中国　世界上人口最多的国家
China has never been easy to understand…
却不为世人所熟知
history’s most populous country…
有着独特的设计
cut off from the world by its own design.
最著名的象征就是长城
Its most enduring symbol is the Great Wall…
全程4万英里
which stretches 4,000 miles across…
有着两千多年的悠久历史
and took over 2,000 years to build.
当初为了抵抗侵略
Originally meant to shield China from invaders…
今天 蕴涵着深厚的中国独♥立♥文化
it still stands today as a testament… –
屹立在地球上
to China’s deeply held sense of cultural isolation.
这种孤立到了50年代 变得更加突出
That isolation only got deeper in the 1950s…
当年毛主席禁止与国外进行交流
when Chairman Mao banned all traces of foreign influences.
直到1971年
It wasn’t until 1971…
中国对西方的态度有了 明显的改变
that China’s attitude towards the West was visibly changed…
表现在许多方面 乒乓球
by, of all things, ping-pong.
中国对美国乒乓球队的意外邀请
China’s surprise invitation…
这为尼克松1972年的
to the American ping-pong team paved the way…
破冰之旅铺平了道路
for President Nixon’s historic icebreaker trip in 1972.
30年来 中国发生了翻天覆地的变化
The last thirty years has seen China change in radical ways…
同时也固守着某些传统的习俗
and also cling stubbornly to the past.
而这些乒乓球
But now a group of ping-pong balls…
再次掀开了历史崭新的一章
have again become symbolically tied to the start of a new era.
每年春天 NBA都要
Each spring, the National Basketball Association…
举♥行♥抽签
conducts its draft lottery…
幸运乒乓球将改变一支球队的命运
where a winning ping-pong ball can change a team’s destiny…
在即将到来的选秀当中 该球队有优先选择权
by granting it the first pick in the coming player draft.
2002年的NBA选秀优先权落在
And the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft goes to…
休斯顿火箭队
the Houston Rockets.
火箭队立即声明
The Rockets immediately made it clear…
他们将挑选中国的2.3米高的姚明
that they would take 7’6″ Yao Ming from China.
22岁的姚明
At 22 years old…
是中国男篮的明星
Yao Ming was the star of the Chinese national team…
现在成了火箭队的赌注
and a huge gamble for the Rockets.
如果我第一个选
If I had the number one pick in the draft…
我要选卡龙·巴特勒
I would take Caron Butler or Jay Williams.
或者杰伊·威廉姆斯
Well, I have to agree a lot with Charles.
2002年NBA选秀
With the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft…
休斯顿火箭队选择了 中国上海大鲨鱼队的
the Houston Rockets select Yao Ming from Shanghai, China…
姚明
and the Shanghai Sharks.
当时姚明并不为美国观众所知
Yao was an unknown to many of the people in the United States.
休斯顿队还是毅然首先
Nevertheless, Houston was using the number one pick…
选择了他
to select him.
他的责任立刻就大了
But the extra that was added…
因为全国十多亿人♥民♥
was literally being asked to carry the hopes…
对他都寄予了厚望
of a nation of a billion people…
这给他增加了巨大的压力
and that placed enormous, enormous pressure on him.
他就好像一座桥梁
He’s just like a bridge, you see… –
建立在两个大国之间
between the two great countries…
连接了太平洋的两岸
the great two side of the oceans.
他雄心勃勃
His heart is very big.
前途无量
His ambitions is very big.
他能成名
He can be the great.
姚 明 年
明天
Tomorrow,
姚明就要离开他熟悉的 二十几年的上海
Yao Ming will be…leaving his home of over twenty years.
我想 我忠心希望 姚明到了新的地方以后
I hope that when you arrive in your new home…
能在异地心系祖国
your heart will remember China.
想着祖国 想着人♥民♥ 想着我们
That you will miss your country, your people, and your school.
祖国需要你 祖国在培养你
China still needs you and will continue to nurture you…
最后
along your way.
我想和姚明说一句话就是
Lastly, I want to share with you some encouragement… –
成功的秘诀在于什么？
and the secret to success.
在于坚定不移的志向 坚持不懈的努力
Be diligent, work hard, and focus on your goals.
祝姚明成功 谢谢大家
I hope Yao Ming achieves all his dreams.
中国的文化 非常重视
The Chinese culture is always very much looking…
英雄 冠军
for people who are heroes and champions of everything.
美国NBA我不喜欢看
I don’t like to watch the NBA.
我喜欢看♥中♥国♥的NBA
I’d rather watch Chinese basketball.
姚明去美国 你会不会在电视上看？
When Yao Ming goes to the NBA, then will you watch on TV?
会
Yes! Of course!
只有2.7亿球迷
There are almost 270 million basketball fans…
在这个国家
here in the country.
这个数字
That is equal to the whole population…
相当于整个美国的 人口数甚至更多
of the United States or higher.
姚明赴美之后…
After Yao Ming leaves for the U. S…
姚明去了美国之后吧
I hope that he can play his best…
发挥最高水平为中国队
and bring glory to his national team…
为国家队争光
and to his country.
出发日
我能够想象他的感受
I could only imagine what Yao was feeling.
22岁就能代表国家的人并不多
Not many 22-year-olds are ready to represent their country.
因为中国篮球能够被NBA认可
For Chinese basketball to be recognized by the NBA…
在中国人的眼里 是一种骄傲
is an honor for all Chinese people…
因为他是我的儿子 我更加感到自豪
and I’m especially proud of him because he’s my son.
对姚明来说　前景难料
There’s no way Yao could’ve imagined what was ahead of him.
人们期望他能立刻帮助火箭队
He was expected to instantly make the Rockets…
打入季后赛
a playoff team…
甚至与NBA最具统治力的
even to challenge Shaquille O’Neal…
大鲨鱼奥尼尔对决
as the NBA’s most dominant force…
他的拿手好戏就是篮板球
all while staying true to his traditional upbringing.
当然 我会想家 想朋友 思念家乡
Naturally, I’ll miss my home, my friends, and my family.
我的父母 他们给了我巨大的财富
My parents, they gave me a great deal of wealth…
精神上的财富
spiritual wealth.
我该怎么感谢我的家庭 和我的祖国？
How do I thank my family and my homeland?
小草如何感谢太阳？
How does a blade of grass thank the sun?
10月底
Suddenly it was late October…
姚明来到了休斯顿
and Yao was arriving in Houston.
大家都期待着他的说法
Everyone was waiting to hear what he had to say…
我必须准备翻译
and I had to be ready to translate.
他还没有见到随身翻译
He hasn’t met his interpreter yet…
所以…他们… 聘请了他
so… yeah, they… he was hired…
也聘请了他的翻译员 不过他们还没有见面
his interpreter was hired here, and he hasn’t met him yet, so…
科林？ -那就是科林
Colin? -That’s Colin.
科林来了 嗨 科林 那个就是科林
Colin’s here. Hey, Colin. -That’s Colin.
科林会喜欢 这正是时候
Colin’s gonna be enjoying this. This looks good right about now.
嗨，科林． -你好
Hi, Colin. -What’s up?
我叫卡蒂
I’m Katie.
卡蒂 幸会 幸会
Katie. Very nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.
科林看起来非常年轻
Colin was very young-looking.
是的 我…看到他 非常吃惊
Uh, yeah, I was… I was shocked to see…
那么年轻
you know, how young he was.
4:15左右倒 所以…
He’s due to be in around 4:15, so…
好
Oh, OK.
明 由日月两字构成
Uh, “Ming” is that. That’s a sun and moon…
合起来意思是光亮
which actually means “bright.”
我本来要去法律学校 其实…
I was supposed to start law school, actually…
我决定我接下来的三年时间…
and I just decided I didn’t want to spend…
在法律学校度过
the next three years of my… my life in law school…
我没有做好这样的准备
and I wasn’t prepared for that.
我没有理由去
I didn’t have a good reason for going…
否则我28岁了还不知道做什么
other than I was 28 and I didn’t know what I wanted to do…
所以我…
and I, you know…
这个社会 本来应该找一份稳定的工作
society dictates that I need to find a stable job.
那样 我决定了
And at that point, I had decided I want to…
我要做我感兴趣的东西
do something that I’m passionate about…
而我恰好对中国感兴趣
and what I’m passionate about is Chinese.
我喜欢语言 我喜欢文化
I love the language. I love the culture.
我们要走过去
We’re gonna walk through.
走到那边
We’re gonna get to that area over there…
有欢迎你 姚明的字样下面
the “Welcome, Yao Ming” sign.
在那下面 我们好像 有点让人们觉得…
That’ll be where we’ll sort of let people just kind of…
我只要听你的意思
I’ll just be basically following you…