THE VICE PRESIDENT: Question. Young man in the striped shirt here. Can you get him the microphone?

Q: Thank you, very much, Your Excellency Vice President. I see you not just as the Vice President but a veteran and accomplished public speaker.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Do I look that old? (Laughter.)

Q: I mean being serious -- so as is known to all, public speaking, and English public speaking, in particular, is getting all the more popular in China. So my question is twofold: First of all, what role has public speaking played in your life? Because we say that public speaking is the language of leadership. And secondly, what role do you think public speaking will play among our youth of the two countries and to our bilateral relations? Thank you very much. (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's a very good question. Let me order my thoughts here to make this as brief as I can. The commodity that is worth a lot more than public speaking is sincerity when one speaks. I mean this sincerely now. (Laughter.) There are great orators that have come along in the world history who have been charlatans. So the most important thing to look to in a leader’s speech is not the elegance or the rhetorical flourish of his or her comments, but the judgment of whether or not you believe they are sincere in what they're saying.
副总统：这个问题提得很好。我来整理一下思绪，以便尽量简要地作出回答。对于演讲者来说，远比演讲技巧有价值的一点是真诚。我说这句话的时候就是真诚的。（笑声）在世界历史上有一些享有盛名的演说家其实是江湖骗子。因此，在听一位领导人演说时，最重要的不是看其能否侃侃而谈或其言辞是否文采飞扬，而在于你是否认为演讲人在讲话时态度诚恳。

Secondly, you compliment me by saying I’m an accomplished public speaker. I don't know whether you’ve had an opportunity to see a movie that has gotten worldwide circulation called “The King’s Speech.” Well, but for the royal blood and the money, that could have been me. I was a serious stutterer when I was in school as a child, as a high school student, and even into college. And I practiced very, very hard by myself, standing in front of a mirror, trying to annunciate without contorting my face.
其次，你夸奖我是一位很有造诣的演说家。我不知道你是否有机会看过在世界各地广泛放映的一个电影，叫做“国王的演说”。如果忽略王室出身和金钱，那个人可能就是我。我从小学到高中甚至大学一直有很严重的口吃。我刻苦练习，站在镜子前面，努力在发音时不把脸扭歪。

When you think about it, whether it’s China or America, the only impediment people feel free to make fun of and humor of is a stutterer. If I had a deformed face, you would not make fun of my face. But if I stood before you and ta-ta-talked to-to-to you like that, you’d do what you’re now -- you’re smiling. And it’s offensive. It’s offensive. Because it is a serious impediment. When one stutters, people believe they are stupid. People believe they are not worth much. And there’s tens of millions of people around the world trapped with a keen mind and big heart, trapped inside of a body that cannot articulate what they feel.
我们可以想一想，无论是在中国还是美国，人们可以随意开玩笑或取笑的唯一生理缺陷是口吃。如果我有一张残缺变形的脸，你们不会取笑我的脸。但是，如果我站在你们面前，像这样跟跟跟你们讲讲讲话，你们可能会像现在这样——在微笑。可这样做是非常不礼貌的。这样做是非常不礼貌的，因为这是一种严重的生理缺陷。人们往往认为口吃的人很笨，认为他们没什么用处，然而世界上有千千万万聪明善良的人只是由于生理上的障碍不能表达他们的情感。

And the reason I bother to mention that to you is to get to the third and most important point. Speech, communication -- to state the obvious -- is the currency of understanding. It’s the currency with which we exchange ideas. It’s stuff from which flows the sense of whether one is being truthful or honest or sincere. We judge from the way people speak whether they’re being transparent and open, whether they're being cramped and cabined. And so the thing that I’m most embarrassed about in my career of 38 years of having an opportunity to literally meet every major world leader in the last 38 years. I was elected as a 30 -- 29-year-old, young man from modest means. And I’ve had that opportunity. The thing that always embarrasses me is -- and in the back of my head, I’m embarrassed in front of you -- I’m embarrassed I can’t speak to you in Chinese. I would -- seriously -- I would rather be able to honor you and show my respect for you by speaking your language, as you honor me by speaking mine.
我跟你们提到这件事是因为我要讲的第三点也是最重要的一点。言语、交流——表达清楚明白的想法——是达到理解的途径，是我们交换想法的途径，也是我们借以判断一个人是否真实、诚实或真诚的途径。通过人们讲话的方式，我们可以判断他们是开诚布公还是居心叵测。在我38年的职业生涯中——我曾有机会在这38年中与世界各地的领导人会晤——有一点让我感到羞愧。我家境贫寒，30岁——其实是29岁——赢得选举担任公职。我得到了这个机会。有一点总是让我感到羞愧的是——此刻我站在你们面前，内心也感到同样的羞愧——我为不能跟你们讲中文而感到羞愧。我希望——这是真话——我能够说你们的语言，以此向你们表示敬意，正如你们讲我的母语是对我表示尊重。