in the halls of the Vermont State House

假如你在我大學剛畢業的時候認識我

where I was a lobbyist in training

那時， 我還在佛蒙特州政府

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

接受培訓，準備成為遊說員

I would have told you

如果你問我的志向

that I'd just passed the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi,

我會告訴你說

the Chinese equivalency exam,

我剛通過了漢語水平考試，

and I was going to go study law in Beijing,

也就是中文等級考試，

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

而且我打算到北京去學習法律，

through top-down policy changes

然後致力於改進中美關係

and judicial system reforms.

透過將政策改弦易轍

(Laughter)

和改革司法制度的方式。

(Applause)

（笑聲）

I had a plan,

（掌聲）

and I never ever thought

我曾經有這個計劃過，

it would have anything to do

但是我從來都沒想到過

with the banjo.

我會用五弦琴

Little did I know

來實現這個計劃。

what a huge impact it would have on me one night

我從沒想過

when I was at a party

那一夜對我的影響是如此巨大。

and I heard a sound coming out of a record player

那是在一個聚會上

in the corner of a room.

我聽到一個聲音

And it was Doc Watson

是從房間角落的唱片機里傳出來。

singing and playing "Shady Grove."

是多克.沃曾

♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫

邊彈邊唱着那首 “格魯夫”.

♫ Shady Grove, my darlin' ♫

♫格魯夫，我的愛♫

♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫

♫格魯夫，我親愛的♫

♫ Going back to Harlan ♫

♫格魯夫，我的愛♫

That sound was just so beautiful,

♫ 回到哈蘭 ♫

the sound of Doc's voice

多克的聲音

and the rippling groove of the banjo.

和五弦琴的繞樑之音配合在一起

And after being totally and completely obsessed

簡直是美妙至極

with the mammoth richness and history

在完全沉迷於

of Chinese culture,

中國文化巨大的

it was like this total relief

豐富與歷史性之後，

to hear something so truly American

再聽到這樣純正美式的東西

and so truly awesome.

完全就像一種解脫

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

簡直太美妙了。

So before going to law school in China

我意識到我必須帶着五弦琴去中國。

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

所以在去中國上法學院之前

and I traveled down through Appalachia

我買了一把五弦琴，丟到我那輛紅色的小卡車上

and I learned a bunch of old American songs,

然後一路旅遊到了阿巴拉契亞

and I ended up in Kentucky

學到了不少美國的歌曲，

at the International Bluegrass Music Association Convention.

最後到達肯塔基

And I was sitting in a hallway one night

去看了國際藍草音樂聯合會會議。

and a couple girls came up to me.

有一天晚上，我坐在大廳

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

幾個女孩走了過來。

And I was like, "Sure."

她們問我，“嘿，你想和我配合彈幾曲嗎？”

So I picked up my banjo

我回答，“當然。”

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

然後，我拿起了我的琴

And a record executive walked up to me

緊張地彈了四首我會的歌曲。

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

然後，一個唱片製作向我走了過來

(Laughter)

邀請我到田納西州的纳什维尔, 去製作唱片。

It's been eight years,

（笑聲）

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

8年了

In fact, I went to Nashville.

我可以告訴你的是，我沒有去中國成為律師

And after a few months I was writing songs.

事實上，我去了纳什维尔

And the first song I wrote was in English,

幾個月後，我開始寫歌。

and the second one was in Chinese.

第一首歌，我用英語創作

(Music)

第二首歌，我就用中文寫

[Chinese]

（音樂）

Outside your door the world is waiting.

［中文］

Inside your heart a voice is calling.

門外有個世界

The four corners of the world are watching,

心中有個聲音

so travel daughter, travel.

四方等你來呀

Go get it, girl.

勇於遊歷

(Applause)

去吧，女孩兒

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

（掌聲）

And I've played thousands of shows.

自從肯塔基那命中注定之夜後，到現在已經8年了

And I've collaborated

我也已經演出了過逾千場

with so many incredible, inspirational musicians around the world.

和我合作過的

And I see the power of music.

有很多世界各地激發人靈感的出色音樂家

I see the power of music

我看到了音樂的力量

to connect cultures.

我看到了

I see it when I stand on a stage

音樂聯接文化的力量

in a bluegrass festival in east Virginia

特別是在西維吉尼亞州的藍草音樂節

and I look out at the sea of lawn chairs

我站在舞台上

and I bust out into a song in Chinese.

看着台下坐在草坪上的人海

[Chinese]

我突然間唱了首中文歌

And everybody's eyes just pop wide open

［中文］

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

每個人都瞪大了眼睛

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

就像眼珠子快掉了似的

And then they come up to me after the show

他們不禁在想，“那個女孩子在幹甚麼？”

and they all have a story.

表演過後，他們紛紛來找我

They all come up and they're like,

大家都有自己的故事

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

比如說

and adopted a girl."

“你知道嗎，我阿姨的姊姊的保姆的狗的雞去中國了

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

還領養了個女孩子”

It's just incredible.

我告訴你，每一個人都有他自己的故事

And then I go to China

太神奇了

and I stand on a stage at a university

在那之後，我去了中國

and I bust out into a song in Chinese

在一個大學的舞台上

and everybody sings along

我唱出了一首中文歌

and they roar with delight

台下的每個人都跟著唱

at this girl

他們高興地沖着

with the hair and the instrument,

台上的這個女孩大聲唱

and she's singing their music.

儘管有着不同的頭髮，用着不一樣的樂器

And I see, even more importantly,

卻唱着他們的音樂

the power of music to connect hearts.

我認為，更重要的是

Like the time I was in Sichuan Province

音樂的力量能將心與心相連

and I was singing for kids in relocation schools

比如這次我在四川省

in the earthquake disaster zone.

的地震災區

And this little girl comes up to me.

為臨時小學里的孩子們表演

[Chinese]

有個小女孩走到我身邊。

"Big sister Wong,"

“［中文］”

Washburn, Wong, same difference.

“王大姐”

"Big sister Wong, can I sing you a song

沃什波恩，王，差不多啦。

that my mom sang for me

“王大姐，我可以給你唱一首

before she was swallowed in the earthquake?"

我媽媽被地震吞噬前

And I sat down,

唱給我的歌嗎？“

she sat on my lap.

我坐了下來，

She started singing her song.

她坐在我腿上

And the warmth of her body

開始唱着她的歌

and the tears rolling down her rosy cheeks,

她身體傳來的溫度

and I started to cry.

滑落她粉紅臉蛋的淚珠

And the light that shone off of her eyes

讓我開始哭

was a place I could have stayed forever.

閃爍在她眼睛里的淚光

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

讓我久久不能忘懷

we weren't our Chinese selves,

那一刻，我們不是美國人

we were just mortals

我們不是中國人

sitting together in that light that keeps us here.

我們只是凡人

I want to dwell in that light

坐在一片將我們維繫在一起的光輝裡，

with you and with everyone.

我想和你們大家

And I know U.S.-China relations

一起住在那片光裡

doesn't need another lawyer.

而且我知道中美關係中

Thank you.

也不需要再多一名律師

(Applause)

謝謝。