jì)算機(jī)博士，論文是我媽逐字敲出來(lái)的，諷刺吧？
This velvet hood I'm wearing, this was my Dad's.This diploma, yeah,this diploma I have here that just like the one you are about to get this is my Dad's.And my underwear, oh never mind, sorry.My father's father worked in the Chevy plant in Flint, Michigan. He was an assemblyline worker.He drove his two children here to Anna Arbor,and told them: That is where you're going to go to college.I know it sounds funny now.Both of his kids actually did graduate from Michigan.That was the American dream.
我身上這套博士服是我爸的，還有這張畢業(yè)證，跟你們即將拿到手的一樣，也是我爸的。還有我的內(nèi)褲，呃…算了(Orz)我的祖父曾在雪佛蘭汽車廠工作，他曾開(kāi)車帶兩個(gè)孩子來(lái)到安娜堡。告訴他們：你們以后要上這所大學(xué)！聽(tīng)起來(lái)挺扯。不過(guò)兩個(gè)孩子確實(shí)都進(jìn)了密歇根大學(xué)，這就是我們家的"美國(guó)夢(mèng)"
。
His daughter, Beverly, is also with us today.My Grandpa used to carry an "Alley Oop" hammer,a heavy iron pipe with a big hunk of lead melted on the end.The workers made them during the sit-down strikes to protect themselves.When I was growing up, we used that hammer whenever we needed to pound a stake or something into the yard.It is wonderful that most people don't need to carry a heavy blunt object for protection anymore.But just in case, I brought it with me.My Dad became a professor at uh…Michigan State,and I was an incredibly lucky boy.A professor's life is pretty flexible,and he was able to spend oodles of time raising me.Could there be a better upbringing than university brat?
我姑姑貝弗利今天也來(lái)了。爺爺以前經(jīng)?？钢粋€(gè)大鐵錘，鐵管上鑄著大鉛坨的那種。那是用來(lái)在靜坐罷工時(shí)，保護(hù)自己的武器。小時(shí)候，我們常用它在后院打樁子?，F(xiàn)在世道好了，大家不需要鐵錘保護(hù)自己了。但以防萬(wàn)一 ，我還是把它帶來(lái)了。后來(lái)我的父親成為了一名教授，密歇根州立大學(xué)的教授，我很走運(yùn)，因?yàn)榻淌诘墓ぷ鞅容^靈活，有大量的時(shí)間陪我。還有比這更棒的嗎?
What I'm trying to tell you is that this is way more than just a homecoming for me.It's not easy for me to express how proud I am to be here,with my Mom, my brother and my wife Lucy, and with all of you,at this amazing institution that is responsible for my very existence.I am thrilled for all of you,and I'm thrilled for your families and friends,as all of us join this great, big Michigan family I feel I've been a part of all of all my life.What I'm also trying to tell you is that I know exactly what it feels like to be sitting in your seat,listening to some old gasbag give a long-winded commencementspeech.Don't worry. I'll be brief.I have a story about following dreams.Or maybe more accurately,
it's a story about finding a path to make those dreams real.
我想要告訴大家的是：這次回來(lái)，意義非凡！我不知道該如何表達(dá)我的喜悅之情。今天和家人還有你們相聚在此，我無(wú)比激動(dòng)！因?yàn)檫@里造就了我，我為你們感到驕傲，也為你們的家人和朋友感到驕傲，因?yàn)槲覀兌际敲苄蠹彝サ囊粏T，它是我生命中不可或缺的一部分。同時(shí)，我也知道你們現(xiàn)在坐在臺(tái)下的感受：聽(tīng)我們這些老家伙絮叨，老生常談。別擔(dān)心，我不是話癆。我給大家講個(gè)追夢(mèng)的故事，確切地說(shuō)是一個(gè)將夢(mèng)想變?yōu)楝F(xiàn)實(shí)的故事。
You know what it's like,to wake up in the middle of the night with a vivid dream?And you know how, if you don't have a pencil and pad by the bed it will be completely gone by the next morning.I had one of those dreams when I was 23.When I suddenly woke up, I was thinking:what if we could download the whole web,and just keep the links and… I grabbed a pen and started writing!Sometimes it is important to wake up and stop dreaming.I spent the middle of that night scribbling out the details and convincing myself it would work.
想想看：午夜你從美夢(mèng)中醒來(lái)，然后躺下接著睡回籠覺(jué)，第二天早上準(zhǔn)會(huì)把昨晚的美夢(mèng)忘個(gè)精光。我23歲時(shí)，就做過(guò)這樣的美夢(mèng)。我猛然驚醒，想把所有的網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)容下載下來(lái)，通過(guò)鏈接的方式保存。于是，我抓起筆就開(kāi)始寫。還好我把握住機(jī)會(huì)，從夢(mèng)里及時(shí)醒來(lái)，花了一整晚研究出實(shí)現(xiàn)方案，自信滿滿。
Soon after, I told my advisor, Terry Winograd,it would take a couple of weeks for me to download the web -he nodded knowingly, fully aware it would take much longer but wise enough to not tell me.The optimism of youth is often underrated!Amazingly, at that time,I had no thought of building a search engine.The idea wasn't even on the radar.Much later we happened upon a better way of rankingand we made a really great search engine,and Google was born.When a really great dream shows up, grab it!When I was here at Michigan,I had actually been taught how to make dreams real!
我對(duì)導(dǎo)師Terry Winograd說(shuō)：下載整個(gè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)需要幾周時(shí)間。他點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，其實(shí)心里清楚需要更久。但他很明智，沒(méi)打擊我。年輕人的激情不可小視！不過(guò)那時(shí)，創(chuàng)造一個(gè)搜索引擎，對(duì)我而言是天方夜譚。我從沒(méi)動(dòng)過(guò)這個(gè)念頭。很久以后，我們偶然找到了更好的排序方式。做出了一級(jí)棒的搜索引擎，谷歌就這么誕生了。所以，當(dāng)夢(mèng)想閃現(xiàn)時(shí)，抓住它吧！我在這兒念書時(shí)，曾學(xué)過(guò)如何夢(mèng)想成真。
I know it sounds funny,but that is what I learned in a summer camp converted into a training program called Leadershape.Yes, we've got a few out there.Their slogan is to have a "healthy disregard for the impossible".That program encouraged me to pursue a crazy idea at the time.I wanted to build a personal rapid transit system on campus to replace the buses.Yeah, you're still working on that I hear.It was a futuristic way of solving our transportation problem.I still think a lot about transportation you never lose a dream, it just incubates as a hobby.Many things that people labor hard to do now,like cooking, cleaning, and driving will require much less human time in the future.That is, if we "have a healthy disregardfor the impossible and actually build new solutions.
聽(tīng)起來(lái)有點(diǎn)扯，但我確實(shí)從 "塑造領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力"夏令營(yíng)中得到了啟發(fā)?？矗娴挠腥藚⒓舆^(guò)的吧。我們的口號(hào)是“世上無(wú)難事只怕有心人“！我們被要求去實(shí)現(xiàn)自己看似瘋狂的夢(mèng)想。我想建立個(gè)人快速交通系統(tǒng)來(lái)替代公交，我知道你們還在研究。沒(méi)準(zhǔn)是今后解決交通問(wèn)題的好方法。我時(shí)不時(shí)還在考慮交通問(wèn)題，夢(mèng)想不會(huì)消失，會(huì)變成習(xí)慣！我們現(xiàn)在花費(fèi)精力做的事情，比如做飯、打掃 、開(kāi)車，今后占用的時(shí)間會(huì)越來(lái)越少，這不是天方夜譚。世上無(wú)難事，只怕有心人！
I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams.I know that sounds completely nuts.But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition.In fact, there are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name.They all travel as if they are pack dogs and stick to each other like glue.
The best people want to work on the big challenges.That is what happened with Google.Our mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.How can that not get you excited?But we almost didn't start Google actually because my co-founder Sergey and I were too worried about dropping out of our Ph.D. program.None of you have that issue it seems.You are probably on the right track, if you feel like a sidewalk worm during a rainstorm!That is about how we felt after we maxed out three credit cards buying hard disks off the back of a truck.That was actually the first hardware for Google.
我認(rèn)為，自古精英出狂人。這話聽(tīng)起來(lái)挺沒(méi)溜，但正因?yàn)閯e人沒(méi)你瘋狂。你的對(duì)手就很少事實(shí)上，狂人屈指可數(shù)。碰巧我都認(rèn)識(shí)，他們比狗仔隊(duì)還忙，比親戚還走得近，樂(lè)于接受一個(gè)又一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。谷歌就有這樣一幫人，我們的任務(wù)是整合全世界的信息，使其隨手可得，隨時(shí)可用。碉堡吧?但谷歌差一點(diǎn)夭折，因?yàn)槲液臀业拇顧nSergey擔(dān)心丟了博士學(xué)位。好在你們已經(jīng)畢業(yè)。當(dāng)時(shí)我們堅(jiān)信自己是一只暴風(fēng)雨里的小小鳥，總有一天會(huì)飛得很高。即使刷爆了三張信用卡，買來(lái)谷歌的第一批硬盤，也不曾后悔。
Parents and friends:more credit cards always help.What is the one sentence summary of how you change the world?Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting!As a Ph.D. student, I actually had three projects I wanted to work on.Thank goodness my advisor said,"why don't you work on the web for a while".He gave me some seriously good advicebecause the web was growing with people and activity, even in 1995!Technology and especially the Internet can really help you be lazy.Lazy? What I mean is a group of three people can write software that millions can use and enjoy.
Can three people answer the phone a million times?Find the leverage in the world,so you can be truly lazy!Overall, I know it seems like the world is crumblingout there,but it is actually a great time in your life to get a little crazy, follow your curiosity, and be ambitious about it.Don't give up on your dreams. The world needs you all!
家長(zhǎng)們，同學(xué)們。事實(shí)證明：多幾張信用卡總是有用的，如果用一句話總結(jié)：如何改變世界。為了迷狂般的夢(mèng)想而奮斗終生！其實(shí)在讀博期間，我想?yún)⒓尤齻€(gè)項(xiàng)目.還好導(dǎo)師建議道:"為什么不先研究網(wǎng)絡(luò)呢?"這個(gè)建議實(shí)在太好了,因?yàn)?995年網(wǎng)絡(luò)就開(kāi)始了迅猛發(fā)展?？萍?尤其是網(wǎng)絡(luò)確實(shí)能讓人順利變"懶"。你看三個(gè)人做的軟件，能解決上百萬(wàn)人的需求問(wèn)題，你讓三個(gè)接線員回答上百萬(wàn)人的問(wèn)題試試?只找到能撬起地球的杠桿，才能讓人成功變懶。世界正在瞬息萬(wàn)變，但對(duì)你而言，這是個(gè)絕佳的時(shí)機(jī)！你可以不顧一切地追尋奇思，實(shí)現(xiàn)妙想，不要放棄夢(mèng)想，世界需要你們！
So here's my final story:On a day like today, you might feel exhilarated —like you've just been shot out of a cannon at the circus and even invincible.Don't ever forget that incredible feeling.But also always remember that the moments we have with friends and family,the chances we have to do things that might make a big difference in the world,or even to make a small difference to the ones we love all those wonderful chances that life gives us,life also takes away.It can happen fast, and a whole lot sooner than you think.In late March 1996, soon after I had moved to Stanford for graduate school,my Dad had difficulty breathing and drove to the hospital.Two months later, he died.I was completely
devastated.Many years later, after a startup, after falling in love,and after so many of life's adventures,I found myself thinking about my Dad.Lucy and I were far away in a steaming hot village walking through narrow streets.
我還想說(shuō)個(gè)故事：如果某天你如現(xiàn)在這般欣喜若狂，就像從馬戲團(tuán)的炮口轟了出來(lái) ，一頭沖向藍(lán)天。請(qǐng)銘記那一刻的美妙，同時(shí)請(qǐng)銘記那些和家人朋友共處的時(shí)光，銘記每一個(gè)上天賦予你改造世界的機(jī)遇，銘記為所愛(ài)的人做出的改變，銘記生活賦予的一切美好，但生活也能輕易將它奪走。人生無(wú)常，1996年3月下旬，我到斯坦福大學(xué)讀研不久，我的父親便因呼吸困難住進(jìn)了醫(yī)院。兩個(gè)月以后，他去世了。我當(dāng)時(shí)幾乎崩潰，許多年后，我創(chuàng)業(yè)，戀愛(ài)。歷生命的種種后，我總會(huì)想起我的父親。我和Lucy去過(guò)一個(gè)偏遠(yuǎn)又炎熱的村莊，在狹窄的街道上散步。
There were wonderful friendly people everywhere, but it was a desperately poor place.People used the bathroom inside and it flowed out into the open gutter and straight into the river.We touched a boy with a limp leg, the result of paralysis
from polio.Lucy and I were in rural India, one of the few places where Polio still exists.Polio is transmitted fecal to oral, usually through filthy water.Well, my Dad had Polio.He went on a trip to Tennessee in the first grade and he caught it.He was hospitalized for two months and had to be transported by military DC-3 back home his first flight.
那里的人很友好，卻極度貧窮。污水不經(jīng)處理就徑直流入飲水河道，我們遇到一個(gè)因小兒麻痹而瘸腿的小男孩。那是在印度村莊，少數(shù)還存在小兒麻痹癥的地方。這種病主要?dú)w罪于污染的水源，我的父親也有小兒麻痹癥，他一年級(jí)去田納西州旅行時(shí)患病，住院兩個(gè)月后，由軍用航班DC-3送回家，這是他第一次打飛的。
My Dad wrote,"Then, I had to stay in bed for over a year, before I started back to school."That is actually a quote from his fifth grade autobiography.My Dad had difficulty breathing his whole life,and the Polio are what took him from us too soon.He would have been very upset,that Polio still persists even though we have a vaccine.He would have been equally upset that back in India we had polio virus on our shoes from walking through the contaminated gutters that spread the disease.We were spreading the virus with every footstep,right under beautiful kids playing everywhere.The world is on
the verge of eliminating polio,with 328 people infected so far.Let's get it eradicated soon.Perhaps one of you will do that.
他在五年級(jí)的日記里寫道：我必須在床上躺一年，不能上學(xué)。父親一輩子呼吸困難，小兒麻痹癥使他過(guò)早離開(kāi)我們?，F(xiàn)在即使有了疫苗，小兒麻痹癥依然肆虐，在印度腳上的鞋子也會(huì)傳播小兒麻痹癥，穿過(guò)那被污染的攜帶著病毒的水溝，每走一步都在傳播病毒，病毒橫行于孩子們玩耍的每個(gè)角落，人類正在努力消滅小兒麻痹癥。到目前為止，還有328例感染病例。讓我們加速這一進(jìn)程吧，也許你們中就有人能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)這個(gè)目標(biāo)。
My Dad was valedictorian of Flint Mandeville High School class of 1956 about 90 kids.I happened across his graduating speech recently, and it blew me away.53 years ago my Dad said: "…we are entering a changing world,one of automation and employment change where education is an economic necessity.We will have increased periods of time to do as we wish,as our work week and retirement age continue to decline and we wish that were true.We shall take part in, or witness, developmentsin science, medicine, and industry that we can only dream of today.It is said that the future of any nation can be
determined by the care and preparation given to its youth.
我父親曾作為學(xué)生代表在畢業(yè)典禮上致辭。我最近看到他的畢業(yè)演講，震住了。他說(shuō)，這是一個(gè)瞬息萬(wàn)變的時(shí)代，一個(gè)科學(xué)技術(shù)和人才就業(yè)在不斷變革的時(shí)代，教育成為發(fā)展的必需品。我們有更多的時(shí)間做想做的事，因?yàn)楣r(shí)減少，退休提前，我們期待這一刻的到來(lái)。參與或見(jiàn)證科學(xué)、醫(yī)學(xué)、工業(yè)的飛速發(fā)展。人們說(shuō)，一個(gè)國(guó)家的未來(lái)取決于對(duì)年輕人培養(yǎng)。
If all the youths of America were as fortunate in securing an education as we have been,then the future of the United Stateswould be even more bright than it is today."If my Dad were alive today,the thing I think he would be most happy about is that Lucy and I have a baby in the hopper.I think he would have been annoyed that I hadn't gotten my Ph.D. yet.thanks, Michigan!
如果所有美國(guó)青年能像我們一樣接受教育，美國(guó)的前景會(huì)更加光明；如果父親還在世，他會(huì)為即將出世的小孫子而高興，也我沒(méi)獲得博士學(xué)位而揪心。感謝密歇根大學(xué)- -!
Dad was so full of insights,of excitement about new things,that to this day, I often wonder what he would think about some new development.If he were here today.well, it would be one of the best days of his life.He'd be like a kid in a candy store. For a day, he'd be young again.Many of us are fortunate enough to be here with family.Some of us have dear friends and family to go home to.And who knows, perhaps some of you, like Lucy and I, are dreaming about future families of your own.Just like me, your families brought you here,and you brought them here.
他對(duì)于新事物總有著敏銳的觀察，并充滿熱情。我時(shí)?；孟?，他會(huì)如何看待現(xiàn)在的變化。如果他還在，這會(huì)是他人生中最美好的時(shí)光。他會(huì)像在糖果店的孩子那樣開(kāi)心，我們大部分人都很幸運(yùn)，有家人為伴，有朋友相隨，可能有些人正在憧憬和另一半的未來(lái)。當(dāng)初家人帶你來(lái)此讀書，如今他們見(jiàn)證你畢業(yè)。
Please keep them close and remember:they are what really matters in life.Thanks, Mom; Thanks, Lucy. And thank you, all, very much.
請(qǐng)務(wù)必珍惜！記住——他們才是你們生命中最重要的人！謝謝你媽媽！謝謝你 Lucy！謝謝大家！
