普林斯顿大学校长2018毕业演讲（节选）
It is indeed a privilege, and also a joy, to address you,
所有今天毕业的同学们，
for all of you who graduate today have accomplished something genuinely important and worth celebrating.
你们完成了一项非常重要且值得庆贺的事。
You have completed a demanding course of study. It will transform your life in many ways.
你们完成了学科课程要求，这将在很多方面改变你的生活。
It will expand the range of vocations you can pursue, increase your knowledge of the world,
它将扩大你的择业范围，增加你对世界的认识，
deepen your capacity to appreciate societies and cultures, and provide a foundation for lifelong learning.
加深你理解社会文化的能力，并为终生学习打好基础。
So we celebrate here on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall,
因此我们在拿骚楼前的草坪上庆祝，
as do other college communities in courtyards, auditoria, arenas, and stadia around the country.
其它各家学校也都在自己的院落、礼堂、舞台和体育场内举行庆祝活动。
Graduates toss caps in the air and professors applaud. Families cheer and holler enthusiastically.
毕业生们将帽子抛向空中、教授们在鼓掌、家人们热情欢呼。
Yet, even as we do so, we see a strange trend from columnists, bloggers, think tanks, and politicians.
尽管我们是这样做的，我们仍发现社会上有一股奇怪的风气，它来自专栏作家、博主、智库和政治家，
In essays, books, and speeches, some of them suggest that too many students are earning college degrees.
他们中的一些人在文章、书籍和演讲中宣称很多人其实不用上大学、大学生太多了。
Too many college graduates: that is a very odd claim,
大学生太多了，这是一个非常奇怪的说法。
because the economic evidence for the value of a college degree is overwhelming.
因为已经有经济学数据充分证明了读大学的好处。
For most people, the decision to invest in a college degree will be “the single best financial decision they make in a lifetime,”
对于大多数人来说投资大学学位将是他们一生中做过的最英明的经济抉择。
even if judged purely in terms of financial return on investment. A degree conveys many other benefits as well.
即使但从经济回报的角度来看，一个大学学位还能带来很多其它好处。
For example, college graduates report higher levels of happiness and job satisfaction, even after controlling for income.
比如，有报告显示大学毕业生们拥有更高的幸福感和工作满意度。即使在收入不多的情况下，
College graduates are healthier than non-graduates.
同时大学毕业的人比非大学毕业的人健康，
They are more likely to exercise, more likely to vote, and have higher levels of civic engagement.
他们有更大几率进行体育锻炼、参与投票并且拥有更高程度的公民参与度。
To these pragmatic considerations we should add the joys that come with an increased capacity to appreciate culture, the arts, the world’s diversity, and the inherent beauty of extraordinary ideas.
从实用角度考量的话，我们还应该加上那些由于对文化、艺术、世界多样性内在美和卓越观点理解能力的增强而额外带来的乐趣。
Why would anyone think we need fewer college graduates?
为什么会有人认为我们需要更少的大学生？
I think there is a simple answer. Education requires high-quality teaching. Teaching, in turn, depends upon skilled labor, which is expensive.
我认为答案很简单，高等教育意味着高质量的教学，教学反过来又取决于资深的教育劳动力，这很昂贵。
As a result, the up-front cost for education is real, large, and easy to measure.
因此，显而易见，教育的前期成本非常大，是切实的，高昂的，能够量化的。
The returns are equally real and even larger, but they accrue over a lifetime, are hard to measure, and vary from person to person.
但回报同样真实，甚至更大。但这种回报难以量化统计，因人而异。
A college education is a long-term investment. It enables graduates to develop and adapt, and it pays off spectacularly in the long run.
大学教育是一项长期投资，它使毕业生不断发展自己和适应世界，从长远来看，这种投资会带来惊人的收益。
We need to have the confidence to invest in our young people and to ensure that
我们要有信心投资我们的年轻人，
a college education is accessible and affordable for students from all backgrounds and financial circumstances.
并确保大学教育对于来各种背景和经济状况的学生来说都是可以获得和负担得起的。
I hope that all of you who graduate today, and who experience the power of education in your own lives,
我希望，今天的所有毕业生，以及都在自己的生活中体验过教育力量的人，
will become advocates for the value of higher education in our society.
都能成为我们高等教育的倡导者。
We applaud your achievements. We send our best wishes as you begin the adventures that lie ahead,
我们为你们取得的成就鼓掌，为你们即将开始的探险，送上最美好的祝福，
and we look forward to welcoming you back to this campus on future visits.
同时，我们欢迎所有的毕业生将来常来母校看看。
To the Great Class of 2018 and all of our graduates, congratulations!
2018届的优秀毕业生，祝福你们，祝贺你们！
朗读者：郑瑾
来源：搜狐英语
BGM：Graduation (Friends Forever)-Vitamin C
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