As a professor and mother of three college graduates, I have to confess that I just love commencement ceremonies.
作为一名教授,以及三个大学毕业生的妈妈,我必须承认,我很喜欢毕业典礼。
They are a unique milestone in our lives, because they celebrate past accomplishments and future possibilities.
毕业典礼是我们人生中独特的里程碑,因为它是对我们过去和未来可能性的庆祝。
To the parents of the Class of 2015, I can only say the moment has finally come.
对2015届毕业生的家长们,我只能说,这一刻终于到来了。
Having once been in your position,
我曾经也是你们中的一员,
I expect that you're thinking with some amazement about how short the interval is between diapers and diplomas.
我猜想,你们在想到孩子从穿纸尿裤到拿学位,间隔竟然如此之短时,也会感到十分惊讶。
To the students, I say congratulations.
对毕业生们,我要说声祝贺。
In order to reach this day, you had to pass one of the most difficult tests of all: surviving a truly wicked Boston winter.
为了这一天,你们要通过一场最难的考试:熬过一个极其寒冷的波士顿冬天。
Now that you've all thawed out, you will soon realize that graduation is one of the five great milestones of life;
既然都熬过来了,你们将很快意识到毕业是人生五大里程碑之一,
the others being birth, death, marriage and the day you finally pay off your student loans.
其他四个是出生、去世、结婚以及最终还完助学贷款。
Today is a time for celebration, and for looking back and admitting that
今天是一个值得庆祝的日子,我们回顾过去并承认,
all the hard work of reading and writing, and studying and cramming before tests was indeed worth it.
所有考试前努力的阅读和写作、研究和准备确实是值得的。
In future years, you will recall this ceremony, and you will understand that today, May 17, 2015,
在以后的岁月里,你们会回想起这个典礼,你们会明白,今天,2015年5月17日,
was the day you first began to forget everything you learned in college and graduate school.
是你们开始忘记本科和研究生阶段全部所学知识的日子。