Two years ago, I stood on the TED stage in Arusha, Tanzania.

謝謝大家！

I spoke very briefly about one of my proudest creations.

兩年前，我站在坦尚尼亞阿魯夏的TED講台上，

It was a simple machine that changed my life.

我非常簡要地介紹了一項我最自豪的發明，

Before that time,

那是一台簡易、但卻改變了我的一生的機器。

I had never been away from my home

在那之前，

in Malawi.

我從未離開過

I had never used a computer.

我在馬拉威的家。

I had never seen an Internet.

我也沒使用過電腦，

On the stage that day, I was so nervous.

我更從來沒有見過網際網路。

My English lost,

那天在講台上，我好緊張，

I wanted to vomit.

一句英文也想不起來，

(Laughter)

我只想吐。

I had never been surrounded by so many azungu,

(觀眾笑聲)

white people.

（笑聲）從來沒有這麼多阿贊古--

(Laughter)

也就是白人圍著我。

There was a story I wouldn't tell you then.

(觀眾笑聲)

But well, I'm feeling good right now.

那時我心裡有一個故事沒有對大家講，

I would like to share that story today.

但是，我覺得現在時機對了，

We have seven children in my family.

所以今天，我要跟大家分享這個故事。

All sisters, excepting me.

我家裡有七個孩子。

This is me with my dad when I was a little boy.

除了我，全都是女孩。

Before I discovered the wonders of science,

這是我和我父親在我小時候的合照。

I was just a simple farmer

在我發現科學的奧妙之前，

in a country of poor farmers.

我只是個普通農民，

Like everyone else, we grew maize.

來自於一個盡是貧窮農民的國家。

One year our fortune turned very bad.

跟其他所有人一樣，我們種玉米。

In 2001 we experienced an awful famine.

有一年，我們的收成很差。

Within five months all Malawians began to starve to death.

在2001年，我們經歷了可怕的饑荒。

My family ate one meal per day, at night.

在五個月之內，所有馬拉威人都開始挨餓，甚至死亡。

Only three swallows of nsima for each one of us.

我們家每天只吃一餐--晚餐，

The food passes through our bodies.

每個人只有三口青玉米麵。

We drop down to nothing.

食物吃進我們的身體，

In Malawi, the secondary school,

我們卻沒有排洩。

you have to pay school fees.

在馬拉威，要上中學

Because of the hunger, I was forced to drop out of school.

是要交學費的。

I looked at my father

因為饑荒，我被迫輟學。

and looked at those dry fields.

我看著我的父親，

It was the future I couldn't accept.

看著乾涸的土地。

I felt very happy to be at the secondary school,

這不是我能接受的未來。

so I was determined to do anything possible

以前在學校我覺得非常快樂。

to receive education.

所以我決定盡一切可能

So I went to a library.

去接受教育。

I read books, science books, especially physics.

所以我去圖書館。

I couldn't read English that well.

我閱讀書籍，自然科學的書，特別是物理方面的。

I used diagrams and pictures

我的英文不是很好，

to learn the words around them.

所以我只能靠文字週圍的圖表和圖片

Another book put that knowledge in my hands.

來學習文字。

It said a windmill could pump water and generate electricity.

有一本書把我需要的知識教給了我，

Pump water meant irrigation,

那就是風車可以抽水和發電。

a defense against hunger,

能抽水意味著能灌溉。

which we were experiencing by that time.

那就能對抗饑荒，

So I decided I would build one windmill for myself.

而那正是我們那時所遭遇到的問題。

But I didn't have materials to use,

所以，我決定自己製作一座風車。

so I went to a scrap yard

但是我沒有材料，

where I found my materials.

所以我去廢料場，

Many people, including my mother,

找我所需要的材料。

said I was crazy.

很多人，包括我的媽媽在內，

(Laughter)

都說我瘋了。

I found a tractor fan,

(觀眾笑聲)

shock absorber, PVC pipes.

我找到了一個拖拉機風扇，

Using a bicycle frame

一個避震器，一些PCV管。

and an old bicycle dynamo,

我用一輛自行車的車架

I built my machine.

和一台舊的自行車發電機，

It was one light at first.

開始製作我的機器。

And then four lights,

一開始只有一盞燈。

with switches, and even a circuit breaker,

後來變成四盞燈，

modeled after an electric bell.

還加裝了一些開關，然後甚至有個斷路器，

Another machine pumps water

那是在收到電費收入後才裝的。

for irrigation.

另一台機器則用來

Queues of people start lining up at my house

抽水灌溉。

(Laughter)

後來開始有人在我家門口排隊，

to charge their mobile phone.

(觀眾笑聲)

(Applause)

要我為他們的手機充電。

I could not get rid of them.

(觀眾掌聲)

(Laughter)

這些人趕都趕不走。

And the reporters came too,

(觀眾笑聲)

which lead to bloggers

後來記者也來了，

and which lead to a call from something called TED.

然後是部落客，

I had never seen an airplane before.

再然後我就接到什麼TED的電話。

I had never slept in a hotel.

我以前從來沒有見過飛機，

So, on stage that day in Arusha,

我也從來沒有住過旅館。

my English lost,

所以，在阿魯沙上台的那一天，

I said something like,

我一句英文也想不起來，

"I tried. And I made it."

我好像說了這樣的話，

So I would like to say something

“我嚐試了，而且我成功了。”

to all the people out there like me

所以我想對所有

to the Africans, and the poor

像我一樣的人說，

who are struggling with your dreams.

對所有非洲人說，

God bless.

對所有正在為夢想而奮鬥的窮苦人們說，

Maybe one day you will watch this on the Internet.

願上帝保佑你們。

I say to you, trust yourself and believe.

或許有一天，你會在網路上看到這段影片，

Whatever happens, don't give up.

我要告訴你，要相信你自己並堅持信念，

Thank you.

無論發生什麼事，都不要放棄。

(Applause)

謝謝大家。