Newsbeat went with five young people from BBC Generation 2015 to a Q&A with President Obama in London.
Newsbeat从BBC采访了五位出席了奥巴马在伦敦举行的2015问答会的年轻人。
His message to them, and the hundreds of others listening, was intended to be inspirational.
据这五位受访者说,奥巴马传达给这数百位听众的信息非常鼓舞人心。
Here are his main points.
下面是他的论点。
"Our problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man, and man can be as big as we want."
“我们现在面临的问题都是人为产生的,因此这些问题能够被人解决,而参与解决这些问题的人能够产生非常大的作用。”
Quoting former leader JF Kennedy, Obama’s message was to be optimistic.
奥巴马这里引用了美国前总统JF肯尼迪的话,显得非常积极乐观。
He seemed to suggest that no matter how dark and upsetting the things on news are, if we pull together we can find a way forward.
奥巴马似乎在说不管新闻里的内容是多么黑暗和多么让人沮丧,只要我们团结起来,就一定能够继续前进。
"This world, for all of its travails, for all of its challenges, has never been healthier, better-educated, wealthier, more tolerant, less violent, more attentive to the rights of all people, than it is today."
“尽管仍然存在着这么多的痛苦和挑战,但这个世界上的人从来没有像今天一样身体更加健康、受到更好的教育、生活更加富裕、为人处世更加宽容,这个世界也从来没有像今天一样充斥着更少的暴力,更加关注于所有人的权利。”
Some people on social media reacted negatively to this, saying it was easy for a president to say and that a lot of people in the world were still suffering.
一些人在社交网站上对这句话进行批评,说对于美国总统来说,说出这样的话很容易,但是在这个世界上,仍然有许多人在受苦。
However Obama went on to say that he wasn’t saying there were no problems left to be solved, and that this progress was not a reason to sit back and do nothing.
但是奥巴马进行了反驳,说他的意思并不是指这个世界完美到没有什么问题需要被解决,但这并不是我们退缩不前、毫无作为的理由。
"Reject the notion we’re surrounded by forces we cannot control. You’ve never had better tools to make a difference, to forge a better UK, a better Europe, a better world."
“不要去想那些我们无法掌控的、毫无意义的念头。从来没有什么时候能够像现在这样给你一个极好的机会来做出一番事业,让你能够打造一个更好的英国、打造一个更好的欧洲、打造一个更好的世界!”
Whilst clearly a call to inspire young people, it has been read by some as a way of reassuring Eurosceptics that they don’t need to be worried about losing control if they stay in the EU.
在年轻人受这句话鼓励的同时,一些欧洲怀疑论者也安心了。他们不必担心如果英国继续留在欧盟将丧失主导能力。
"Your capacity to shape this world is unmatched."
“你塑造世界的能力将无与伦比!”
Some of Obama’s answers focussed on how young people could campaign effectively to highlight issues to those in power.
奥巴马的一些回答集中于向年轻人解释他们应该如何有效地用政治活动来向当权者表达自己的诉求。
He said the Black Lives Matter campaign had been successful at putting a spotlight on inequalities within the justice system in the US but warned against "yelling at people" once you already had their attention.
奥巴马说美国的“黑人的命也重要”运动成功地引起了人们对司法体系中不平等现象的关注,但同时他也告诫道政治运动应该适可而止。
"If any of you begin to work on an issue that you care deeply about, don’t be disappointed if a year out things haven’t been completely solved,"
“如果你们当中有人要针对自己非常关切的事件开始政治活动的话,我建议你们不要因为这件事经过了一年的时间都没有被完全解决时,千万不要灰心丧气。”
He said that progress was sometimes a long term project and that people must not give up.
他说,有时这个过程将会持续很长时间,而参与活动的人们一定不要放弃。
"Seek out people who don’t agree with you. It will teach you to compromise. It will also help you if you get married."
“去找那些不同意你观点的人,他们会教你如何学会妥协。当然,等你结婚后,这也会给你带来好处。”
This one got a laugh. He went on to say that "compromise does not mean surrendering what you believe".
这句话逗得在场听众们一阵大笑。奥巴马继续说道:“但是妥协并不意味着你要放弃自己的观点。”
"Ask yourself - how can I make the people around me do great things?"
“问问你自己--我怎么才能让身边的人变得伟大?”
Obama was asked about the most important skills to have as a world leader. He joked "having a thick skin" was pretty useful.
奥巴马也被问及作为美国总统最重要的技能是什么。他开玩笑说“有一张厚脸皮”非常有用。(BBC新闻)