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Tim Cook Speaks Up
By Tim Cook
October 30, 2014 6:59 AM EDT
Throughout my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain a basic level of privacy. I come from humble roots, and I don’t seek to draw attention to myself. Apple is already one of the most closely watched companies in the world, and I like keeping the focus on our products and the incredible things our customers achieve with them.
在我的職業(yè)生涯中，我一直在努力維護(hù)最基本的隱私。我出身卑微，不希望吸引他人關(guān)注。蘋果已經(jīng)成為全球最受關(guān)注的公司之一，我希望能夠?qū)Ｗ⒂谖覀兊漠a(chǎn)品，開發(fā)出讓消費(fèi)者感到難以置信的產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)。
At the same time, I believe deeply in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, who said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ” I often challenge myself with that question, and I’ve come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important. That’s what has led me to today.
與此同時(shí)，我深信馬丁·路德·金說過的一些話。他說：“生命中最持久和最緊迫的問題是：你正在為其他人做什么?”我經(jīng)常用這個(gè)問題來挑戰(zhàn)自己，現(xiàn)在意識(shí)到，我保護(hù)個(gè)人隱私的渴望已經(jīng)阻止了我去做一些更重要的事情。
For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is so lucky.
多年來，我向許多人公開了我的性取向。蘋果的許多同事也知道我是一個(gè)同性戀者，但他們對待我的態(tài)度沒有什么不同。”當(dāng)然，我有幸能在蘋果工作。這家公司熱衷于創(chuàng)造和創(chuàng)新，能夠接受人們之間的差異。因此，并不是所有人都這么幸運(yùn)。
While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.
我從未否認(rèn)過我的性取向，但我也從未公開承認(rèn)過，直至現(xiàn)在�，F(xiàn)在讓我清楚地表達(dá)自己的立場：我很自豪成為一個(gè)同性戀者，我認(rèn)為，成為一名同性戀者是上帝賜予我的最偉大的禮物。
Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry. It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple.
成為一名同性戀者讓我深深地意識(shí)到，成為“少數(shù)派”究竟意味著什么，并提供一個(gè)接受挑戰(zhàn)的窗口。這種挑戰(zhàn)是其他“少數(shù)派”人群每天都要面對的`。此外，它還賦予我一張“犀牛皮”般的臉，作為蘋果CEO這一點(diǎn)遲早會(huì)用上。
The world has changed so much since I was a kid. America is moving toward marriage equality, and the public figures who have bravely come out have helped change perceptions and made our culture more tolerant.
與兒時(shí)相比，世界發(fā)生了巨變。美國已經(jīng)是婚姻平等，已經(jīng)勇敢站出來的公眾人物已經(jīng)幫助人們改變了想法，讓我們的文化更加包容。
Still, there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire people based solely on their sexual orientation. There are many places where landlords can evict tenants for being gay, or where we can be barred from visiting sick partners and sharing in their legacies. Countless people, particularly kids, face fear and abuse every day because of their sexual orientation.
然而，仍有許多州的法律允許老板僅僅根據(jù)他們的性取向來招聘職工。在很多地方，房東可以驅(qū)逐男同房客;或是我們(指同性戀者)會(huì)被拒絕探視生病的朋友、分享他們的遺產(chǎn)。無數(shù)的人，尤其是孩童，因?yàn)樗麄兊男匀∠�，每天面臨著恐懼和虐待。
I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.
我并不認(rèn)為自己是一個(gè)激進(jìn)分子，但我意識(shí)到，我從別人的犧牲中受益匪淺。因此，如果聽說蘋果CEO是一名同性戀者能夠撫慰其他一些同性戀者，或者讓飽受孤獨(dú)的任何人感到一絲安慰，或者是能激勵(lì)某人堅(jiān)持他們的平等觀念，犧牲我個(gè)人一點(diǎn)隱私也是值得的。
I’ll admit that this wasn’t an easy choice. Privacy remains important to me, and I’d like to hold on to a small amount of it. I’ve made Apple my life’s work, and I will continue to spend virtually all of my waking time focused on being the best CEO I can be. That’s what our employees deserve—and our customers, developers, shareholders, and supplier partners deserve it, too.
我承認(rèn)，這并不是一個(gè)容易的選擇。隱私對我而言仍是十分重要的，我仍愿意保留那么一點(diǎn)隱私。蘋果已經(jīng)成為我生活的一部分，我將繼續(xù)投入幾乎全部時(shí)間、竭盡所能來確保成為一名優(yōu)秀的CEO。這是我們的員工、客戶、開發(fā)者、股東和供應(yīng)商合作伙伴所應(yīng)得的。
Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not defined only by one’s sexuality, race, or gender. I’m an engineer, an uncle, a nature lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic, and many other things. I hope that people will respect my desire to focus on the things I’m best suited for and the work that brings me joy.
社會(huì)在進(jìn)步，已經(jīng)不再僅僅依靠性取向、種族或 性別來評判一個(gè)人。我是一名工程師，一位大叔、一個(gè)自然愛人(a nature lover)、美國南部阿拉巴馬州的兒子，等等。希望人們能夠尊重我的選擇，允許我追求適合自己的事情，以及能給我?guī)砜鞓返墓ぷ鳌?/p>
The company I am so fortunate to lead has long advocated for human rights and equality for all. We’ve taken a strong stand in support of a workplace equality bill before Congress, just as we stood for marriage equality in our home state of California. And we spoke up in Arizona when that state’s legislature passed a discriminatory bill targeting the gay community.
我很榮幸能夠領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的這家公司(蘋果)一直倡導(dǎo)人權(quán)和平等。在國會(huì)面前，我們一直堅(jiān)定地支持辦公場所內(nèi)一切平等的提議，正如我們支持加州的婚姻平 等一樣。當(dāng)亞利桑那州通過反同性戀法案后，我們也提出反對。
We’ll continue to fight for our values, and I believe that any CEO of this incredible company, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, would do the same. And I will personally continue to advocate for equality for all people until my toes point up.
我們將繼續(xù)為我們的價(jià)值抗?fàn)�，我相信，這家偉大公司的任何一位CEO，無論種族、性別或性取向，都會(huì)這么做。在我有生之年，我個(gè)人會(huì)繼續(xù)倡導(dǎo)事事平等。
When I arrive in my office each morning, I’m greeted by framed photos of Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy. I don’t pretend that writing this puts me in their league. All it does is allow me to look at those pictures and know that I’m doing my part, however small, to help others. We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.
每天早上進(jìn)入辦公室后，我都會(huì)看到馬丁·路德和羅伯特·肯尼迪的相框。我寫這篇文章，不是想把自己列入他們陣營。只是為了讓我在看到他們照片時(shí)，知道自己應(yīng)該做什么來幫助他人，即使是微不足道的小 事。讓我們一起鋪平走向(同性戀)司法公平的大道，一步一步。而這就是我邁出的一步。
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