In other words, we know what needs to be done. And as we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. So let’s get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away. And America will be better for it. (Applause.) Let’s get it done. Let’s get it done.

換言之，我們知道自己需要做些什么。正如之前已經(jīng)提到的，國會參眾兩院的有關團體正在勉力草擬一個法案，我對他們的努力表示贊賞。那么，讓我們做好這件事吧。幾個月以后請把移民制度全面改革的草案交給我，我會立即予以簽署。美國將會因此變得剛好。(掌聲)讓我們做好這件事。讓我們做好它。

But we can’t stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives, our mothers, our daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. And I now urge the House to do the same. (Applause.) Good job, Joe. And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year. (Applause.)

不過我們也不能就此止步。我們清楚，只有當我們的妻子、母親、女兒能夠免于在職場受歧視，免于家庭暴力，我們的經(jīng)濟才會更加強大。今天，參議院通過了最初由現(xiàn)任副總統(tǒng)喬·拜登將近20年前草擬的防止對婦女施暴法案，我希望眾議院接下來也會予以批準。(掌聲)干得好，喬。我還要請求國會宣布，女性應該得到與之付出相配的回報，并在今年內最終通過工資公平法案。(掌聲)

We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day’s work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That’s wrong. That’s why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.

我們知道，只有當我們辛勤的工作獲得體面的報酬時，我們的經(jīng)濟才會更加強大。但現(xiàn)在的情況是，一個全職工人每年最低工資僅為1.45萬美元。即使把免稅算上，一個擁有兩個孩子的家庭最低工資仍處于貧困線以下。那是不對勁的。這就是為什么上次國會提高最低工資標準后，有19個州又在此基礎上額外提高了標準。

Tonight, let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. (Applause.) We should be able to get that done. (Applause.)

今晚，讓我們在這個世上最富有的國家里宣告，沒有一個全職工作者會被迫生活在貧困中，宣告將聯(lián)邦最低工資標準提高至每小時9美元。(掌聲)我們一定能夠做好這件事。(掌聲)

This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. And a whole lot of folks out there would probably need less help from government. In fact, working folks shouldn’t have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here’s an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year -- let’s tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on. (Applause.)

這一步驟將提高幾百萬個工作家庭的收入。這可能意味著，原來靠救濟券領取食品的人能夠自己購買生活用品，原來被逐出房子的人能夠租住下去，原來被生活拋棄的講出人頭地。對于全國的企業(yè)來說，這意味著擁有更多錢包滿滿的消費者。而對窮困人群來說，可能更少依賴于政府的救濟。實際上，勞動者不必要一年又一年地等待最低工資標準的上升，而只需限制企業(yè)高管們的報酬上漲。這就是羅姆尼州長和我去年就已達成的共識，讓我們將最低工資標準與生活成本掛鉤，這樣一來，你的最低標準總是能夠支撐你的生活所需。(掌聲)

Tonight, let’s also recognize that there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it is virtually impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job. America is not a place where the chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that’s why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.

今晚，也讓我們承認，這個國家確有一些人群他們無論怎么苦干都難以出人頭地。一些工廠長期停工衰敗。不可避免的貧困，無論城鄉(xiāng)，年輕勞動力依舊為掙得第一份工作爭破頭。人們的命運不應該被他的出生狀況和環(huán)境所決定，美國不是這樣一個地方。這就是為什么我們要搭建新的機會的階梯，讓所有愿意攀登的人步入中產階層的行列。

Let’s offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who’ve got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance anymore. Let’s put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. And this year, my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their feet. We’ll work with local leaders to target resources at public safety, and education, and housing.

讓我們對那些為長期失業(yè)人群提供就業(yè)崗位的公司進行獎勵。讓我們引導人們重新建設那些衰敗小區(qū)里冷落的家。今年，我的政府將幫助全國20個遭受貧困打擊最嚴重的城鎮(zhèn)重建家園。我們將與當?shù)仡I導人一起，為他們爭取公共安全、教育以及住房方面的資源。

We’ll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we’ll work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and do more to encourage fatherhood -- because what makes you a man isn’t the ability to conceive a child; it’s having the courage to raise one. And we want to encourage that. We want to help that. (Applause.)

我們將通過減稅鼓勵企業(yè)用工和投資。我們將通過消除夫妻結婚的資金門檻來鞏固家庭，并且進一步激勵父親的支撐力——因為男人之所以為男人并不是他有生孩子的能力，而是有養(yǎng)育孩子的勇氣。而我們就是想要對此有所激勵，有所幫助。(掌聲)