昂山素姬文字選譯

手邊沒有昂山素姬 的書，以下的英文來自「李察問到底」網誌「昂山素姬有多美」文章，我來試行中譯：

It is often in the name of cultural integrity, as well as social stability and national security, that democratic reforms based on human rights are resisted by authoritarian governments.

植根於人權的民主改革，常常遭受極權政府以文化完整、社會安定和國家安全的名義堅拒不納。

It is insinuated that some of the worst ills of Western society are the result of democracy, which is seen as the progenitor of unbridled freedom and selfish individualism.

他們暗示西方社會的某些最大流弊正是拜民主所賜，諸如鼓吹放任的自由和自私自利的個人主義。

It is claimed, usually without adequate evidence, that democratic values and human rights run counter to the national culture and therefore, to be beneficial, they need to be modified -perhaps to the extent that they are barely recognizable.

他們的論證薄弱，一味說民主觀念和人權不合本國的國情，如果要施行得宜，就必須大事調整，到最後可能變得根本不是那回事。

The people are said to be as yet unfit for democracy; therefore an indefinite length of time has to pass before democratic reforms can be instituted.

提到人民，總是說他們尚未成熟，推行民主一拖再拖，乃至遙遙無期。

The first form of attack is often based on the premise, so universally accepted that it is seldom challenged or even noticed, that the United States of America is the supreme example of democratic culture.

以上的第一種批評，時常是從一個幾乎為世人公認、沒有多少異議的大前提開始，即美國是民主文化的至高無上的例子。

What tends to be overlooked is that although the USA is certainly the most important representative of democratic culture, it also represents many other cultures, often intricately enmeshed.

人們常常忽視的是，雖然美國是民主文化最重要的代表，它同時也代表多種文化共冶一爐。

Among these are the "I-want-it-all"consumer culture, the mega city culture, the superpower culture, the frontier culture,immigrant culture.

其中包括「多多益善」的消費文化、超級大城市文化，國際霸權文化、前線文化和移民文化。

There is also a strong media culture, which constantly exposes the myriad problems of American society, from large issues such as street violence and drug abuse to the matrimonial difficulties of minor celebrities.

還有影響力龐大的媒體文化，不斷在挖美國社會的瘡疤，由街頭暴力、吸毒，到大小明星的婚變新聞。

Many of the worst ills of American society, increasingly to be found in varying degrees in other developed countries, can be traced not to the democratic legacy but to the demands of modern materialism.

這些美國社會的最大流弊，在其他已發展國家之中或多或少都有的；究其根源，與其歸咎於民主，不如說是拜現代資本主義所賜。

Gross individualism and cut-throat morality arise when political and intellectual freedoms are curbed on the one hand while on the other fierce economic competitiveness is encouraged by making material success the measure of prestige and progress.

政治和知識分子的自由遭受壓制，與此同時，創造物質財富可以達到名成利就的想法鼓勵激烈的經濟競爭；整體的個人主義和不擇手段的道德觀，便會應運而生。

The result is a society where cultural and human values are set aside and money value reigns supreme.

其結果是一個對文化與人倫觀念不屑、金錢掛帥的社會。

No political or social system is perfect. But could such a powerful and powerfully diverse nation as the United States have been prevented from disintegrating if it had not been sustained by democratic institutions guaranteed by a constitution based on the assumption *that man's capacity for reason and justice makes free government possible and that his capacity for passion and injustice makes it necessary.

世界上沒有完美的政治和社會制度，但是以美國的強盛和百家爭鳴的國家，假如不是靠民主政體來維繫，美國還能免於四分五裂嗎？*人人皆有理智明辨是非的一面，才可以造就自由的政府；也有利欲薰心走歪路的劣根性，所以「必需」一個自由的政府。

P.S. 在書櫃一角找到了！是昂山素姬著 Freedom from Fear的 Part 2 The Struggle 第23節：Empowerment of a Culture of Peace and Development (1995, Penguin 版, P.264~265)

( 原文尾段文字比較累贅，翻譯頗費心力，須分拆重組，並*根據美國憲法原意補正，http://americhris.org/GreatEssays/Default.htm)