Name: 比爾蓋茲夫婦的史丹佛大學演講─ 樂觀、創新、同理心，啟發你的畢業後人生！ Bill and Melinda Gates' 2014 Stanford Commencement Address
Uploaded: 2017-06-11T22:00:00.000Z
Duration: 24 min 41 s

>> BILL GATES: Congratulations, class of 2014! (Cheers).

Melinda and I are excited to be here. It would be a thrill for anyone to be invited to speak

梅琳達和我很高興在這，不論是誰，受邀到史丹佛畢業典禮致詞

at a Stanford commencement, but it's especially gratifying for us.

想必都十分令人興奮，但這對我們來說格外特別。

Stanford is rapidly becoming the favorite university for members of our family, and it's long been a favorite university

史丹佛大學已成為我家族成員最喜愛的學校，而史丹佛長久以來也是

for Microsoft and our foundation. Our formula has been to get the smartest,

微軟和基金會長久合作的學校。微軟的成功秘方是，

most creative people working on the most important problems.

找最聰明、最有創意的人來解決最關鍵的問題

It turns out that a disproportionate number of those people are at Stanford. (Cheers).

結果發現，不合比例的，有一大堆人都是史丹佛畢業 (歡呼)

Right now, we have more than 30 foundation research projects underway here.

現在，我們有超過三十個基金會的研究計畫，在史丹佛進行

When we want to learn more about the immune system to help cure the worst diseases, we work with Stanford.

當我們想了解免疫系統，來治療疾病時，我們和史丹佛合作

When we want to understand the changing landscape of higher education in the United States,

當我們想知道美國受高等教育人口分布的變化

so that more low-income students get college degrees, we work with Stanford.

讓更多低受入的學生能得到大學文憑時，也和史丹佛合作

This is where genius lives. There's a flexibility of mind here, an openness to change, an eagerness for what's new.

這裡是天才聚集之處。史丹佛的學生腦袋靈活，接受改變，渴求新知

This is where people come to discover the future, and have fun doing it.

你們在史丹佛找到未來，且一路上享受整個過程

>> MELINDA GATES: Now, some people call you all nerds and

we hear that you claim that label with pride. (Cheers and Applause).

>> BILL GATES: Well, so do we. (Cheers and Applause).

>> BILL GATES: My normal glasses really aren't that different.

(Laughter). There are so many remarkable things going on here at this campus,

(笑聲) 在史丹佛校園裡，總是有許多了不起的事情在進行著

but if Melinda and I had to put into one word what we love most about Stanford,

但若要我們用一個字形容史丹佛最可愛之處

it's the optimism. There's an infectious feeling here that innovation

不得不說，是「樂觀」。在史丹佛，幾乎人人都相信

can solve almost every problem. That's the belief that drove me in 1975 to

「創新」可以解決一切問題。這也是我一貫秉持的想法，所以在1975年

leave a college in the suburbs of Boston and go on an endless leave of absence.

我離開波士頓郊區的一所大學 (哈佛)，展開輟學的人生

I believed that the magic of computers and software

would empower people everywhere and make the world much, much better.

能造福世界各地的人，讓世界更美好

It's been 40 years since then, and 20 years since Melinda and I were married.

那已經是40年前的事了，我跟梅琳達結婚至今也有20年之久

We are both more optimistic now than ever. But on our journey, our optimism evolved.

我們現在都比以往任何一刻更加樂觀。但在這旅途上，我們的心態不斷改變

We would like to tell you what we learned and talk to you today about how your optimism and ours

今天，我們想跟大家分享一路上我們的收穫

can do more for more people. When Paul Allen and I started Microsoft,

以及「樂觀」如何讓你們為他人做更多。當我和保羅‧艾倫一起創立微軟時

we wanted to bring the power of computers and software to the people, and that was the kind of rhetoric we used.

我們就是想把電腦和軟體的力量帶給其他人，這是我們的座右銘

One of the pioneering books in the field had a raised fist on the

當時一本電腦相關的書，書的封面正是一隻手，手握拳頭

cover, and it was called "Computer Lib." At that time, only big businesses could buy computers.

這本書叫《計算機解放》。當時，只有大企業買得起電腦

We wanted to offer the same power to regular people and democratize computing.

我們想要讓一般大眾也能使用電腦，讓電腦普及化

By the 1990s, we saw how profoundly personal computers could empower people, but that success created a new dilemma.

到了90年代，我們看到個人電腦帶來的影響力，但又遇到另一個難題

If rich kids got computers and poor kids didn't, then technology would make inequality worse.

如果只有富有的孩子能擁有電腦，那麼這項科技就會讓不平等更嚴重

That ran counter to our core belief. Technology should benefit everyone.

這可違背了我們的信念：科技應該造福每個人

So we worked to close the digital divide.

I made it a priority at Microsoft, and Melinda and I made it an early priority at our Foundation.

這成為微軟的首要目標，也是梅琳達和我在基金會早期的努力方向

Donating personal computers to public libraries to make sure that everyone had access.

我們捐贈電腦到圖書館，確保每個人都有使用的機會

The digital divide was a focus of mine in 1997, when I took my first trip to South Africa.

我在1997年去了趟南非，當時，數位落差也是我關心的重點

I went there on business so I spent most of my time in meetings in downtown Johannesburg.

我因為公事到南非，因此大部分的時間都在約翰尼斯堡開會

I stayed in the home of one of the richest families in South Africa. It had only been

我住在南非一戶非常有錢的家庭裡，那時

three years since the election of Nelson Mandela marked the end of apartheid.

距曼德拉選上總統、廢除種族隔離政策不過三年

When I sat down for dinner with my hosts, they used a bell to call the butler.

我和他們家一同坐在餐桌旁，他們用鈴鐺來叫管家

After dinner, the women and men separated and the men smoked cigars. I thought,

晚餐後，男人和女人分開，男人抽著雪茄。我心想

good thing I read Jane Austen, or I wouldn't have known what was going on.

幸好我有看過珍 奧斯丁的作品，不然我一定搞不懂發生什麼事

(Laughter). But the next day I went to Soweto,

the poor township southwest of Johannesburg, that had been the center of the anti-apartheid movement.

是約翰尼斯堡西南邊的一個貧困城鎮，過去是反種族隔離政策抗爭的中心

It was a short distance from the city into the township, but the entry was sudden, jarring

索維托離約翰尼斯堡只有一小段距離，但兩者極度不合諧

and harsh. I passed into a world completely unlike the one I came from.

差異很大，和我來的地方有天壤之別

My visit to Soweto became an early lesson in how naive I was.

我的索維托之旅就成了寶貴的一課，讓我知道我有多天真

Microsoft was donating computers and software to a community center there. The kind of thing we did in the United States.

後來，微軟捐贈電腦和軟體到當地的社區中心，就像我們在美國做的一樣

But it became clear to me, very quickly, that this was not the United States.

但很快我就清楚知道，這不是美國

I had seen statistics on poverty, but I had never really seen poverty.

我看過關於貧窮的各種數據，但卻不曾親眼目睹

The people there lived in corrugated tin shacks with no electricity, no water, no toilets.

那裏的人住在鐵皮屋，沒有水、電，更沒有廁所

Most people didn't wear shoes. They walked barefoot along the streets, except there were

大部分的人沒穿鞋，就光腳走在街上，不過

no streets, just ruts in the mud. The community center had no consistent source of power

那裏其實也沒有街道，只有泥巴小路。社區中心沒有穩定的電力

so they rigged up an extension cord that ran 200 feet from the center

所以他們湊出一條200呎的延長線，從中心拉到外面一台

to a diesel generator outside. Looking at this setup, I knew the minute the reporters left, the

柴油發電機。看到這景象，我知道一旦記者離開，這台發電機就會拿去

generator would get moved to a more urgent task. And the people who used the community

用在更實際的功用上，使用社區中心的居民

center would go back to worrying about challenges that couldn't be solved by a personal computer.

也會繼續擔心其他電腦無法解決的生活難題

When I gave my prepared remarks to the press, I said Soweto is a milestone.

當我向媒體發表預先準備的演講時，我說，索維托是個里程碑

There are major decisions ahead about whether technology will leave the developing world behind.

有人擔心，科技的發展會不會棄開發國家不顧

This is to close the gap. But as I read those words, I knew they weren't

捐贈電腦到索維托就是想要縮短這樣的差距。但當我念稿時，我知道這些字句

super relevant. What I didn't say was, by the way, we're not focused on the fact that

意義不大，我沒說出口的是：順帶一提，我們不管

half a million people on this continent are dying every year from malaria.

每年非洲大陸有五十萬人死於瘧疾

But we are sure as hell going to bring you computers. Before I went to Soweto, I thought I understood

但我們他媽的就是要送他們電腦。在我去索維托前，我以為

the world's problems but I was blind to many of the most important ones.

我了解世界上的問題，但我其實對許多重要議題視而不見

I was so taken aback by what I saw that I had to ask myself, did I still believe that innovation could

因為看的了索維多的真實情況，我信心受挫，不禁自問：我還相信創新

solve the world's toughest problems? I promised myself that before I came back to Africa,

能解決世上最困難的問題嗎？我告訴自己，在下次回到非洲前

I would find out more about what keeps people poor.

我要好好研究害人們貧窮的原因

Over the years, Melinda and I did learn more about the pressing needs of the poor.

在接下來幾年，梅琳達和我真的有去了解窮人們迫切的需求

On a later trip to South Africa, I paid a visit to a hospital for patients with MDR-TB, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis

後來我們又去了南非，我到一間醫院探望得了MDR-TB (多重抗藥性結核病) 的病患

a disease with a cure rate of under 50%. I remember that hospital as a place of despair.

該病的治癒率不到50%。在我的記憶裡，那醫院是個絕望的地方

It was a giant open ward, with a sea of patients shuffling around in pajamas, wearing masks.

一大間病房，充滿穿睡衣、戴口罩的病患

There was one floor just for children, including some babies lying in bed.

有一層樓專門提供給小孩，也有躺在床上的嬰兒

They had a little school for kids who were well enough to learn,

醫院裡有間學校，讓狀況好的小孩上學

but many of the children couldn't make it, and the hospital didn't

但大多數孩狀況差，因此醫院不確定

seem to know whether it was worth it to keep the school open.

到底還有沒有讓學校開下去的必要性

I talked to a patient there in her early 30s. She had been a worker at a TB hospital when

我和一位30多歲的女病患閒聊，在她染病開始咳嗽前，在一家結核病醫院工作

she came down with a cough. She went to a doctor and he told her said she had drug-resistant TB.

之後醫生告訴她她有抗藥性結核病

She was later diagnosed with AIDS. She wasn't going to live much longer,

隨後她又被診斷出患有愛滋病，她活不久了

but there were plenty of MDR patients waiting to take her bed when she vacated it.

但已有許多病患等這在她走之後霸佔她的床位

This was hell with a waiting list. But seeing this hell didn't reduce my optimism.

這真是地獄，但看到這情況並沒有減低我的樂觀態度

It channeled it. I got into the car as I left and I told the doctor we were working with

反而引導出更多的樂觀。我坐進車裡，開離醫院，並告訴跟我合作的醫生：

I know MDR-TB is hard to cure, but we must do something for these people.

我知道MDR-TB很難治癒，但為了這些人我們得做點什麼

And, in fact, this year, we are entering phase three with the new TB drug regime

事實上，今年，我們進入 TB 藥物研發的第三期

for patients who respond, instead of a 50% cure rate after 18 months for $2,000,

以前，病患需要花2000美金治療18個月，治癒率卻只有50%

we get an 80% cure rate after six months for under $100.

現在，只要花100美金治療六個月，治癒率提高到80%

(Applause). Optimism is often dismissed as false hope.

(掌聲) 樂觀常常被認為是不實的的期待

But there is also false hopelessness. That's the attitude that says we can't defeat poverty and disease.

但其實也有所謂錯誤的絕望，那就是告訴我們，我們無法打敗貧窮和疾病

We absolutely can. >> MELINDA GATES: Bill called me that day after he visited the TB hospital

事實上，我們當然可以。比爾在參觀完結核病醫院那天打給我

and normally if one of us is on an international trip,

通常，如果我們其中一人在國外

we will go through our agenda for the day and who we met and where we have been.

我們會讓對方知道每日的行程、遇見誰、去了哪裡

But this call was different. Bill said to me, Melinda, I have been somewhere that I have never been before.

但這通電話特別不一樣，比爾告訴我：梅琳達，我去了我從來沒去過的地方

And then he choked up and he couldn't go on. And he finally just said,

接著他哽咽，無法再說下去，最後他只說

I will tell you more when I get home. And I knew what he was going through because

我到家後再跟你說更多。我知道他在經歷的過程

when you see people with so little hope, it breaks your heart.

因為，當你看到一群人，握有如此微薄的希望，你會心碎

But if you want to do the most, you have to go see the worst, and I've had days like that too.

但你若想做出最多貢獻，你勢必得先親眼看看最慘的狀況；我也曾經歷過這樣的過程

About ten years ago, I traveled with a group of friends to India. And on last day I was there,

十年前，我和一群朋友去印度，在那的最後一天