ABC 中學畢業生的講詞

五月22日早上，我和太太出席了老二的畢業禮，ABC （在美國土生土長的華裔）同學(也是老二的死黨之一）代表畢業班的 reflection 講詞惹來笑聲不絕， 我和太太像大觀園內的村姥姥，莫名其妙， 所以把講詞原文弄來拜讀，很有耳目一新之感。

為了協助太太和農夫了解，我不自量力把講詞中譯如下。

管見以為ABC 同學的講詞清新有趣，不像一般的中文版本老愛徵引成語八股、 陳腔濫調，例如驪歌高唱、勞燕分飛、鵬程萬里，云云。

不過，把一位在美國土生土長的17歲少年人自撰的英文講詞譯成中文口語卻非易事。 老中們喜歡批評別人的寫作用字"不夠標準和規範"。我的母語是粵語，譯成"標準漢語" 有老牛爬樹之感。例如 pineapple, 香港是"波籮"，台灣是"鳳梨"，大陸不知叫什麼。

語言學家趙元任曾經取笑胡適說，胡適的白話文不夠白。趙氏而且戲稱他自己是全世界唯一能說"標準漢語"的漢人。

所以我對拙譯誠惶誠恐，敬請高明讀者指正。也希望這個講詞不會像不久前、馬里蘭大學楊舒平同學的畢業講詞，惹來炮火連天。一笑。

Fellow graduates, faculty, friends, family, and of course, distinguished guests. Good morning and welcome to River Hill High School's 2017 Graduation Ceremony! 

各位同學、老師、朋友、親友、貴賓：早晨！歡迎光臨河山中學2017年畢業典禮！

今天作為獵鷹一頭，何等欣幸！嘿嘿！開玩笑罷了！今天不算數。[ 早上行禮時正值豪雨][獵鷹 Hawk 是河山中學的代表。]

Congratulations, Class of 2017! After four years of binging Netflix and Hearthstone, continuously getting robbed by the College Board, and tirelessly giving back to our community with those hard-earned NHS beautification hours, we have finally arrived! Today is our day, a day of celebration, but more importantly, a day of reflection, new beginnings, and hopefully new BMWs from our parents when we get back home.

2017年屆畢業班同學們，恭喜恭喜！經歷四年來"不可一日無此君" 的 Netflix [電影頻道] 和 Hearthstone ［網上電玩］，日夜苦讀應付升大考試， 積累回饋社區的服務鐘點而成為國民榮譽學社(National Honors Society)社員，我們終於抵達目的地了。 今天是我們的大日子、可喜可賀的日子；不過，更重要的是， 今天是我們反思的一天，是開闢新天地的一天； 希望我們返抵家園時， 父母送給我們的新款寶馬牌轎車正在等待著新主人。

 Let's rewind a bit. Picture this: A fat brown nest filled with 270 newly-hatched hawks, screaming their heads off with their high-pitched voices. That's right,  that was us freshman year. Graduates, lemme hear your final hawk screeches! 

讓我們倒轉時間看看吧： 270隻剛剛破蛋的小獵鷹塞滿了巨大無比的雀巢，哇哇呼叫。 對啊！我們是高中一年班。各位同學，讓我聽聽小鷹們的尖叫聲。

For many, freshman year was the year of firsts. The first all-nighter, because you procrastinated that big English project. The first football game. The first Kahoot win. The first 89.5, but definitely not your last. The first girlfriend or boyfriend. And then the second. And then the third. And then the fourth. And then, the realizing that you were the problem. 

對於很多同學來說，高中一是嘗新的一年： 慢條斯理拖延英語課大項目，只好平生第一次挑燈夜戰； 參加了平生第一次足球比賽；贏得了平生第一次Kahoot [網上電玩］；第一次拿到了89.5 分，肯定不會是最後一次；交上了平生第一個女朋友或男朋友， 接着是第二個、第三個、第四個。然後，發覺自己好像不對勁。

Soon, sophomore and junior year rolled along, and we each started finding our individual passions. Some of us took to the fields with athletics, winning county, regional and state championships across the board. Others contributed to the successes of Math Team, Visual Arts competitions. It's Academic, Robotics, Science Olympiad, and FBLA. We established community service organizations for cancer research and grassroots, and performed in numerous school plays, musical concerts, and dance ensembles.  

中二、三很快出現在眼前，我們毎一個人開始找到了自我的激情。 有人愛上了體育運動，贏來了各種各級的運動奨；有人參加數學、 美術比賽；也有人參加學術知識競賽、機械人設計、科學奧賽、 未來商業領袖協會，等等。 我們成立了支援癌症研究和市民生活的社區服務組合， 參加了學校戲劇、音樂和舞蹈活動。

Yet, what happened when our first attempts at flying were failed attempts, when the winds were too strong, or our wings were not ready for such enormous loads? As literary genius and famous philosopher, Big Sean, once said, "Last night took an L, but tonight I bounce back."

可是，當我們初次學習飛翔，羽翼未豐，恰巧遭到橫風橫雨， 飛得一塌糊塗的時候，怎麼辦呢？文學天才和著名哲學家 Big Sean [饒舌音樂歌手] 說得好："昨晚潰不成軍，今晚捲土重來。"

But, as a class, we adapted, constantly learning and growing from our personal triumphs and failures. We survived the losses of Monday HawkTime, and at the worst of times - HCPSS Guest Wifi. Thankfully, he smart, he loyal, and always came back to us. We found our own version of discovering fire, relying on Shmoop, Slader, and CalcChat as our only modes for survival. And even after PARCC Testing, Power Series, and Jane Eyre, here we are today, a true testament to our tenacity and commitment to excellence. 

幸虧我們這一班小鷹見機行事，不斷虛心學習，在屢敗屢戰中成長。 星期一 HawkTime 的失利沒有打倒我們，學校無線上網的若隱若現也挫折不了我們。 我們的對策是：兵來將擋，水來土掩。我們學會了Shmoop, Slader and CalcChat 等有用的［網上做功課輔助］工具，我們應付了PARCC 測驗、Power Series, 簡愛[大部頭名著小說]，今天依然頂天立地， 充分證明了我們百折不撓、堅毅不拔、精益求精。

While we were growing up so quickly, so was the dynamic world around us. We debated the nation's hottest topics: For example, does pineapple really belong on pizza? How many snow days are we going to get? Am I big body? And of course, the classic math problem: If Alby already used 26 Senior Skip Days, how many left does she have if she still wishes to graduate? 

當小鷹們一天一天的羽翼漸豐，世界也在時刻變化萬千。 我們熱切地討論各個課題，例如：鳳梨(pineapple) 和比薩餅(pizza)有什麼關係？ 下雪停課估計一共有多少天呢？我是不是過胖呢？噢！ 當然還有這個經典數學難題： 如果某人耗掉了26天畢業班免課日而依舊希望順利畢業， 某人尚剩有多少免課日？

But on a more serious note, we found ourselves in the middle of a divided community, split by political beliefs, but we still promoted individuality by using student voice as a way to cement us and make us more unified. And we celebrated our school's cultural diversity, lighting up our hallways with banners and posters and hosting our first ever cultural proficiency day. 

不開玩笑了。讓我們認真討論一下：我們各有不同的政治理念， 眾說紛紜，莫衷一是。但是，各位同學努力容異求全， 使我們更加緊密團結。我們慶祝學校的文化多樣性， 走廊上掛滿了七彩橫幅和海報， 主辦了有史以來第一屆世界文化知識節。

However, without the help of our parents and teachers, many of us would not be where we are today. So, before we leave for college, the military or the workforce, take the time to embrace your parents and teachers and tell them how much you appreciate their efforts.

應該指出：沒有父母和師長的幫助，我們不可能享有今天。因此， 在進入大學深造、從軍或開始工作之前， 我們應該找時間緊緊地擁抱一下父母和師長，向他們致敬致謝。

To our parents, first off, congrats! You've done something right. Thank you for constantly keeping the refrigerators fully-stocked, for risking your own lives teaching us how to drive, and for letting us know that, regardless of where we are or where we are headed, we can always count on family to have our backs. Hopefully, you will keep that in mind when you start asking us if we are ever going to move out of the house.

親愛的父母們，謝天謝地！您們做得對極了！您們每天把冰箱塞滿食物，膽戰心驚的教導我們駕駛汽車，又屢屢承諾：我們放心南征北戰的升大和就業，您們保證沒有條件的後援。衷心希望您們在打探小鬼們什麼時候搬離家巢，沒有忘記這一個承諾。

To our teachers, thank you for understanding the value of group projects and study halls, for putting up with our messy handwriting, for teaching us the OG life lessons like how "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell," and mostly, thank you for truly believing in us over this four-year journey, which thankfully is now over.

尊敬的老師們，您們對團隊項目和學習小組的重要性的教導， 您們對我們的鬼畫符書法的容忍，您們有關人生經歷的教導，例如"褪黑激素是細胞的原動力"，我們感激不盡。我們尤其感激的是， 您們在這四年長征之中給予我們的信賴。謝天謝地， 四年長征在今天完滿結束了。

And graduates, while you're at it, don't forget to thank and value your own health and appearance in 10 to 15 years, very few of us will look as good as we do now. Thankfully, balding will not occur for another couple of years. 

同學們，趁著這個關口，提醒你們注意貴體和尊容， 因為在10年至15年之後，我們很可能不會像今天的好看。 希望我們頭頂上的萬縷青絲不會在未來幾年內變成牛山濯濯。

For many of us, graduation often means saying our goodbyes to lifelong friends, but I encourage all of you to take a step back, look at the future like a new chapter. When I stand in front of you today, no longer do I see the pre-pubescent boys and girls running rampant four years ago. I see tomorrow's political activists, doctors, entrepreneurs, writers, and teachers.

對很多同學來說，畢業往往意味著告別老友。 我鼓勵各位不妨退後一步，把茫茫前路當作嶄新的篇章。 今天站在這裏，我看到的不是四年來蹦蹦跳的天真男孩女孩， 而是明天的政治活躍分子、醫生、創業家、作家、教師。

Together, we are the next Mars-explorers and cancer-curers, the future movers, trailblazers, and go-getters. Let us take flight with unyielding passion, courage, and creativity and change the world. But above all, remember to be yourselves.

團結一起，眾志成城，我們是新一代的火星探險者、癌症征服者、 移山闢路者、解決問題的能手。讓我們胸懷激情、勇氣和原創力， 振翼飛翔，使這個世界變得更好更美。但是，最重要的是，我們要堅持特立獨行，不隨波逐流。

Class of 2017, it's finally time to leave the nest, but wherever you go, remember you will always be a River Hill Hawk.

各位同學，現在終於是離巢高飛的時候了。請記住，無論飛到哪裏， 我們始終是河山獵鷹。

Thank you.

謝謝各位。