This speech appeared in my English textbook when I was in high school. (By the way, I grew up in China). Martin Luther King (MLK) is one out of a few foreign figures who appear in our textbooks. When my English teacher read this speech to us, most of my attention was on the new vocabulary and grammar. But when I reread this famous speech today, I came to realize how much strength it must have taken this man to say “we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds”. For many victimized by injustices, the idea of patiently upholding dignity doesn’t always win the battle in their minds. Some people called him a “dreamer”, but maybe a dream is where change begins.
Below is a part of MLK’s speech. Please note: since my Chinese translations are targeted towards Chinese learners, some wordings and sentence structures may not exactly match the English version.
wǒ yǒu yígè mèngxiǎng– xiǎomǎ dīng· lùdé· jīn
我 有 一个 梦想 – 小馬 丁 · 路德 · 金
wǒ bìxū hé wǒde péngyǒumen shuō,
我 必须 和 我的 朋友们 说 ,
nǐmen zhèng zhàn zài tōngwǎng zhèngyì tiāntáng de rùkǒu,
你们 正 站 在 通往 正义 天堂 的 入口 ,
zài wǒmen huòqǔ zhèngdāng de dìwèi de guòchéng zhōng,
在 我们 获取 正当 的 地位 的 过程 中 ,
wǒmen juéduì bùnéng yǒu wéifǎ xíngwèi.
我们 绝对 不能 有 违法 行为 。
ràng wǒmen búyào yòng yuànhèn hé díyì de kǔshuǐ
让 我们 不要 用 怨恨 和 敌意 的 苦水
mǎnzú wǒmen duì zìyóu de kěwàng.
满足 我们 对 自由 的 渴望 。
wǒmen yídìngyào yǒngyuǎn bǎ wǒmende dòuzhēng
我们 一定要 永远 把 我们的 斗争
jiànlì zài zūnyán hé jìlǜ de gāochù.
建立 在 尊严 和 纪律 的 高处 。
wǒmen juéduì bùnéng yǔnxǔ wǒmen chuàngzàoxìng de kàngyì
我们 绝对 不能 允许 我们 创造性 的 抗议
duòluò chéng zhītǐchōngtū.
堕落 成 肢体冲突 。
I Have A Dream – Martin Luther King Jr.
there is something that I must say to my people,
who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice:
In the process of gaining our rightful place,
we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle
on the high plane of dignity and discipline.
We must not allow our creative protest to
degenerate into physical violence.
ràng wǒ chóngshēn yíbiàn,
让 我 重申 一遍 ,
wǒmen yídìngyào jiāng wǒmen shēntǐ de lìliang
我们 一定要 将 我们 身体 的 力量
shàngshēng dào zhuāngyán de jīngshén lìliang.
上升 到 庄严 的 精神 力量 。
hēirén qúntǐ yōngyǒude bùfán de zhàndòulì
黑人 群体 拥有的 不凡 的 战斗力
bùnéng bǎ wǒmen yǐndào búxìnrèn báirén de jìngdì.
不能 把 我们 引到 不信任 白人 的 境地 。
wǒmen hěnduō báirén xiōngdì men,
我们 很多 白人 兄弟 们 ,
tāmen jīntiān de chūxí yǐjīng zhèngmíng,
他们 今天 的 出席 已经 证明 ,
tāmen yǐjīng míngbai
他们 已经 明白
tāmende mìngyùn hé wǒmende mìngyùn
他们的 命运 和 我们的 命运
yǐjīng liánxì zài le yìqǐ.
已经 联系 在 了 一起 。
tāmen yǐjīng míngbai
他们 已经 明白
tāmen hé wǒmende zìyóu yǐjīng mìbùkěfēn.
他们 和 我们的 自由 已经 密不可分 。
wǒmen bùnéng dúzì qiánxíng.
我们 不能 独自 前行 。
zài wǒmen qiánxíng de guòchéng zhōng,
在 我们 前行 的 过程 中 ,
wǒmen yídìngyào bǎozhèng wǒmen yìzhí zài qiánmiàn.
我们 一定要 保证 我们 一直 在 前面 。
wǒmen bùnéng huítóu.
我们 不能 回头 。
Again and again,
we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force
with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community
must not lead us to a distrust of all white people,
for many of our white brothers,
as evidenced by their presence here today,
have come to realize that
their destiny is tied up with our destiny.
And they have come to realize that
their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk,
we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
Now, your turn! Try to translate the below and type your answer in the comments section. Please note that I’ve deleted some of the complicated sentence structures or wordings that are too advanced.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and
live out the true meaning of its creed:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day,
the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners
will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi,
will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day
live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin
but by the content of their character.
Here is my attempt:
我有一个梦想,有一天这个国家会崛起实现其信条的真正含义,《我们绝对认为这些真理是不言而喻的,所有的人都是平等的》。
我有一个梦想,有一天前奴隶的儿子和前奴隶主的儿子将能够在兄弟会的桌旁坐下来。
我有一个梦想,有一天甚至密西西比州也将成为自由与正义的绿洲。
我有一个梦想,有一天我的四个小孩将生活在一个不会用肤色来判断的国家,而会用基本性格的方面判断的国家。
hi, thanks for the comment. I saw you are coming to the book club, let’s talk about it on the event! see you~