Thank you, Dean Treanor, for the invitation to speak here today.

感谢 Treanor 院长邀请我今天在此发表演讲。

I am very sorry that circumstances prevent me from joining you in person.

我很抱歉由于某些原因我不能亲自参加你们的毕业典礼。

I will start by acknowledging the parents, spouses, partners, other family members and mentors who are here.

我首先要感谢在场的父母、配偶、伴侣、其他家庭成员和导师。

Without your support, sacrifice, and encouragement, we would not have so much to celebrate today.

如果没有您的支持、牺牲和鼓励，我们今天就不会有这么多值得庆祝的事情。

And to the class of 2024-congratulations on earning your law degree.

祝贺 2024 届的毕业生获得法学学位。

You are the most selective class in Georgetown history, chosen from 14,000 applicants, and the most well qualified as well.

你们是从 14,000 名申请者中选拔出来的，是乔治城大学历史上最优秀的一届，也是最有资格的。

Among you are Fulbright scholars, military veterans, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and Teach for America alumni, student athletes, accomplished musicians and even a medical doctor.

你们当中有富布赖特学者、退伍军人、和平队、美国志愿队和为美国而教的校友、学生运动员、杰出的音乐家，甚至还有一位医生。

An impressive group.

令人印象深刻的一群人。

This is also the most diverse class in the 154-year history of the school.

这也是学校154年历史上最多元化的班级。

I am especially proud today to say that there is a lot of Georgetown in my family tree.

今天我特别自豪地说，我的家谱里有很多乔治敦的痕迹。

My father graduated from the College in 1943 before serving in the U.S. Army in World War II.

我的父亲于 1943 年从该学院毕业，之后参加了第二次世界大战并在美国陆军服役。

After the war, he received his law degree here and practiced law in Washington, D.C. I am fortunate to have two wonderful daughters; one graduated from the College in 2012; the other is a member of the Class of 2026 at the Law Center.

战后，他在这里获得了法学学位， 并在华盛顿特区从事法律工作。 我很幸运有两个可爱的女儿，一个于 2012 年毕业于该学院，另一个是法学院 2026 届的学生。

It seems like yesterday that I was in your shoes, receiving my degree, looking forward with optimism and excitement, and wondering what lay ahead.

仿佛昨天我还和你一样，拿到学位， 满怀乐观和兴奋地期待着，想知道未来会发生什么。

I cannot help but think fondly of my time here.

我情不自禁地怀念在这里度过的时光。

For many years, friends from law school have gathered annually for a weekend to refresh our ties and laugh about times gone by.

多年来，法学院的朋友们每年都会聚在一起度过一个周末，增进友谊，笑谈往事。

These gatherings are referred to as "Big Chill,

这些聚会被称为“Big Chill”，

" a reference to a 1983 movie that revolved around a mid-life reunion of college friends.

“这是一部 1983 年的电影，讲述的是大学朋友中年重聚的故事。

I made lifelong friendships here that I keep to this day, and I hope it will be the same for you.

我在这里结下了终生的友谊，直到今天，我希望你们也一样。

Along with all the hard work, I also remember the fun.

除了所有的辛苦,我还记得那份乐趣。

A favorite tradition was to attend Saturday midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Key Theater on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown.

一个最受欢迎的传统是参加乔治城威斯康星大道 Key 剧院周六午夜放映的《洛基恐怖秀》。

Now, if you have led a culturally deprived life and are tragically unfamiliar with the movie, it is a raucous musical starring a young Tim Curry.

现在， 如果你过着文化匮乏的生活， 并且对这部电影不熟悉，这是一部由年轻的蒂姆·克里主演的喧闹的音乐剧。

Everyone in the theater would sing along, shout out the lines, and throw popcorn at the screen; many would dress up like the characters.

剧院里的每个人都会一起唱歌、喊出台词、向屏幕扔爆米花；许多人会打扮成剧中角色。

Now, I didn't dress up-sorry to disappoint you-but no party was complete until all of us danced "The Time Warp" to the movie's famous song.

现在，我没有盛装打扮——很抱歉让您失望了——但除非我们所有人都随着电影中的著名歌曲跳起“时间扭曲”的舞蹈，否则派对就不算完整。

As it happens, I still remember the steps, and I had intended to demonstrate the Time Warp for you, but that will not be possible today.

碰巧的是， 我仍然记得这些步骤，我本来打算向你们演示一下时间扭曲，但今天不可能了。

Instead, I will offer a few thoughts that I might have benefited from hearing when I was sitting in your chairs a mere 45 years ago.

相反，我将提供一些想法，这些想法可能会使我在45年前坐在你们的椅子上时听到这些想法中受益。

The years since my graduation have brought waves of fundamental change to the workplace and to society at large, much of it driven by technology.

我毕业后的这些年， 职场和整个社会经历了一波又一波的根本性变革，其中很大一部分是由技术推动的。

Imagine a world with no internet, no email or texting, no personal computers or cell phones, no social media.

想象一个没有互联网、没有电子邮件或短信、没有个人电脑或手机、没有社交媒体的世界。

Some of you parents are no doubt thinking: I would be fine with that world!

你们当中的一些家长无疑正在想：我对那个世界很满意！

The pace of change will likely continue to be very fast.

变化的步伐可能仍会非常快。

Be alert to the ways your working life may change.

警惕你的工作生活可能发生的变化。

Think about how you can be prepared for those changes and to turn them to your advantage, and to society's advantage.

想想你如何为这些变化做好准备， 并将它们转化为你的优势，以及社会的优势。

The practice of law has been transformed over the years; if you do choose the path of a practicing lawyer, I would think about what practicing law could look like in 10 or 20 years.

多年来， 法律实践已经发生了翻天覆地的变化;如果你选择执业律师的道路，我会考虑 10 年或 20 年后执业律师会是什么样子。

In a world that will continue to evolve quickly and in unexpected ways, you will need to be agile.

在这个以意想不到的方式持续快速发展的世界里，你需要保持敏捷。

Embracing change and taking risks can be an important part of your development as a professional and as a person.

接受变化和承担风险可能是您作为专业人士和个人成长的重要组成部分。

Your formal education may end today, but you are not done learning.

你的正规教育可能今天结束，但你的学习还没有结束。

Many of the important things you will need to know can only be learned through experience.

您需要了解的许多重要事情只能通过经验来学习。

And experience can be a hard but irreplaceable teacher.

经验可能是一位严厉但不可替代的老师。

As an example, near the end of my second year here, it was time to select the next editor in chief of the Georgetown Law Journal.

例如， 在我在这里的第二年快结束的时候，是时候选择《乔治城法律杂志》的下一任主编了。

I thought that there were plenty of colleagues who were better qualified, but who simply did not want the job.

我以为有很多同事更有资格，但他们就是不想要这份工作。

So, with much trepidation, I put my name in.

因此，我忐忑不安地报了名。

I was secretly, but utterly, terrified that I might be chosen.

我心里暗自害怕，但非常害怕我可能会被选中。

And amazingly enough, I was.

令人惊奇的是，我确实做到了。

What now?

现在怎么办？

It turned out that, as I feared, I was not well prepared for that responsibility.

事实证明，正如我所担心的那样，我没有为这一责任做好充分的准备。

I had to keep people interested and motivated enough to work on the Journal when many things competed for their attention.

我必须让人们有足够的兴趣和动力来为《华尔街日报》工作，当很多事情都在争夺他们的注意力时。

I had to have a plan for the organization and not just for myself.

我必须为组织制定计划，而不只是为自己制定计划。

I had to do this while exhibiting confidence that I did not feel.

我必须做到这一点，同时表现出我所没有的自信。

My main memory of that time is thinking, "This is harder and far different from what I had expected!" What I now know is that almost no one is ready for their first leadership roles.

我当时的主要记忆是：“这比我想象的要难得多，而且大不相同！ ” 我现在知道的是， 几乎没有人已经为他们的第一个领导角色做好了准备。

When you step into a leadership role, it is very common to doubt yourself.

当你担任领导角色时，怀疑自己是很常见的。

If I could tell my younger self something, it would be to believe in yourself and put yourself in situations in which you will be seriously challenged to do new things.

如果我能告诉我年轻的自己一些事情，那就是相信自己， 把自己置于你将面临严重挑战去做新事物的境地。

Assume that you will make mistakes.

假设你会犯错误。

Learn from those mistakes; do not dwell excessively upon them in regret.

从这些错误中吸取教训；不要过分沉迷于后悔之中。

You will fall down.

你会跌倒。

Get up.

起床。

Repeat cycle.

重复循环。

The more you do that, the more you will learn and the faster you will develop as a person and as a leader.

你做得越多，你就会学到越多，你作为一个人和领导者的发展就越快。

Know also that, in my experience, there is no single model of a successful leader.

还要知道，根据我的经验，成功的领导者没有单一的模式。

Each of you has it in you to lead successfully.

你们每个人都有成功领导的才能。

One of the great things about your legal education is it sets you up for success on a wide variety of potential paths.

法律教育的伟大之处就在于它能为你在多种潜在的道路上取得成功奠定基础。

I left the practice of law a few years after I left this school.

离开这所学校几年后，我就不再从事法律工作了。

But my legal education has benefited me all along the way.

但我的法律教育使我一路受益。

Studying law teaches you to think clearly, analyze thoroughly, and understand all sides of an argument.

学习法律可以让你清晰地思考、彻底地分析并理解争论的各个方面。

The possibilities that lie ahead of you are extremely broad.

您面前的可能性极其广阔。

You may work for a single law firm for your entire career.

您可能整个职业生涯都在一家律师事务所工作。

Or you may leave the law fairly soon, as I did, and never look back.

或者你可以像我一样很快离开法律,永远不要回头。

You will always benefit from what you learned here.

您将永远受益于在这里学到的知识。

The fact is, I do keep a copy of the Federal Reserve Act that I consult often.

事实是，我确实保留了一份我经常查阅的《联邦储备法》的副本。

Like many of you, I imagine, I knew that I wanted to do public service.

我想，就像你们中的许多人一样，我知道我想从事公共服务。

As I left law school, I remember thinking about people like George Shultz and Cyrus Vance, prominent figures of the day who had successful private-sector careers and served periodically in government.

当我离开法学院时， 我记得想到过乔治·舒尔茨和赛勒斯·万斯这样的人，他们是当时的杰出人物， 在私营部门拥有成功的职业生涯， 并定期在政府任职。

The head of the investment bank in New York where I worked as a young man was Nicholas F. Brady, who had an extraordinary career in investment banking and had served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey as well.

我年轻时就职的纽约投资银行的负责人是尼古拉斯·F·布雷迪，他在投资银行业有着非凡的职业生涯，还曾担任过新泽西州的美国参议员。

I was the most junior of employees, but I wanted to introduce myself and tell him about my own aspirations.

我是最年轻的员工，但我想介绍我自己并告诉他我的抱负。

But approaching him was daunting.

但接近他却令人畏惧。

Maybe he would decline to meet with me.

也许他会拒绝与我见面。

Maybe he would think I was not committed to the firm if I told him I was interested in public service.

如果我告诉他我对公共服务感兴趣，也许他会认为我没有忠于公司。

I finally summoned the courage to present myself at his office.

我最终鼓起勇气来到他的办公室。

I told him that I grew up in Washington, had been a federal law clerk and a congressional staffer, and wanted to do public service along the way.

我告诉他， 我在华盛顿长大，曾是一名联邦法律助理和国会工作人员，并想在此过程中从事公共服务。

I said that if you need someone to staff you on anything you do in Washington, I'm your guy.

我说过，如果您在华盛顿做任何事需要有人为您配备人员，我就是您的最佳人选。

He said something along the lines of, "Great, thanks." I then crept back down the stairs to my broom closet of an office wondering whether that was going to matter.

他说了类似这样的话：“太好了， 谢谢。” 然后我蹑手蹑脚地走下楼梯， 回到我的办公室， 心里想着这是否有什么关系。

A few months later, I got a call from his secretary.

几个月后，我接到了他秘书的电话。

I can still hear her gravelly voice.

我仍能听到她沙哑的声音。

"Can you come up and see Mr. Brady?" When I got there, he said, "I need you to help me out with this thing." This thing was defending an oil company from a hostile takeover attempt by a colorful corporate raider of that era named T. Boone Pickens.

“你能来见 Brady 先生吗？ ” 我到那里后，他说：“我需要你帮我处理这件事。 ” 这件事是保护一家石油公司免遭恶意收购， 收购者是当时一位名叫 T. Boone Pickens 的著名企业掠夺者。

I ended up spending months going back and forth from New York to Washington with Nick.

我最终花了几个月的时间和尼克一起往返于纽约和华盛顿之间。

A few years later, Nick Brady became the Treasury Secretary.

几年后，尼克·布雷迪成为财政部长。

Nick asked me to join him at Treasury, which opened the door for me to higher levels of public service.

尼克邀请我加入他的财政部，这为我打开了更高级别公共服务的大门。

The point is this: if I had not forced myself to get up from my desk, taken the stairs up to the 15th floor, and presented myself to his office that day, the rest of my life would have been very different, and I would not be standing here today.

重点是：如果那天我没有强迫自己从办公桌前站起来，爬上 15 楼，来到他的办公室，我的余生就会截然不同，我今天也不会站在这里。

Mustering that little bit of initiative changed my life.

鼓起那一点点主动性改变了我的生活。

A little initiative can make all the difference in anyone's career.

一点点主动性就能对任何人的职业生涯产生很大的影响。

I will conclude by encouraging you to think beyond yourselves.

最后，我想鼓励大家超越自我去思考。

Each of you has the capability to achieve success in any field you choose; it is important that you also consider how to give back and use your gifts to make a difference.

你们每个人都有能力在自己选择的任何领域取得成功；重要的是， 你们也要考虑如何回馈社会， 并利用自己的天赋来发挥作用。

Reflect on the motto of this school: "law is but the means; justice is the end." Many of you have served at law clinics where you stood up for underrepresented individuals and organizations.

思考一下这所学校的座右铭：“法律只是手段，正义才是目的。 ” 你们中的许多人都曾在法律诊所工作， 为弱势个人和组织挺身而出。

And many of you will play important roles in the military, at nonprofits, and in governments around the world.

你们中的许多人将在世界各地的军队、非营利组织和政府中发挥重要作用。

Each generation has an obligation to move us closer to the ideal, as embodied by the famous image of blindfolded Lady Justice holding the scales.

每一代人都有责任让我们更接近理想，就像那幅著名的蒙着眼睛手握天平的正义女神形象所体现的那样。

You should count yourselves among the luckiest in all our society to graduate from this institution, to have the support of loved ones through three grueling years, and the health and other good fortune not to get tripped up along the way.

你们应该认为自己是全社会最幸运的人之一， 能够从这所学校毕业，在艰苦的三年里得到亲人的支持，并且身体健康， 一路走好，没有遇到任何挫折。

Several years ago, one of my predecessors, Ben Bernanke, said, "Those who are the luckiest ... also have the greatest responsibility to work hard, to contribute to the betterment of the world, and to share their luck with others." I cannot improve upon that.

几年前，我的前任之一本·伯南克曾说过：“最幸运的人……也肩负着最大的责任， 要努力工作，为改善世界做出贡献，并与他人分享自己的好运。 ” 我无法超越这句话。

I thank you for having me.

谢谢你拥有我。

Georgetown will always hold a special place in my heart.

乔治城永远在我心中占据特殊的位置。

Thank you again to Dean Treanor and all the faculty, and the hardiest of congratulations to the Class of 2024.

再次感谢 Treanor 院长和全体教职员工，并向 2024 届毕业生致以最热烈的祝贺。