每年英国女王的圣诞演讲我们都可以听到女王给英国人民的祝福，就是“Happy Christmas“。英国人喜欢happy而非merry，据说是因为不喜欢merry所隐含的酗酒作乐之意。
因为merry的原意是“jovial, and outgoing，probably mildly intoxicated”，就是“天性活泼外向，可能还有些醉了”的意思。因此保守的英国人会倾向于用Happy Christmas~
进入正题：
伦敦时间25日下午3点，按照惯例，英国女王伊丽莎白二世发表了一年一度的圣诞讲话。据悉，女王的圣诞致辞是在温莎城堡预先录制的。
说到这次的演讲内容, 女王的 “年终总结”可不都是王室成员的家长里短，主要围绕国家问题展开，她提到，今年是让人感到“坎坷”（bumpy）的一年。
的确，这一年英国“脱欧”之路一波三折，为打破脱欧僵局，英国自1923年以来首次在12月举行大选。而对于英王室来说，2019年的“坎坷”经历也备受关注。
年初，菲利普亲王自驾撞人后，未及时道歉而受到批评；安德鲁王子卷入爱泼斯坦性丑闻事件，并且暂停履行王室公务；哈里夫妇多次坐私人飞机出行挨批；威廉和哈里两位王子不和的消息不时传出；因批准首相约翰逊提出的议会休会请求，女王自己也被卷入了“脱欧”的政治纠纷中；圣诞节前夕，菲利普亲王再次住院。对英王室而言，2019年的确也是“坎坷”的一年。
不过，女王在致辞中表示，相信在所有人放下过去的成见后，积极的事情就会发生，团结和友谊可以改变这一切。
演讲中女王还标记了今年的两个伟大纪念活动——月球行走50周年和诺曼底登陆75周年庆。
结束语里，女王强调：人类最持久的进步都来自一小步一小步的实践，而不是大的跳跃。
As a child, I never imagined that one day a man would walk on the moon. Yet this year we marked the 50th anniversary of the famous Apollo 11 mission。
小时候，我从未想象过有一天会有一个人在月球上行走。但是今年，我们纪念了阿波罗11号登月50周年。
As those historic pictures were beamed back to Earth, millions of us sat transfixed to our television screens, as we watched Neil Armstrong taking a small step for man and a giant leap for mankind - and, indeed, for womankind. It's a reminder for us all that giant leaps often start with small steps.
当这些历史照片传回地球时，成千上万的人坐在电视屏幕上，看着尼尔·阿姆斯特朗为人类迈出了一小步，不管是男人还是女人，都迈出了巨大的飞跃。这提醒我们，不积跬步无以至千里。
This year we marked another important anniversary: D-Day. On 6th June 1944, some 156,000 British, Canadian and American forces landed in northern France. It was the largest ever seabourne invasion and was delayed due to bad weather.
今年是又一个重要的周年纪念日：诺曼底登陆纪念日。1944年6月6日，大约有15.6万英国、加拿大和美国的部队在法国北部登陆。这是史上规模最大的海上登陆战役，但当时因恶劣天气而推迟。
I well remember the look of concern on my father's face. He knew the secret D-Day plans but could of course share that burden with no one.
我依旧记得父亲脸上担忧的表情。他已经知道秘密登陆的计划，但必须独自承受这份重担，无法与他人分摊。
For the 75th anniversary of that decisive battle, in a true spirit of reconciliation, those who had formally been sworn enemies came together in friendly commemorations either side of the Channel, putting past differences behind them.
在诺曼底登陆75周年，那些曾经是敌人的各方本着真正的和解精神，在英吉利海峡两岸举行友好纪念活动，将过去的分歧抛在脑后。
Such reconciliation seldom happens overnight. It takes patience and time to rebuild trust, and progress often comes through small steps.
这种和解很少在一夜之间发生。重建信任需要耐心和时间，而且这些进展通常是一小步一小步来实现的。
Since the end of the Second World War, many charities, groups and organisations have worked to promote peace and unity around the world, bringing together those who have been on opposing sides.
自第二次世界大战结束以来，许多慈善机构，团体和组织致力于在世界范围内促进和平与团结，将对立的各方聚集在一起。
By being willing to put past differences behind us and move forward together, we honour the freedom and democracy once won for us at so great a cost.
我们愿意放下过去的分歧携手并进，我们也尊重曾经以巨大代价赢得的自由和民主。
The challenges many people face today may be different to those once faced by my generation, but I have been struck by how new generations have brought a similar sense of purpose to issues such as protecting our environment and our climate.
今天许多人面临的挑战可能与我们这一代人所面临的挑战不同，我也对新一代在面对如何解决环境保护和气候的“目标感”感到惊讶。
My family and I are also inspired by the men and women of our emergency services and armed forces; and at Christmas we remember all those on duty at home and abroad, who are helping those in need and keeping us and our families safe and secure.
我和我的家人也被仍在紧急服务和武装部队的工作人员们所感动；不管男女，不管在国内外，在圣诞节，让我们记住那些在国内外值勤的人们，他们帮助那些需要帮助的人，保障我们和家人的安全。
Two hundred years on from the birth of my great, great grandmother, Queen Victoria, Prince Philip and I have been delighted to welcome our eighth great grandchild into our family.
从我高祖母维多利亚女王出生的两百年后，我和菲利普很高兴欢迎我们的第八位曾孙进入我们的家庭。
Of course, at the heart of the Christmas story lies the birth of a child: a seemingly small and insignificant step overlooked by many in Bethlehem.
当然，圣诞节故事的核心在于孩子的诞生：但伯利恒（耶稣诞生地）许多人忽略了看似微不足道的关键。
But in time, through his teaching and by his example, Jesus Christ would show the world how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding.
但是随着时间的流逝，耶稣将通过他的教导和榜样向世界展示，在信仰和希望迈出的一小步可以克服长期而根深蒂固的分歧，从而带来和谐与谅解。
Many of us already try to follow in his footsteps. The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference.
我们中的许多人已经尝试跟随他的脚步。当然，路途并不总是那么顺利，今年也许有时会感到坎坷，但一小步就能改变世界。
As Christmas dawned, church congregations around the world joined in singing It Came Upon The Midnight Clear. Like many timeless carols, it speaks not just of the coming of Jesus Christ into a divided world, many years ago, but also of the relevance, even today, of the angel's message of peace and goodwill.
圣诞节来临之际，世界各地的教堂会众齐声演唱《在晴朗午夜降临（或译为星夜颂赞、圣诞夜歌）》。就像许多永恒的颂歌一样，它不仅说明了多年前耶稣基督进入一个分裂世界的故事，而且还说明了即使在今天，天使传达的平安与善意依旧重要。
It's a timely reminder of what positive things can be achieved when people set aside past differences and come together in the spirit of friendship and reconciliation. And, as we all look forward to the start of a new decade, it's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.
这就提醒我们，当人们抛弃过去的分歧并本着友谊与和解的精神团结在一起时，可以取得积极的成就。而且，当我们都期待下一个10年时，我们要相信，最终能改变一切的，往往是我们的前进的这些一小步，而不是大的飞跃。
And so, I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
最后，祝大家圣诞快乐。
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