this generation of americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. a decade of war is now ending. an economic recovery has begun. america’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive;diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.my fellow americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together.
這一代美國人經歷了危機的考驗，經濟危機堅定了我們的決心，證明了我們的恢復力。長達十年的戰爭正在結束，經濟的復甦已經開始。美國的可能性是無限的，因為我們擁有當今沒有邊界的世界所需要的所有品質：年輕與活力、多樣性與開放、無窮的冒險精神以及創造的天賦才能。我親愛的同胞們，我們正是為此刻而生，我們更要在此刻團結一致，抓住當下的機會。
for we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. we believe that america’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. we know that america thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. we are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an american, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of god but also in our own.
因為我們，美國人民，清楚如果只有不斷萎縮的少數人群體獲得成功，而大多數人不能成功，我們的國家就無法成功。我們相信，美國的繁榮必須建立在不斷上升的中產階級的寬闊臂膀之上，我們知道美國的繁榮只有這樣才能實現。只有當每個人都能找到工作中的自立與自豪時才能實現。只有當誠實勞動獲得的薪水足夠讓家庭
擺脫困苦的懸崖時才能實現。我們忠誠於我們的事業，保證讓一個出生於最貧窮環境中的小女孩都能知道，她有同其他所有人一樣的成功機會。因為她是一個美國人，她是自由的、平等的。她的自由平等不僅由上帝來見證，更由我們親手保護。
we understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. but while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single american. that is what this moment requires. that is what will give real meaning to our creed.