翻译数据库中英对照：民主好不好，人民最知道
On Democracy, the People Know the Best
——外交部副部长乐玉成在“中外学者谈民主”高端对话会上的致辞
— Remarks by Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng at A Dialogue on Democracy
2021-12-02
Beijing International Club, 2 December 2021
各位朋友，
Distinguished Friends,
大家下午好！很高兴再次参加临甲7号沙龙。
Good afternoon! I’m very glad to join you again in this dialogue.
最近，民主在国际上成为热门话题。本来这是一件好事，但个别国家打着“民主”旗号，歪曲民主要义，乱设民主标准，甚至把民主当成服务一己之私的政治工具，在世界上搞各种小圈子，制造分裂和对抗。这显然同民主背道而驰。
Recently, democracy is being widely discussed around the world. This should have been a good thing. But a very few countries are using democracy as a cover: they twist its essence, and willfully set its standards. They even take democracy as a political tool for selfish gains, and build small blocs to create division and confrontation in the world. This obviously runs against the spirit of democracy.
所以，今天我们开这个民主对话会很有必要，就是要通过讨论和交流，激浊扬清，明辨是非，探讨真正的民主之道。我愿借此机会和各位分享一点自己的思考。
Therefore, today’s dialogue on democracy is very necessary. Through our interaction, we hope to clear up confusion, promote right conceptions, and look for the right way of democracy. I wish to share with you a few of my thoughts.
首先我要回答一个问题，中国是不是民主国家？在一些西方人的中国叙事里，中国似乎没有民主，中国共产党等同于威权和专制，即使你创造了长期稳定、快速发展、脱贫攻坚等一系列人间奇迹，即使你得到了绝大多数中国民众的支持拥护，你仍然被视为不讲民主、没有人权的国家。
The first question I’d like to answer is: Is China a democracy or not? Some in the West claim that there seems to be no democracy in China, and that the Communist Party of China is just authoritarian and autocratic. In their eyes, although China has created many miracles of long-term stability, rapid development and poverty reduction, and the government has the universal support of the Chinese people, yet China is still a country without democracy and without human rights.
这恰恰暴露了某些人阴暗的心理和不可告人的图谋，那就是把民主当作打压异己的工具、遏制别国发展的幌子。
This actually reveals their hostile mindsets and intentions, namely, democracy is just a tool to repress anyone who disagrees with them and to contain the development of other countries.
今年是中国共产党成立100周年。百年来，中国追求民主、发展民主的脚步从未停止。不少人应该看过最近热播的电视剧《觉醒年代》，其中有个镜头给我留下深刻印象：上个世纪初，中国共产党的创始人陈独秀、李大钊等人反复穿行在一条泥泞小路上，为中国的民主、自由而上下求索。
This year marks the 100th birthday of the CPC. For 100 years, China has never stopped its efforts to pursue and advance democracy. Many people have watched The Age of Awakening, a popular TV series. I was deeply impressed by one of the scenes—Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao and other CPC founders walking back and forth on a muddy path in the early 20th century, looking for ways to democracy and freedom.
正是从这条泥泞小路出发，中国共产党带领中国人民开启了百年奋斗的伟大征程。早在上世纪30年代初瑞金中央苏区时期，中国共产党就探索建立了苏维埃工农兵代表大会。延安时期，不识字的农民用黄豆代替选票选出他们心目中最满意的好干部。美国著名记者斯诺访问延安后盛赞，这是“人类历史本身的丰富而灿烂的精华”，是一种“东方魔力”“兴国之光”。
Starting from that muddy path, the CPC led the Chinese people on a great journey of the century. In the early 1930s, the CPC established the congress of workers, peasants and soldiers in Ruijin, capital of the Chinese Soviet Republic. While in Yan’an, peasants, who could not read, would vote for their ideal candidates by casting beans as ballots. U.S. journalist Edgar Snow was deeply impressed by his visit to Yan’an. He said what he saw there was the best of human history, and a light of rejuvenation in the East.
注：为确保中英对照准确，“热词译”网站可能对中英文重新分段。