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JoseAntonioVargas_2020-_三个关于美国公民身份的问题_-
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Four years after arriving in the United States, like any typical 16-year-old, |
来美国四年以后, 就像其他十六岁的人一样, |
I went to get my driver's permit. |
我也去考了驾照。 |
After I showed the clerk my immigration papers, my green card , she told me it was fake . |
在给了那位办事员 我的移民文件和绿卡后, 她跟我说“这是假的。 |
'"Don't come back here again," she said. |
别再来这儿了。” |
United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式) typical:adj.典型的;特有的;象征性的; immigration:n.外来移民;移居; green card:n.绿卡(允许外国人在美国居住和工作的法律证件); fake:n.假货;骗子;假动作;v.捏造;假装…的样子;adj.伪造的;
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That's how I found out I was in America illegally . |
我这才发现, 原来自己是一名非法移民, |
And I'm still here illegally. |
现在也依然是。 |
I'm a journalist and filmmaker . |
我是一位记者和制片人。 |
I live in stories. |
我的生活充满了 各种各样的故事。 |
And what I've learned that what most people don't understand about immigration is what they don't understand about themselves: their families' old migration stories and the processes they had to go through before green cards and walls even existed, or what shaped their understanding of citizenship itself. |
我发现, 大多数人对移民, 就和他们对 自己的身份一样知之甚少: 他们家族的移民故事, 以及在绿卡和边境墙 出现之前的移民流程, 或者是什么形成了他们 对公民身份的理解。[00:38] |
illegally:adv.非法地; journalist:n.新闻工作者;报人;记日志者; filmmaker:n.电影制作人;电影摄制者; processes:n.过程; v.处理(process的第三人称单数形式); citizenship:n.[法]公民身份,公民资格;国籍;公民权;
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I was born in the Philippines . |
我出生在菲律宾。 |
When I was 12, my mother sent me to live with her parents, my grandparents, or, as we say in Tagalog, lolo and lola. |
我十二岁的时候, 妈妈把我送去和她的父母同住, 也就是我的外公外婆, 加禄语中的称谓是 洛洛 和 洛拉。 |
Lolo's name was Teofilo. |
洛洛的名字是特奥菲洛。 |
Philippines:n.菲律宾;
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When he legally emigrated to America and became a naturalized citizen, he changed his name from Teofilo to Ted, after Ted Danson from the TV show "Cheers." |
他合法移民到了美国 并成为公民后, 把自己的名字改成了泰德, 来自电视剧《欢乐酒店》中 泰德·丹森(Ted Danson)的名字—— |
Can't get any more American than that. |
不能比这更有美国味儿了。 |
Lolo's favorite song was Frank Sinatra's "My Way," |
洛洛最喜欢的歌是弗兰克·西纳特拉 (Frank Sinatra)的《My Way》, |
and when it came to figuring out how to get his only grandson, me, to America, he decided to do it his way. |
当他想把我,他唯一的孙子 送来美国时, 他决定用自己的办法。 |
emigrated:v.移居国外;移民;(emigrate的过去分词和过去式) naturalized:adj.归化的; v.使自然化; Frank:adj.坦白的,直率的;老实的;n.免费邮寄特权;v.免费邮寄;
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According to Lolo, there was no easy and simple way to get me here, so Lolo saved up 4,500 dollars -- that's a lot of money for a security guard who made no more than eight dollars an hour -- to pay for the fake green card and for a smuggler to bring me to the US. |
他说,让我入境美国并不容易, 所以他存了 4500 美金—— 对一个保安来说,那是很多钱, 因为他一个小时 只能赚 8 美元—— 他用这些钱 给我买了个假绿卡, 并请一个走私者把我带到了美国。 |
So that's how I got here. |
我就是这么到美国的。 |
I can't tell you how many times people tell me that their ancestors came to America "the right way," |
我记不清多少人告诉过我, 他们的祖先是用 “合法的方法”来到美国的。 |
to which I remind them, |
而我总会提醒他们, |
According to:根据,据说; security guard:保安人员; no more than:adv.只是;仅仅; smuggler:n.走私者;走私犯;[法]走私船; remind:v.提醒;使想起;
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America's definition of "the right way" |
美国对“合法的方法” 的定义 |
has been changing ever since the first ship of settlers dropped anchor. |
从第一批移民到来开始 就在不断改变了。 |
America as we know it is more than a piece of land, particularly because the land that now makes up the United States of America used to belong to other people in other countries. |
美国不只是一片土地, 尤其因为构成美国的这片土地 曾经属于其他国家的其他人民。 |
definition:n.定义;清晰度;(尤指词典里的词或短语的)释义;解释; settlers:n.移民;殖民者;(settler的复数) particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地; United States of America:un.美利坚合众国;
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America as we know it is also more than a nation of immigrants . |
我们所认识的美国 也不只是个移民者的国家。 |
There are two groups of Americans who are not immigrants: |
有两群美国人不是移民: |
Native Americans, who were indigenous to this land and who were killed in acts of genocide; and African Americans, who were kidnapped, shipped and enslaved to build this country. |
美洲土着, 即美国的原住民, 也是在种族灭绝中被屠杀的民族; 以及非洲裔美国人, 一群被绑运、被迫为奴 并建立了这个国家的人。 |
immigrants:n.移民(immigrant的复数); Native:adj.本国的;土著的;天然的;与生俱来的;天赋的;n.本地人;土产;当地居民; indigenous:adj.本土的;土著的;国产的;固有的; enslaved:v.使成为奴隶;奴役;使受控制;(enslave的过去分词和过去式)
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America is, above all, an idea, however unrealized and imperfect , one that only exists because the first settlers came here freely without worry of citizenship. |
美国,在很大意义上, 只是个理念—— 尽管尚未实现且并不完美—— 这个理念的存在只是因为 来到这里的第一批定居者 无须担心公民身份的问题。 |
So, where did you come from? |
所以,你从哪里来? |
How did you get here? |
你是怎么来的? |
Who paid? |
谁付了钱? |
All across America, in front of diverse audiences -- conservatives and progressives , high school students and senior citizens -- |
在美国各地, 在不同的听众面前—— 无论是保守派还是激进派, 高中生还是老年人——[02:55] |
unrealized:adj.未实现的;未被察觉的; imperfect:adj.有缺点的; n.未完成体; v.有瑕疵地; diverse:adj.不同的;多种多样的;变化多的; conservatives:n.保守党,保守派; progressives:n.进步派;进步人士(progressive的复数形式);进步论者; senior citizens:老人(尤指退休者);
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I've asked those questions. |
我都问过这些问题。 |
As a person of color, I always get asked where I'm from, as in, "Where are you from from?" |
作为一个有色人种, 我经常被问从哪里来, 比如, “你老家是哪里的?” |
So I've asked white people where they're from from, too. |
所以我也问白人, 他们的老家是哪里的。 |
After asking a student at the University of Georgia where he was from, he said, "I'm American." |
在问了乔治亚大学的一名学生, 他从哪里来之后, 他说,“我是美国人。 |
'"I know," I said, "but where are you from?" |
我说, “我知道,但你从哪儿来的呢?” |
'"I'm white," he replied. |
他说, “我是白人。” |
'"But white is not a country," I said. |
我说, “ ‘白人’ 可不是一个国家。 |
'"Where are your ancestors from?" |
你的祖先是从哪儿来的?” |
When he replied with a shrug , |
他耸了耸肩, |
I said, "Well, where did you come from? |
我又说, “那么,你到底从哪儿来的? |
How did you get here? Who paid?" |
你怎么来到这儿的?谁付的钱?” |
He couldn't answer. |
他无法回答。 |
I don't think you can talk about America as America without answering those three core questions. |
我觉得在讨论现在的美国时, 我们没有办法回避 这几个核心问题。[03:38] |
shrug:n.耸肩(表示不知道或不在乎);带袖短披肩;v.耸肩(表示不知道或不在乎); core:n.核心;要点;果心;[计]磁心;vt.挖...的核;
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Immigration is America's lifeline , how this country has replenished itself for centuries, from the settlers and the revolutionaries who populated the original 13 colonies |
移民是美国的生命线, 是这个国家这几个世纪下来 还一直流动新血液的原因。 从最初定居在十三个州的 定居者和革命者, |
to the millions of immigrants, predominantly from Europe, who relentlessly colonized this land. |
到数百万名主要来自欧洲, 并一直将殖民体系 延续下来的移民者。 |
Even though Native Americans were already here and had their own tribal identities and ideas about citizenship, they were not considered US citizens until the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act. |
尽管已经在这里的美国原住民 有自己的部落和公民身份概念, 他们直到 1924 年的 《印地安人公民法案 》 颁布后才被认可为美国公民。 |
lifeline:n.生命线;救生索; replenished:adj.装满的;充满的;v.重新装满;添加;充注精力(replenish的过去分词); revolutionaries:n.改革者;革命者;(revolutionary的复数) populated:v.生活于; original:n.原件;原作;原物;原型;adj.原始的;最初的;独创的;新颖的; predominantly:adv.主要地;显著地; relentlessly:adv.残酷地,无情地; colonized:vt.将…开拓为殖民地; vi.开拓殖民地; tribal:adj.部落的;部族的;n.(尤指南亚的)部落成员; identities:n.身份;本身;本体;特征;同一性;相同;(identity的复数)
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The landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act that Black Americans fought for inspired the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which ended America's race-based exclusionary system that had lasted for 40 years. |
美国黑人不断为之奋斗的、 里程碑式的《1964 年民权法案》, 则催生了《1965 年移民和国籍法》, 并终结了在美国持续 40 年之久的 基于种族的排他制度。 |
I could go on and on here, but my point, my larger point, is this: |
这样的例子还有很多, 但我的要点是, |
How much do any of us, whether immigrants of the past or the present, know of these crucial parts of American history? |
我们中有多少人, 不管是昔日还是现时的移民, 对美国这些关键历史有所了解? |
landmark:n.[航]陆标; adj.有重大意义或影响的; Civil Rights:na.公民权; inspired:adj.受到启发的; v.鼓舞; (inspire的过去分词和过去式) exclusionary:adj.排他的; on and on:继续不停地; crucial:adj.重要的;决定性的;定局的;决断的;
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How much of this history makes up the actual US citizenship test? |
这段历史在多大程度上构成了 真正的美国公民资格测试? |
Have you ever seen it? |
你们见过吗? |
It's a mostly oral test , and government officers ask applicants up to 10 of the 100 questions. |
基本上大部分是口语测试, 政府官员会从一百个问题当中 选出十个来问。 |
To pass, applicants must get at least six answers right. |
想要通过,至少要答对六个问题。 |
I looked at the test recently , and I was aghast at the questions posed and what constitutes acceptable answers to the glaring omissions . |
我最近看过了测试题目, 并对问题内容,以及对这些 明显被遗漏的合理答案 感到十分惊讶。 |
oral test:口试,口头测验; applicants:n.申请人(尤指求职、进高等学校等);(applicant的复数) recently:adv.最近;新近; aghast:adj.吓呆的,惊骇的;吃惊的; posed:v.造成;引起;产生;提问;质询;摆好姿势;(pose的过去分词和过去式) constitutes:v.被算作;组成;构成;(合法或正式地)成立,设立;(constitute的第三人称单数) acceptable:adj.认同的;可接受的;令人满意的; omissions:省略;遗漏;
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There's a question about the Statue of Liberty and where it is. |
有一个关于自由女神像 和它在哪里的问题, |
There's no question about Ellis Island , about the United States as an immigrant nation and the countless anti-immigrant laws that were passed. |
却没有关于埃利斯岛, 以及美国作为一个移民国家 和它所通过的无数 反移民法律的问题。 |
There's nothing about Native American history. |
完全没有关于美国原住民的问题。 |
Statue of Liberty:n.(美国纽约港的)自由女神像; Ellis Island:n.埃利斯岛(美国纽约市附近的小岛,1892至1943年间是美国的移民检查站); countless:adj.无数的;数不尽的; anti-immigrant:反对移民; Native American:n.美洲土著居民;
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There's a question about what Martin Luther King, Jr. did, but largely , there's inadequate and irresponsible contexts about African Americans. |
有一个关于马丁·路德·金的问题, 但在很大程度上, 对非裔美国人的背景描述 是非常不充分和不负责任的。 |
Here's an example. |
这里有个例子。 |
Question number 74 under the American history section asks applicants to "name one problem that led to the Civil War." |
美国历史部分的第 74 号问题 要求申请者 “列举一个导致美国内战的问题”。 |
There are three acceptable answers: slavery , states' rights, economic reasons. |
有三个比较合理的答案: 奴隶制、 州权 和经济原因。 |
largely:adv.主要地;大部分;大量地; inadequate:adj.不充分的,不适当的; irresponsible:adj.不负责任的;不可靠的; contexts:n.环境,[计]上下文(context复数); slavery:n.奴隶制;奴隶身份;蓄奴;adj.流口水的;被口水弄脏的; economic:adj.经济的,经济上的;经济学的;
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Did my Lola and Lolo get that question? |
我的外公外婆 被问到这个问题了吗? |
If they did get the question, do they even understand the history behind it? |
如果他们被问到这个问题, 他们了解这背后的历史吗? |
How about my uncles and aunties and cousins and millions of other immigrants who had to take that test to become Americans? |
我的叔叔阿姨和堂兄弟们 以及数百万参加这个测试 成为美国人的 其他移民呢? |
What do immigrants know about America before we get here? |
在入境美国前, 那些移民对美国了解多少? |
What kind of citizenship are we applying for? |
我们在申请什么样的公民身份? |
And is that the same kind of citizenship we actually want to be a part of? |
这跟我们想要获得的公民身份一样吗? |
aunties:n.舅妈,伯母;阿姨; applying:v.申请,请求;使用;应用;(apply的现在分词)
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Come to think of it -- I've been thinking a lot about this -- what does dignified citizenship look like? |
回想起来——我想过很多次—— 有尊严的公民身份是什么样的? |
How can I ask for it when I just arrived here 26 years ago, when Black and Native people who have been here in America for hundreds of years are still waiting for theirs? |
我到底应不应该得到这个公民身份? 我来这里才 26 年, 而在美国生活了数百年的 黑人和土着人 却依然在等待他们的身份。 |
dignified:adj.端庄的; v.使有尊严; (dignify的过去分词和过去式)
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One of my favorite writers is Toni Morrison. |
托尼·莫里森( Toni Morrison) 是我最喜欢的作家之一。 |
In 1996, a year before I found out I was in the country illegally, my eighth-grade class was assigned to read "The Bluest Eye," |
1996 年,也就是我发现自己 非法移民身份的前一年, 在八年级的课堂上,我们被要求阅读 《最蓝的眼睛》(“The Bluest Eye”), |
Morrison's first book. |
莫里森的第一本书。 |
Instantly, the book challenged me to ask hard questions. |
突然间,这本书向我抛出了 一些很难回答的问题。 |
Why does Pecola Breedlove, this young Black girl at the center of the book, why did she want blue eyes? |
为什么皮克拉·布莱得拉夫 (Pecola Breedlove)—— 书中年轻的黑人女主角—— 想要蓝色的眼睛? |
assigned:v.分配(某物);分派;指定;委派;(assign的过去分词和过去式)
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Who told her to want it? |
谁告诉她自己需要蓝眼睛? |
Why did she believe them? |
她为什么会相信他们? |
Morrison said she wrote the book to illustrate what happens when a person surrenders to what she called "the master narrative ." |
莫里森说她写这本书, 是为了解释当人们 向“主流叙事”屈服时会发生什么。 |
'" Definitions ," Morrison said, "belong to the definers, not the defined ." |
莫里森说:“定义属于定义者, 而不是被定义者。” |
Once I realized that I was here illegally, |
在我意识到自己的 非法移民身份后, |
I convinced myself that if I was not a legal citizen by birth or by law, another kind of citizenship was possible. |
我说服自己,如果基于出生或按照法律, 我不算是合法公民, 而另一种公民身份却是可能的。 |
illustrate:v.解释;加插图于;给(书等)做图表;表明…真实; surrenders:vt.使投降;放弃;交出;听任;vi.投降;屈服;自首;n.投降;放弃;交出;屈服; narrative:n.叙述;故事;讲述;adj.叙事的,叙述的;叙事体的; Definitions:n.[数]定义(definition的复数形式); defined:adj.有定义的,确定的; v.使明确; convinced:adj.坚信; v.使确信; (convince的过去分词和过去式)
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Citizenship as participation : |
作为“参与者:的公民: |
I engage . |
我参与其中。 |
I engage with all kinds of Americans, even Americans who don't want me here. |
我和各种各样的美国人打交道, 甚至包括那些不希望我在这里的美国人。 |
Citizenship as contribution : |
作为“贡献者”的公民: |
I give back to my community in whatever ways I can. |
我用一切可能的方法回馈我的社区。[07:44] |
participation:n.参与;分享;参股; engage:v.吸引,占用;使参加;雇佣;使订婚;预定; contribution:n.捐款;捐资;定期缴款;贡献;促成作用;稿件; community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体;
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As an undocumented entrepreneur -- and yes, there is such a thing -- |
作为一个没有身份的企业家—— 是的,确实有这样的事情—— |
I've employed many US citizens. |
我雇佣了很多美国公民。 |
Citizenship as education: |
作为“接受教育”的公民: |
We can't wait for others to educate us about the past and how we got to this present. |
我们不能等待其他人教授我们历史, 以及我们如何走到了今天。 |
We have to educate ourselves and our circles. |
我们得教育自己和我们的圈子。[08:03] |
undocumented:adj.无事实证明的;无正式文件的; entrepreneur:n.企业家;承包人;主办者; employed:v.雇用:应用:运用:使用(employ的过去分词和过去式)
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Citizenship as something greater than myself: |
比自身的意义更深远的公民身份: |
We are, I think, individually and collectively , rewriting the master narrative of America. |
我们,个人和集体, 在重写美国的主流叙事。 |
The people who were once defined are now doing the defining . |
过去被定义的人们 现在成了定义者。 |
They're asking the questions that need to be asked. |
他们在问需要被问的问题。 |
A core part of that redefinition is how we define not only who is an American but what constitutes citizenship. |
这个重新定义的核心是, 我们不仅会如何定义谁是美国人, 还要定义是什么构成了公民身份。 |
individually:adv.个别地,单独地; collectively:adv.共同地,全体地; defining:v.解释(词语)的含义;给(词语)下定义;阐明;界定;(define的现在分词) redefinition:n.重新定义;
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Which, to me, is our responsibility to each other. |
这对我而言,是我们对彼此的责任。 |
So consider your own personal narrative and ask yourself: |
所以,请思考下你自己的个人经历, 并且问问自己: |
Where did you come from? |
你来自哪里? |
How did you get here? |
你是怎么来这里的? |
Who paid? |
谁付的钱? |
personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词;
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