U.S. President Barack Obama said the half-million jobs the U.S. lost in April are "sobering." But he said it is "somewhat encouraging" that the losses are beginning to shrink. The president used the occasion to promote his education and job training programs.
美国总统奥巴马说，美国4月份失去50多万个工作机会，这“令人深思”，但是，当月的失业数字跟前几个月相比有所减少，这“令人感到某种鼓舞”。总统还利用这个机会推广他的教育和工作培训项目。
President Obama said while the United States is still in the midst of a recession, the gears of the country's economy are slowly beginning to turn.
奥巴马总统说，美国现在仍然处在经济衰退之中，但是国家经济的齿轮正在慢慢地开始运转。
"Step by step, we are beginning to make progress. Of course, that is no solace for those who have lost their jobs, or to the small business owners whose hearts break at letting longtime employees go," he said.
他说：“我们正在一步步开始取得进展。当然，对那些失去工作的人来说，这并不是什么安慰。同时对那些不得不把自己的长期雇员打发走的小企业主来说，也起不到什么慰籍作用。”
The president spoke shortly after the government announced that the unemployment rate rose to a 25-year high of 8.9 percent in April. Labor Department figures show that 539,000 Americans lost their jobs last month, compared to more than 600,000 in March.
奥巴马发表上述讲话之前，美国劳工部宣布失业率在4月份达到25年来最高的8.9%。劳工部的数字显示上个月美国的新增失业人数为53万9千人，而3月份有60多万人加入失业大军。
Mr. Obama is seeking support for a program he calls the "New Foundation," which he said will help American workers prepare for the economy's eventual turnaround.
奥巴马正在为他自己称为“新基础”的一个新项目寻求支持。他说，这个项目将帮助美国工人为经济的最终好转作好准备。
"If we want to come out of this recession stronger than before, we need to make sure that our workforce is better prepared than ever before," he said.
他说：“如果我们希望走出这次经济衰退，变得比以前更加强大，我们必须确保我们的劳动力比以前准备的更为充分。”
Part of Mr. Obama's program is a plan to let jobless people return to college without losing their unemployment benefits. States often require people receiving unemployment to be actively looking for work. Under the president's plan, jobless people could satisfy that requirement by going to school.
奥巴马这个项目包括让失业的人重回校园，同时不失去他们的失业补助。美国各州通常要求那些接受失业补贴的人证明自己正在努力寻找工作。根据总统的计划，失业的人可以通过上学来满足这个方面的要求。
The $787 billion economic stimulus legislation the president signed in February gave states billions of dollars to increase benefits to the unemployed.
总统今年2月签署的7870亿美元的经济刺激法案，向各州提供数十亿美元用于提高失业工人的福利。
Mr. Obama intends to encourage colleges to make more financial aid available to people who are out of work.
奥巴马总统还打算鼓励大学向那些失去工作的人提供更多的财务帮助。 |