哈佛商学院毕业典礼致辞:布隆伯格的五个人生建议
5月29日,彭博资讯创始人迈克尔·布隆伯格受邀出席哈佛商学院毕业典礼,并为2019届毕业生发表毕业演讲,美藤国际为您带来演讲中英全文:
“Well good afternoon. Thank you, Dan for the introduction – and you really don't have to call me Mayor Bloomberg. Mr. Bloomberg would be just fine, thank you.
“Let me also thank Nitin for the honor of addressing you. I didn’t have much choice when he called – he didn’t ask me to come, he told me I was coming.
下午好,谢谢你,为我介绍。不必称呼我为市长,叫我布隆伯格先生就好。还要感谢Nitin让我有幸在这里致辞。他给我打电话时可没有留给我什么选择,她并非问我能否过来,而是让我一定要来。
“Let me begin with the most important words I can say today: congratulations to the distinguished graduates of the great class of 2019.
首先,请允许我以最重要的话作为开场白:祝贺2019届的优秀毕业生们。
“It was only 53 years ago that I was in your shoes, so I know you've had an amazing experience here. You have mastered the case method during your time on campus – and the art of asking tough questions, like why don't the printers ever work here? Why on earth do they use the case method to teach accounting? Who thought of that?
53年前,我也曾和你们一样,在这里度过了美好的时光,掌握了案例分析方法和提出尖锐问题的技巧,比如,为什么这台打印机从来都不能用?究竟为什么要用案例法教会计学?这是谁的主意?
“And the toughest question of all: how many people does it take to finish a Scorpion Bowl at Hong Kong? For the record, the correct answer there is more than one.
其中最尖锐的问题是,需要几个人才能在香港楼餐厅喝完一杯“蝎子碗”(Scorpion Bowl)鸡尾酒?要知道,正确答案可不止一个。
“HBS really does have a special place in my heart. Not only did I graduate from here, but so did my daughter, Emma.
“My foundation teamed up with the B-School and K-School to create a mayoral leadership program run by Professor Abdelal.
哈佛商学院在我心目中极为特殊。我不仅毕业于此,我的女儿Emma也是。我的基金会与哈佛商学院和政治学院通力合作,创建了市长领导力项目,由Abdelal教授负责运营。
“And my father – who died a year before I was accepted to HBS – has his name on the building that stands behind Baker, an honor that would have thrilled him.
我父亲在我被哈佛商学院录取前一年过世,但他的名字却留在了贝克大楼后面的建筑上,这是一项肯定会让他兴奋不已的殊荣。
“He and my mother raised my sister and me just five miles from here in Medford, Massachusetts. That was convenient, because I never would have made it through the B-School without my mother nearby – she typed all my papers. Five decades later I still can't type – or spell. But I do have the good sense to have someone proof my tweets.
他和我母亲在距离此地仅5英里的麻萨诸塞州梅德福市抚养我和妹妹长大成人。这给我提供了很多方便,因为妈妈如果不是住在附近,我永远都不可能从商学院毕业,她帮我打印了全部论文。五十年过去了,我依然不擅长打字或拼写。不过我知道要在发推文之前找人帮我校对。
“As you can imagine, I also had the good sense to keep my Boston connections to myself when I was Mayor of New York City, especially when the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins or Patriots came to town. I will just note that during my time in City Hall, the Giants beat the Patriots in two Super Bowls. I did my job.
你们可以想象,我很明智地在出任纽约市长期间,没有公开我与波士顿的渊源,特别是在红袜、凯尔特人、棕熊或是爱国者队(译注:分别指波士顿的职业棒球队、篮球队、冰球队以及麻萨诸塞州福克斯堡的职业橄榄球队)来纽约比赛的时候。我只想说,在我任职期间,纽约巨人队仅有两次在超级碗比赛中战胜了爱国者队。我尽力了。
“We moved to Medford from Brookline a few miles from here when I was four-years-old. And I can still remember my first day in our new home. A boy from up the street clunked me over the head with a rock and I went in bleeding to my mother, which is to say I learned about Boston hospitality at a young age. I guess I had a hard head even back then.
在我四岁那年,我们全家从距离这里几英里外的布鲁克林搬到了梅德福。我至今还记得我们乔迁新居的第一天,街上的一个男孩子用石头砸破我的头,于是我血流满面地跑回家找妈妈。从那时起,我领教了波士顿的殷勤好客,并意识到自己有个坚硬的榆木脑袋。
“Even though I grew up just a trolley car ride away, when I first arrived on campus I felt like I'd entered a whole new world. Suddenly, I was in classes with friends whose families had built major companies and had famous last names. That was a pretty radical change from my childhood. My mother once told me: we never knew anybody whose name was in the newspaper, unless it was in the crime or the obit section.
尽管乘坐有轨电车,就能从我长大的地方到这里,但当我第一次来到校园,就像进入了一个大观园。突然之间,我和拥有显赫姓氏、或大型家族企业的朋友一起去上课。与我的童年相比,这是个相当大的变化。我母亲曾说,我们从不认识任何名字出现在报纸上的人物,除了在犯罪版或讣告栏。
“I can't say I spent a lot of time across this lawn in Baker Library. My transcript is evidence of that. I was always one of those who made the top half of the class possible. I was more likely to be over the bridge at what is now the Russell House Tavern. Back then, it was a German beer hall called The Wursthaus. It's where I first learned that it's better not to watch sausage being made.
我得承认自己并非草坪对面贝克图书馆的常客。我的成绩单可以证明这一点,我的成绩一般都在年级前50%。更多的时间,我是在桥那边,现在名叫Russell House Tavern酒馆的那个地方度过的。彼时,那是一家名叫The Wursthaus德国啤酒屋。我在那里第一次知道观看香肠的制作过程无法令人愉悦。
“Now, I'm sure many of you have already lined up a job. But for those who haven't, don't worry. I was a month away from graduating from the B-School and I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I asked a classmate for advice. He said, ‘Go to Wall Street.’ I said, ‘I don't know anything about finance.’ He said, ‘Just apply for jobs at Salomon Brothers & Hutzler, and a firm named Goldman Sachs.’ And I said, ‘Who are they? What do they do?’
我相信你们中的很多人都已经搞定工作。不过,还没有找到工作的人也不要担心。当初,离毕业还有一个月的时候,我仍然不知道自己想要做什么。我向一位同学求助。他说:“去华尔街。”我说:“我对金融一窍不通。”他答道:“就去所罗门兄弟公司,或是一家名叫高盛的公司申请工作。”然后我说:“他们是谁?是做什么的?”
“Yes, I was a B-School kid who had never heard of Goldman Sachs. A lot has changed since then.
没错,我是一个从没听说过高盛的商学院学生。可从此以后发生了很多变化。
“Goldman, I remember, flew me down to New York and offered me a job starting at $14,000 a year – not bad pay for 1966. Salomon Brothers sent me a train ticket and offered me a job for only $9,000. After the interviews, I thought I would fit much better into Salomon. But I told the senior partner, John Gutfreund, I couldn't afford to pay the rent on that salary. Rent in New York was really expensive back then – 120 bucks a month, as I remember.
高盛,我记得,当时让我飞到纽约并提供给我一份起步年薪1.4万美元的工作,这在1966年还算不错。而所罗门兄弟寄给我一张火车票,给了我一份只有9,000美元年薪的工作。面试后,我感觉自己更适合所罗门兄弟。于是我对所罗门兄弟的高级合伙人John Gutfreund说,靠这份工资我可付不起房租。那时候,纽约的房租真的非常高,在我己得月租高达120美元。
“He said, ‘how much do you need?’ I didn't want to be piggy about it, so I said on the spur of the moment $11,500. He said, ‘OK, $9,000 in salary and a $2,500 loan.’ And he walked out of the room. This is a true story, I didn’t know what to do.
他于是问我:“你想要多少?”我不想太贪心,所以我当下回复说1.15万美元。他说:“好,9,000美元薪水,另加2,500美元贷款。”然后他就起身走了。这是真的,我当时都不知道该如何是好。
“So I showed up two months later and I just started working. So much for my negotiating skills.
于是,两个月后我就去上班了。我的谈判技巧也就是只到这个水平。
“For the record, my first year bonus was $500 loan forgiveness, and my second year bonus was forgiveness for the other two grand. Just remember that when you think you are getting stiffed on a bonus negotiation.
要知道,我第一年的奖金是减免500美元贷款,第二年的奖金是再多减2,000美元。当你感觉自己在谈判奖金的时候吃亏了,就想想我的经历。
“But seriously, when you weigh a job offer my message to you is, even later in life when you’re considering a career change, leave salary out of the equation. Make decisions based on the quality of the opportunity, and where you'll have the most fun and the most room for growth.
不过说实话,在权衡一份工作邀请、甚至是今后考虑换工作的时候,我的建议是,不要考虑薪资问题。你们的决定应该基于工作机会的质量,以及哪里能带来最多的乐趣和最大的发展空间。
“What's important for your career is not your starting salary. It's your development and happiness. The cash will come later on.
对职业生涯而言,起薪并不重要。重要的是发展前景和开心与否。钱以后总能挣到的。
“I learned a lot about finance at Salomon, but the most valuable lesson I learned had nothing to do with stocks and bonds. They were lessons on how to apply what I had learned – not only here at HBS, but also from my parents, and from my time as an Eagle Scout.
在所罗门,我学到了很多金融方面的东西,不过最有价值的一课却与股票和债券无关,而是关于如何运用所学的知识。这些知识不仅是从哈佛商学院,还包括我从父母那里、从成为鹰级童子军的经历中学到的。
“The head of Salomon Brothers, Billy Salomon, never went to college, no less business school. He never took a class in corporate responsibility – and he didn't need to. Being ethical does not require a Masters degree. It requires having a conscience – and following it. It requires being honest and truthful, and never lying or cheating.
所罗门兄弟公司的老板Billy Salomon从没有上过大学,更别提商学院了。他从没上过任何有关企业责任的课程,当然也没有这个必要。讲道德不需要硕士学位,需要的是良知,以及听从良知的召唤。需要诚实和守信,永远不说谎、不欺骗。
“Let me give you a quick example: there was a rule at Salomon against giving gifts to clients to win more business. When Billy caught someone sending a case of wine to a major client, he fired him on the spot. Period, end of story. It didn't matter that he was perhaps the most productive salesman in the company.
我给你们举个简单的例子,在所罗门有一条规则,禁止为得到更多生意而向客户送礼。当Billy发现有人向大客户送了一箱红酒时,他当场解雇了这名员工。到此为止,一切结束。这名员工有可能是公司最能干的销售员,但这不重要。
“You can say Billy over-reacted – but I don't think so. The rules he asked us to follow he followed himself – no exceptions. And when it came to ethics, there was no compromising.
你们可能会说Billy反应过度,不过我不这么想。他要求我们遵循的规则,他自己也会遵守,没有例外。而且绝不在道德问题上有任何妥协。
“Billy treated everyone the same – from senior partners to the custodial staff. No one was better than anyone else. And Billy believed if you were lucky enough to make some money, you had an obligation to give a percentage of it away to help others. In fact, he didn't ask you what the percentage should be, he told you and you did it.
从高级合伙人到保管人员,Billy都一视同仁。没有人好于其他人。而且他相信,如果你够幸运能赚到钱,你就有义务将其中一部分捐出去帮助他人。实际上,他不问你认为该捐多少,而是直接告诉你然后你照办。
“I've been very lucky in my career. But my luckiest break wasn't getting fired – although that was pretty lucky it turned out. My luckiest break was taking a job where I got to see the ethics I learned growing up put into practice in the workplace. And I'd like to think the principles that I learned at Salomon have guided my life ever since.
我的职业生涯一直非常幸运。最幸运的并不是被解雇,虽然结果证明这件事也蛮幸运的。我最幸运的是能够得到一份工作,这份工作让我看到成长过程中所学的道德规范在职场中被实际应用。我想,我在所罗门学到的这些原则,此后一直指引着我的人生。
“But when we look at today's world, it’s not clear that everyone with a degree in business has those principles. And that's one reason, I believe, that this great country of ours is suffering from an ethical crisis that is corroding our society.
但当我们审视今天的世界时,并不清楚是否每一个拥有工商学位的人都遵循这些原则。我相信这正是我们这个伟大的国家如今正遭受道德危机的一个原因,这场危机正侵蚀着我们的社会。
“Today, Americans are questioning whether those in the private sector – and in Washington – can provide the moral leadership our country needs, both economically and politically. They see the rewards of the economy increasingly concentrated at the top. They see wealthy parents scamming the college admissions process. They see families unable to afford health care and housing in the world's richest country. They see decades of discrimination based on race and ethnicity trapping another generation into poverty. And they wonder: is our economic system breaking down?
如今,美国人在质疑,非政府领域,以及华盛顿的那些人能否提供国家所需要的道德领袖,包括经济上和政治上的。人们看到,经济回报越来越多地集中于上层阶级;富裕的家长能够在大学录取过程中舞弊;在这个全球最富裕的国家,人们也会看不起病、住不起房。人们还看到,数十年的种族歧视、民族歧视,让又一代人陷入贫困无法自拔。大家想知道:我们的经济体系要崩溃了吗?
“At the same time, if they are not blinded by partisanship when they look at Washington, D.C., they see truth and science being trampled with reckless abandon. They see the rule of law being attacked and undermined. They see a chorus of enablers who defend every lie and abuse of power. And they wonder: is our political system breaking down, too?
与此同时,如果没有被党派偏见所蒙蔽,在华盛顿哥伦比亚特区,人们看到的是真理与科学被肆意践踏抛弃,看到法律原则被攻击诋毁,看到煽风点火的人在为谎言和权力滥用辩护。人们在问:我们的政治体系也要崩溃了吗?
“Now, as you may know, I've never been much for party politics. I've supported Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Hell, I've actually been a Democrat, Republican, and independent.
你们可能都知道,我从来都不喜欢党派政治。我支持过民主党、共和党和独立党派。见鬼,实际上我本人就曾是民主党、共和党和独立党派人士。
“No party has a monopoly on good ideas or good people. But I believe all of us have an obligation to reject those who traffic in dishonesty and deceit. That is not a partisan position. That is a patriotic position.
没有哪一个党派可以垄断所有好的想法或好人。不过我相信,所有人都有义务将那些尔虞我诈和背信弃义的人拒之门外。这不是任何党派立场,这是爱国者的立场。
“For full disclosure, back in 2016 at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia when the Republican nominee was promising to run our country like he ran his business, I said, ‘God help us.’ And not just because he went to Wharton. Actually I wish I hadn't been right.
坦白地讲,早在2016年民主党全国代表大会在费城举行时,当共和党提名人承诺他将像经营自己的公司那样来经营这个国家的时候,我就说过:“上帝请帮助我们。”这不只是因为这位共和党人士是沃顿商学院毕业的。实际上我很希望我的想法是错的。
“But unfortunately, when we elect people to public office who have no interest in ethics, that depravity trickles down and it seeps into our culture.
然而不幸的是,当我们选举了对道德毫不关心的人担任公职时,堕落会慢慢渗透到我们的文化中。
“Thirty years ago, New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan – a Harvard professor I should note – described society's growing tolerance for illicit behavior as ‘defining deviancy down.’
三十年前,纽约州参议员Daniel Patrick Moynihan,哈佛教授,将社会对于非法行为日渐增加的容忍度描述为“定义偏差下移”。
“Today, we face the same problem – only the bad behavior is not on city streets but in the halls of power in Washington. And as our political culture degenerates, so does our ability to address all the big challenges that we face.
如今,我们面临着同样的问题,只是坏行为并非出现在城市街头,而是在华盛顿的权力中心。而政治文化的堕落也使我们逐步失去解决所有重大挑战的能力。
“Now, the good news is there is a solution. In fact, I believe that the solution to our political problems is also the solution to our economic problems. And I can sum it up in one word: integrity.
好消息是,我们还有解决办法。我相信,解决政治问题的办法也可以解决经济问题。一言以蔽之就是诚信。
“In Econ 101, you were probably taught that markets are based on supply and demand. But for capitalism to really function, people need to have faith that they will be entering into generally fair exchanges – that one side won't cheat on the other.
在经济学基础课上,你们应该学到过,市场是建立在供需基础之上的。但是,若要资本主义真正发挥作用,人们需要有信心,相信他们即将进入的是整体上公平的市场,不会有一方对另一方的欺骗。
“Of course, not every person can be trusted to act with integrity, so we do have laws and regulations that are intended to guarantee it. Those legal controls don't always work – and periodically, we do need to update them.
诚然,不是每个人都可以被信任,都诚信行事,因此我们有法律和规则来确保这一点能够实现。有些法律和规则不总能够发挥作用,故每过一段时间,需要对其进行更新。
“For example, a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt took on the largest corporations that were destroying competition. Twenty five years later, Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal provided relief from a Great Depression that some thought would lead to the downfall of capitalism.
举个例子,一个世纪以前,西奥多·罗斯福与破坏竞争的大企业抗争。25年后,富兰克林·罗斯福新政缓解了大萧条的冲击,而这之前,大萧条一度让部分人认为资本主义将就此垮台。
“For their leadership, T.R. and F.D.R. were reviled by many in the business world – and considered traitors to their class. But their actions preserved the integrity of markets – by restoring people's faith in them.
由于他们的政策,西奥多·罗斯福和富兰克林·罗斯福被当时商界里很多人切齿痛恨,他们被认为背叛了自己的阶层。然而,其行动却恢复了人们对市场的信心,维护了市场的诚信。
“Now, I'm as much of a capitalist as you will ever find, but anyone who believes that unfettered capitalism works hasn't read history.
而今,我对于资本主义的信仰比任何人都坚定。不过,如果有人相信不受约束的资本主义能够行得通,那么他一定没有读过历史。
“Today, we hear echoes of the challenges the Roosevelts faced. Industry consolidation has reached record levels, and is suppressing competition and choice. And more and more Americans – especially in your generation – are questioning whether capitalism is capable of creating a just society. Their faith in America – and all that we represent – is being shaken.
今天,两位罗斯福总统曾经面临的挑战又再次死灰复燃。行业整合达到了前所未有的水平,压制了竞争与选择。越来越多的美国人,特别是你们这一代,开始质疑资本主义能否创造出公平社会。人们对于美国及其所代表的一切的信心正在动摇。
“If we do not act to restore it, the turmoil in our politics today will be only a prelude of what’s to come, and that could shake the very foundations of our society.
如果我们不采取行动恢复信心,当下政治上的动荡就仅是未来即将发生之事的序曲,并可能会撼动我们社会最基本的根基。
“Graduates, we cannot allow those issues to fester. We must address them now. We must find new ways to build a capitalist society that is more dynamic and more secure, more affluent and more equal.
毕业生们,我们不能放任事情恶化,必须现在就采取行动,必须找到新的办法建立更有活力、更安全、更富足且更平等的资本主义社会。
“So think of this as your next case study. And it's the ultimate case study for our country, because it's based on the ultimate question: how do we restore faith in the promise of America and the future of the American dream?
所以,将之作为你们的下一个案例来研究吧。这个国家终极案例是基于一个终极问题:我们该如何恢复人们对于美国承诺以及未来美国梦的信心?
“There are no silver bullets, but I believe all of you have a critical role to play. So let me offer you a few ideas on how you can help lead the way.
此处没有锦囊妙计,但是我相信你们每一个人都至关重要。因此,让我为你们提供几条帮助引领未来方向的建议。
“First, start with yourself. Wherever your career leads you, be honest with your colleagues, clients and contractors. Don't ever try to take advantage of them. Don't hesitate to speak up when someone else does.
首先,以身作则。无论你的职业将你引向何方,都要诚实地对待你的同事、客户和供应商。永远不要试图占人便宜。当有人这么做时,不要迟疑,大胆说出来。
“Public faith in private markets rests on individual actions. Billy Salomon understood that. And I hope you will seek out organizations that are led by people who understand it, as well.
大众对于私有市场的信心取决于个人行为。Billy Salomon深谙这一点。而我希望你们也去寻找那些懂得这一点的人所领导的机构。
“Second, when applying for a job, align yourself with companies that are engaged in philanthropy. I tell job applicants all the time, if you want the fruits of your labor – the company's profits – spent on education, public health, the arts, government innovation, and the environment, come to work at Bloomberg. If that’s not what you want, you’re not the right person for us.
第二,去参与慈善事业的企业中工作。我总是对求职者说,如果你希望你的劳动成果,也就是公司的利润,花在教育、公共医疗、艺术、政府创新和环境上,就来彭博工作吧。如果这不是你想要的,那么你对我们而言也不是合适的人选。
“Philanthropy gives us a competitive advantage, we think, in recruiting and retaining talent. And I can tell you from personal experience it is also good for the bottom line, as good a thing a company can do.
我们相信,在招聘员工和留住人才方面,慈善为我们带来竞争优势。而且我可以从自身经历告诉你,这同样有益于公司利润。对于一家公司而言,善莫大焉。
“Third, give back on your own and don't wait. I'll never forget watching my father write a check for 50 bucks to the NAACP – which was a lot of money for us when I was a kid. I asked him, ‘Daddy, why?’ And he said, ‘Because discrimination against anyone is a threat to everyone.’
第三,回馈社会,不要等待。我永远都不会忘记当年看着父亲给美国全国有色人种协进会NAACP写下一张50美元支票的情形。当时我还是孩子,这笔钱对于我们而言不是一笔小数字。我问他:“爸爸,为什么?”他回答说:“因为对任何人的歧视都是对每个人的威胁。”
“And I can just tell you after 50-plus years in business and government, people have a hell of a lot more respect for those who make a difference in society than they do for people who just make money. And the networks that you will make through philanthropy will open up lots of new opportunities for your career.
在商界和政府工作50多年之后,我可以这样告诉你,人们对那些给社会带来改善的人的尊重程度远远超过了那些只会赚钱的人。而且,通过慈善建立的人脉,将给你的职业带来更多新机会。
“Gordon Gekko was wrong: greed ain't good.
Gordon Gekko错了,贪婪不是好事。(译注:Gordon Gekko是电影《华尔街》中的人物角色,他的著名台词:“贪婪是件好事”)
“All of you have spent two years studying how to run and manage organizations. There are so many groups that could benefit from your expertise. So volunteer, serve, go into government. Just remember the difference between business and government: business is a dog-eat-dog world. And government is exactly the reverse. So you can do it.
你们花了两年时间来学习经营管理,很多团体会因你们的专业知识而受益。因此去当志愿者、去服务社会、去进入政府吧。只需记住商界和政府的区别,商界是个狗咬狗的世界,而政府恰好相反。你们一定能够做到。
“Fourth, if and when you end up in an executive position, don't make one of the fundamental mistakes that I see businesses and boards make all the time: under-valuing their labor force, and over-compensating their CEOs.
第四,不要低估员工价值。如果你们最终进入高级管理层,到那时,不要犯我看到的企业和董事会永远都在犯的基本错误,低估员工的价值,而给CEO过高的酬劳。
“Management often treats workers like widgets – which they're not. And boards treat CEOs like irreplaceable geniuses, which they rarely are.
管理层经常把员工当作螺丝钉来对待,但员工不是螺丝钉。董事会总把CEO当作不可替代的天才,而CEO也很少真有这样的天才。
“At Bloomberg, we pay employees very well, we invest in their training and education, and we offer industry-leading benefits. In return, our employees pay us back ten-fold with their dedication and loyalty.
在彭博,我们支付员工很好的薪水,投资员工培训和教育,并提供行业领先的福利。反过来,员工也用敬业和忠诚十倍地回馈我们。
“Doing right by your employees pays. It really does. And there is no better way to strengthen capitalism than to give people a greater stake in its success.
善待员工将有所回报。事实确实如此。而且,让人们从成功中得到更多利益,是强化资本主义最好的办法。
“Fifth and finally, never self-deal. Ever. And avoid even the slightest perception of a conflict of interest.
第五,不要自我交易。永远都不,避开即使是最轻微的利益冲突。
“After I was elected mayor, I decided to refuse a $15 million city tax break that Bloomberg had already qualified for. And I waived the fees for the Bloomberg Terminals that the city agencies had under contract. And I certainly never charged taxpayers $300,000 in golf cart fees for my security team. I would've thought Wharton would teach its students not to do that, but who knew?
在当选纽约市长之后,我决定拒绝了当时彭博资讯1,500万美元城市税收的减免资格,同时还免去了市政机构之前购买的彭博终端的费用。而且,永远不会让纳税人为我的安保团队支付30万美元的高尔夫球车费。我原以为沃顿会教学生不要去做这种事情,但谁知道呢?
“But really, your reputation is everything. Don't sell it or trade it for anything.
言归正传,声誉意味着一切。不要出卖它或用它换取任何东西。
“Finally, after following all of these principles, insist on no less from the people who ask for the most precious commodity you will ever own, and that is your vote.
最后,在你们遵守了这些原则之后,也不要对你投出选票的人降低要求,那也是你们所珍贵的东西。
“Elect people who understand that it's their obligation to make capitalism work for everyone, and not be so naive to think other systems will be better. That means picking up where Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt left off, and modernizing capitalism for our time.
去选举这样的人,他们的职责应该是让资本主义为每一个人服务,而不是天真地以为其他体制会更好。这意味着继承西奥多·罗斯福和富兰克林·罗斯福的衣钵,对资本主义进行现代化调整,使其更适合当今这个时代。
“America must always be a place where it's possible to get rich through perspiration and innovation. But it must never be a place where the middle class steadily loses ground – and where many of those feel trapped at the bottom.
美国永远都是可以通过汗水和创造力致富的地方,不能成为中产阶层节节败退,让许多人感觉陷在最底层的地方。
“Unfortunately, that is the path we are on. And the further we go down that path, the more likely that the most extreme voices on both the left and right will attract large followings, win power, and do real harm to our country.
不幸的是,我们现在正沿着这条路走下去。而且我们走得越远,左翼和右翼最极端的声音吸引大批民众,赢得权力并对我们国家造成真正伤害的可能性就越大。
“Now, I'm an optimist, and we will change direction I think, partly because of how business leaders are already taking on one of the biggest challenges that we face: climate change.
目前,我是一名乐观主义者,我认为我们能够扭转方向,一个原因在于我们的商界领袖已经开始着手解决我们当今最重大挑战之一——气候变化。
“Today, I'm glad to announce that HBS will hold an alumni conference next year, on investing in the age of climate change – with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ support. It’s another example of where doing right and doing good are aligned.
今天,我很高兴地宣布,哈佛商学院将在明年举行校友会,讨论气候变化时代下的投资,彭博慈善基金会将提供支持。这是做正确的事、做好的事。
“Investors are demanding that businesses disclose the climate risks they face – because it affects their bottom line. I've helped spearhead a push for more transparency, through the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. And next year here at HBS, we will bring government and business leaders together to discuss how we can harness the power of the market to protect the environment.
投资者如今要求企业披露其所面临的气候风险,因为这影响到企业盈利。我通过气候相关财务信息披露工作组带头推动了透明度的提升。而且在明年的哈佛商学院,我们将把政府和商界领袖汇聚在一起,讨论如何利用市场的力量来保护环境。
“Market forces are among the most powerful tools in the world. But whether it's climate change, or income inequality, or gun violence, or any other issue, those forces must be guided by ethical leaders, or else the market's invisible hand can turn into a clenched fist.
市场力量是全球最强大的工具。不过,无论是气候变化、收入失衡、枪支暴力、还是其他任何问题,这些力量都必须由遵守道德的领导所指引,否则市场中的无形之手可能会变成紧握的拳头。
“And when society's most defenseless take it on the chin, I can promise you they will fight back with unpredictable consequences – and demand a better deal, as they should.
如果这个拳头落在社会最无助的人群脸上,我向你们保证,他们必将反击,并带来难以预测的后果,即要求得到他们理应得到的更好的交易。
“Graduates, restoring the faith that Americans have been losing in our economic and political systems is a big job. If you won't lead it, who will?
毕业生们,恢复美国人渐失的对于经济和政治体系的信心是一项大工程。如果你们不去承担起领导职责,那么谁去?
“You've been fortunate to spend two years on this pristine campus – where even the squirrels seem to have come from the spa. But as you know, the real world can be dirty, unfair, and unjust, unless you insist otherwise. And capitalism can run amok, unless you steer it back on course.
你们很幸运,在这个纯净的校园里生活了两年,甚至这里的松鼠看起来都似乎刚刚做完水疗。不过正如你们所知道的,现实世界有可能相当肮脏、不公平、不公正,除非你们有所坚持。资本主义也有可能失常,除非你们将之引回正轨。
“As graduates of the Harvard Business School you have the ability to help our nation do all of that and much more – and I sincerely hope that you will.
作为哈佛商学院的毕业生,你们有能力帮助国家做到这些以及更多,而我由衷希望你们能够做到。
“So tonight, have one last Scorpion Bowl, and tomorrow start helping to restore and renew our national sense of integrity.
因此,今晚最后喝一杯Scorpion Bowl,从明天起,开始帮助我们的国家恢复诚信并焕发生机。
“Our country needs you, and you can do it.
国家需要你们,而你们一定能做到。
“Congratulations and best of luck.”
祝贺你们,祝你们好运。