Abigail Washburn: Building US-China relations ... by banjo

翻译人员: Dong Mao 校对人员: Zhenwei Huang

If you had caught me straight out of college

如果你在我本科刚毕业后

in the halls of the Vermont State House

在佛蒙特州议会大楼里遇到我

where I was a lobbyist in training

—-那时我还正在参加说客培训——

and asked me what I was going to do with my life,

并同时问我我的人生理想是什么

I would have told you

我会告诉你

that I'd just passed the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi,

我刚通过了汉语水平考试

the Chinese equivalency exam,

（The Chinese Equivalency Exam)

and I was going to go study law in Beijing,

而且我准备去北京进修法律

and I was going to improve U.S.-China relations

我要自上而下地修订政策

through top-down policy changes

及改革司法系统

and judicial system reforms.

以来改善中美关系

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

I had a plan,

我是有个计划

and I never ever thought

但是我没想到它会

it would have anything to do

和班卓琴扯上什么关系

with the banjo.

就是这玩意儿

Little did I know

我真没想到

what a huge impact it would have on me one night

它将在某个晚上对我造成如此巨大的影响

when I was at a party

当时我正在一个派对

and I heard a sound coming out of a record player

我听见从房间角落里的录音机

in the corner of a room.

传来得声音

And it was Doc Watson

那是多克·沃森(Doc Watson)弹唱的

singing and playing "Shady Grove."

《林荫》

♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫

♫树林荫荫啊，我的小爱人♫

♫ Shady Grove, my darlin' ♫

♫树林荫荫啊，我的小亲亲♫

♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫

♫树林荫荫啊，我的小爱人♫

♫ Going back to Harlan ♫

♫让我们一起回哈兰♫

That sound was just so beautiful,

那声音真是太美了

the sound of Doc's voice

多克的嗓音

and the rippling groove of the banjo.

和荡漾的班卓琴声

And after being totally and completely obsessed

在完全彻底沉迷于悠久厚重

with the mammoth richness and history

浩浩汤汤的中国历史与文化

of Chinese culture,

这么久以后

it was like this total relief

听到这种地道的美国风格

to hear something so truly American

也是地道的一流音乐

and so truly awesome.

实在是对我的一种解脱

I knew I had to take a banjo with me to China.

我这时候知道我肯定会带着班卓琴去中国了

So before going to law school in China

在出发去中国的法学院之前

I bought a banjo, I threw it in my little red truck

我买了个班卓琴，把它扔进我的红色小皮卡里

and I traveled down through Appalachia

然后我一路开到了阿巴拉契亚

and I learned a bunch of old American songs,

途中也学了一堆美国风老歌

and I ended up in Kentucky

最后我来到了肯塔基的

at the International Bluegrass Music Association Convention.

国际蓝草音乐联盟大会

And I was sitting in a hallway one night

有天晚上我坐在走廊里

and a couple girls came up to me.

几个姑娘走了过来

And they said, "Hey, do you want to jam?"

她们问我：“嘿，来个小合奏呗？”

And I was like, "Sure."

我说：“成啊！”

So I picked up my banjo

然后我拿起班卓琴

and I nervously played four songs that I actually knew with them.

非常紧张地和她们合奏了四首歌

And a record executive walked up to me

然后一个唱片公司的管理人员走了过来

and invited me to Nashville, Tennessee to make a record.

然后邀请我去田纳西的纳什维尔(被称为音乐之都）录专辑

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It's been eight years,

八年过去了

and I can tell you that I didn't go to China to become a lawyer.

我没去中国当律师

In fact, I went to Nashville.

事实上 我去了纳什维尔

And after a few months I was writing songs.

几个月之后我就开始自己写歌

And the first song I wrote was in English,

第一首是用英文写的

and the second one was in Chinese.

第二首是中文

(Music)

（音乐）

[Chinese]

[中文歌词]（后有翻译）

Outside your door the world is waiting.

♫门外有个世界♫

Inside your heart a voice is calling.

♫心中有个声音♫

The four corners of the world are watching,

♫四方等你来啊♫

so travel daughter, travel.

远行吧我的姑娘，去远行

Go get it, girl.

去追逐你的梦

(Applause)

（掌声）

It's really been eight years since that fated night in Kentucky.

距离肯塔基那改变命运的一夜的确已经过去八年了

And I've played thousands of shows.

这期间我参加过数以千计的表演

And I've collaborated

我和不计其数的出色音乐人合作过

with so many incredible, inspirational musicians around the world.

他们来自世界的各个地方

And I see the power of music.

我感受到了音乐的力量

I see the power of music

我感受到了音乐能

to connect cultures.

联通不同文化的力量

I see it when I stand on a stage

我是在东弗吉尼亚

in a bluegrass festival in east Virginia

一个蓝草音乐节的舞台上意识到的

and I look out at the sea of lawn chairs

当我的视线越过草坪躺椅的海洋时

and I bust out into a song in Chinese.

我突然唱起了一段中文歌

[Chinese]

♫太阳出来了喽喂 喜洋洋喽 啷喽♫

And everybody's eyes just pop wide open

然后大家都睁大了眼睛

like it's going to fall out of their heads.

好像眼珠子要掉出来似的

And they're like, "What's that girl doing?"

他们像是在问,"她发什么神经呢？“

And then they come up to me after the show

表演后他们来找我

and they all have a story.

带着他们的故事

They all come up and they're like,

他们过来告诉我

"You know, my aunt's sister's babysitter's dog's chicken went to China

”你知道吗，我婶婶的姐姐的保姆家的狗的小鸡去过中国

and adopted a girl."

还收养了一个小女孩“

And I tell you what, it like everybody's got a story.

我跟你说，真的是大家都是有故事的人

It's just incredible.

真是太难以置信了

And then I go to China

后来我去了中国

and I stand on a stage at a university

我站在一个大学的舞台上

and I bust out into a song in Chinese

我又突然唱起了中文歌

and everybody sings along

然后每个人都跟我一起唱

and they roar with delight

他们跟我一起大吼

at this girl

对我这个

with the hair and the instrument,

长着头发拿着乐器的普通女孩

and she's singing their music.

这个女孩唱着他们的音乐

And I see, even more importantly,

这时候我意识到更重要的是

the power of music to connect hearts.

音乐能够联通心灵

Like the time I was in Sichuan Province

又一次我去四川

and I was singing for kids in relocation schools

在地震灾后的临时小学里

in the earthquake disaster zone.

给孩子们唱歌

And this little girl comes up to me.

然后一个小女孩走过来

[Chinese]

[中文] （后有翻译）

"Big sister Wong,"

”王大姐，可以给你唱一下我妈妈教我的歌曲？“

Washburn, Wong, same difference.

沃什伯恩，王，差不多

"Big sister Wong, can I sing you a song

”王大姐，我能不能给你唱一下

that my mom sang for me

我妈妈再被地震吞噬前

before she was swallowed in the earthquake?"

教我的歌曲？”

And I sat down,

我坐下来

she sat on my lap.

她坐在我膝盖上

She started singing her song.

她开始唱

And the warmth of her body

我感到了她身体的的温度

and the tears rolling down her rosy cheeks,

我看到了眼泪从她绯红的脸颊滚落下来

and I started to cry.

我也哭了起来

And the light that shone off of her eyes

她眼中闪烁的光

was a place I could have stayed forever.

是我愿意相伴一生的东西

And in that moment, we weren't our American selves,

在那一刻，我们不是美国人

we weren't our Chinese selves,

也不是中国人

we were just mortals

我们只是简单的人

sitting together in that light that keeps us here.

静静地坐在将我们心灵带到一起的光里

I want to dwell in that light

我真想和你们所有人

with you and with everyone.

一起去那片光里看一看

And I know U.S.-China relations

我知道中美关系

doesn't need another lawyer.

不再需要一个律师了

Thank you.

谢谢

(Applause)

（掌声）