VOA常速英语2019--西语裔传统月（在线收听）

In the thirty days between September 15th and October 15th, the United States observes National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of those United States citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

在9月15日至10月15日的30天里，美国庆祝西班牙裔国家遗产月，庆祝祖先来自西班牙、墨西哥、加勒比地区和中南美洲的美国公民的历史、文化和贡献

In 1968, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson, intent on paying tribute to the United States’ southern neighbors, proclaimed the week including September 15th and 16th to be National Hispanic Heritage week. The date was specifically chosen because, as stated in the white House proclamation that established the observance, September 15th marks the Independence Day of 5 South American countries--Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica—and September 16 is Mexico’s Independence Day.

1968年，当时的总统林登·B.约翰逊为了向美国南部的邻国致敬，宣布9月15日和16日为“全国拉美裔传统周”。9月15日是5个南美国家(危地马拉、萨尔瓦多、洪都拉斯、尼加拉瓜和哥斯达黎加)的独立日，而9月16日是墨西哥的独立日。9月15日是5个南美国家(危地马拉、萨尔瓦多、洪都拉斯、尼加拉瓜和哥斯达黎加)的独立日，而9月16日是墨西哥的独立日。

Twenty years later, President Ronald Reagan extended the observance to cover the 30-day period from September 15 to October 15.

20年后，罗纳德·里根总统将纪念活动从9月15日延长到10月15日，为期30天。

People of Hispanic heritage have had a profound influence on the United States, contributing significantly to its development.

西班牙后裔对美国产生了深远的影响，为美国的发展做出了重大贡献。

In 1565, long before any other European set foot on what is today the continental United States, the first Spanish settlers built Fort St. Augustine in Northern Florida. Today, St. Augustine is still a thriving town, the country’s oldest continuously occupied city.

1565年，远在其他欧洲人踏上今天的美国大陆之前，第一批西班牙殖民者在佛罗里达州北部建造了圣奥古斯丁堡。今天，圣奥古斯丁仍然是一个繁荣的小镇，这个国家最古老的不断被占领的城市。

In the West, a string of missions along California’s coast grew into some of the world’s great cities, from San Diego and Los Angeles in the South to Sacramento and San Francisco in the North. And in the South West, Mexican vaqueros herded cattle across the great grass plains North of the Rio Grande over two centuries before the first Texas cowboys began their cross-country cattle drives.

在西部，沿着加利福尼亚海岸的一系列任务扩展到世界上一些大城市，从南部的圣地亚哥和洛杉矶到北部的萨克拉门托和旧金山。在西南部，墨西哥牧牛人赶着牛群穿过里约热内卢格兰德河以北的大草原，比第一批德克萨斯牛仔开始他们的越野牧牛活动早了两个多世纪。

“Hispanic Americans embody American values: devotion to faith and family, commitment to hard work, enterprise and community service, and a fierce patriotic pride,” said President Donald Trump.

“拉美裔美国人体现了美国价值观：对信仰和家庭的忠诚，对努力工作、企业和社区服务的承诺，以及强烈的爱国自豪感，”唐纳德·特朗普总统说。

“Throughout all 50 states, Hispanic Americans enrich our nation in countless ways — from small businesses to support our neighborhoods, and to innovations that improve our lives, and through military service that protects our people and our great American flag,” he said.

“在全美50个州，拉美裔美国人以无数的方式丰富着我们的国家——从小型企业到支持我们的社区，再到改善我们生活的创新，通过服兵役保护我们的人民和我们伟大的美国国旗，”他说。

“Today and every day, we honor, cherish, and celebrate Hispanic American workers, families, students, businesses, and leaders.”

“今天以及每一天，我们都向拉美裔美国工人、家庭、学生、企业和领导人表示敬意、珍惜和庆祝。”