Re: PEN Press Event
Shentongnewyork
I'm very honored to be invited by PEN American Center to attend today's meeting.
非常荣幸应美国笔会的邀请参加今天的会议。
As a member of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC), a close friend of Liu Xiaobo and a writer who yearns for freedom of expression, I’ve experienced great changes in the past ten years of my life.
在过去的十几年里，我的生命的轨迹，因为我是独立中文笔会的会员、我是刘晓波的亲密朋友、我是一个追求言论自由的作家，而发生了巨大的变化。
I was honored to be vice-president of ICPC when Liu Xiaobo was the president. In defiance of the Chinese Communist Party's restrictions on freedom of association and assembly, we held meetings with our colleagues. We provided many kinds of support to imprisoned writers.
在刘晓波担任独立中文笔会会长期间，我有幸担任副会长，配合他组织笔会的会议，突破中国共产党设置的对结社和集会自由的限制，以及为那些狱中的作家提供各种支援。
Today, there are many writers and journalists in China's jails. China government put the highest number of writers and journalists in jail.
Liu Xiaobo, who tried hard to save imprisoned writers, is now imprisoned himself. As for myself, I almost lost my life after experiencing torture. I was forced to leave my home country and come here to continue writing. In the one year since leaving China, I have completed two new books, one of which is a biography of Liu Xiaobo. We shouldn't forget this hero who is like Sisyphus in Greek mythology, rolling a huge stone up the hill.
今天，中国的监狱里关押着人数最多的作家和记者，当年竭力营救狱中作家的刘晓波，自己也被关进了监狱；而我在经历了酷刑折磨，险些失去生命之后，被迫离开自己的祖国，来到大洋的彼岸，继续我的写作。离开中国一年之后，我完成了两本新书，其中一本是《刘晓波傳》。我们不应该忘记这位像古希腊神话中推着石头上山的西西佛斯的英雄。
We also shouldn't forget those imprisoned writers who are not as famous as Liu Xiaobo. Their names appear in the report to be released today. While they are in prison and don't know about the release of this report, they certainly know that so many fellow writers around the world are concerned about them. Thank you very much to everyone who has participated in and supports this work.
我们更不应该忘记那些没有刘晓波有名的狱中作家，他们的名字出现在今天即将发布的报告上，在监狱里的他们，虽然不知道这份报告的发布，但他们肯定知道，全世界有那么多的同行爱着他们。非常感谢参与和支持这项工作的每一位朋友的努力。
The ICPC can Still only exist in China because it is a member of PEN International. If the Chinese Communist Party publicly announced that the ICPC is an illegal organization, it would be as though they announced that PEN International is an illegal organization. They would not dare to do so for the time being. Over the years, many governments and non-governmental organizations, big companies and tycoons have given in to the Chinese government's soft and hard measures, because they are only concerned about doing business with China and pretend that they don't see the increasingly serious human rights problems. However, PEN International isn't like that. Instead, it continues to support the freedom of expression and other basic human rights of Chinese writers.
独立中文笔会之所以能够仍然在中国存在，因为它是国际笔会接纳的正式成员。如果中国共产党公开宣布独立中文笔会是非法组织，也就等于宣布国际笔会是非法组织，他们暂时还不敢这样做。但是，多年来，他们一直在向国际笔会施加压力，或者承诺好处，希望国际笔会抛弃独立中文笔会。这些年来，很多国家的政府和非政府组织，大公司和富豪们，已经屈服于中国政府的软硬兼施了。他们只关心跟中国做生意，而假装看不见中国日益严重的人权问题。然而，国际笔会没有这样做，而是一如既往地支持中国作家的言论自由和其他基本人权，
This makes me think of American writer Hemingway's famous book For Whom the Bell Tolls. The bell tolls for every one of us. If we forget our brothers and sisters who lose their freedom due to their words, we don't deserve to enjoy freedom.
这让我想起了美国作家海明威的一本名著的书名——丧钟为谁而鸣，丧钟为我们每一个人而鸣，如果我们忘记那些因言获罪的在监狱里的兄弟姊妹，我们就不配享有自由。
Liu Xiaobo has said that you can imprison my body but you can't imprison my soul. In the Bible, it says that those who kill your body cannot kill your soul. Don't be afraid.
刘晓波说过，你们可以关押我的身体，却不能囚禁我的灵魂。圣经中说，那杀死身体却不能杀死灵魂的力量，你不要怕他。
Last year, when I was given the Civil Courage Prize in New York, my five-year-old son Justin asked me: “Dad, you write in front of the computer every day, unlike my best friend's father who is a fireman. Why can you win this award about courage?”
去年，当我在纽约获得功名勇气奖的时候，我五岁的儿子Justin問我说，爸爸，你每天都在电脑前面写作，又没有像我的好朋友的爸爸那样是个去救火的消防员，你为什么能够得到这个关于勇敢的奖励？
I can't answer this complicated question for the moment. I can't tell him that the Chinese Communist Party's secret police hooded me and kidnapped me. And that they (pointed to) bent backward my fingers one by one said that as my fingers typed 10 million characters in articles on the computer opposing the Chinese Communist Party, all ten of my fingers should be broken. They said that they only needed to make a phone call to their senior, and then they could dig a hole and bury me alive in half an hour. In numerous nightmares, I have dreamed of the torture I experienced.
我暂时无法回答这个过于复杂的问题。我不能告诉他，我曾经被共产党的秘密警察用黑头套绑架，然后他们一根一根地掰我的手指，他们说，我的手指在电脑上敲出了一千万字的反对共产党的文章，所以十个手指都要被折断。他们说，只要上级一个电话，在半个小时內就可以挖一个坑將我活埋。在无数次的噩梦中，我不断梦见当时遭受酷刑的场景。
That is China. A writer who speaks the truth needs to endure such pain. He needs courage to do so.
这就是在中国，一个说真话的作家所需要承受的痛苦，以及所必备的勇气。
I hope that when my son grows up, he won't have to listen to such a horrifying answer. By that time, I hope that all Chinese writers can think and write freely. By that time, Liu Xiaobo and I will meet each other again in Beijing and invite you all to hold a conference for PEN International.
In order for that day to come sooner, let us all work hard together!
我期盼，当我的儿子长大的时候，他不会听到这样的让人毛骨悚然的答案。在那个时候，所有的中国作家都能够自由地思想和写作。在那个时候，我和刘晓波將在北京重逢，并邀请诸位到北京去开国际笔会的会议。
为了那一天及早到来，让我们一起努力。
下面是我的发言（美国笔会说他们將請人翻譯，請沈彤与sarah确认一下，会议现场沈彤能来帮助我口译嗎？）非常荣幸应美国笔会的邀请参加今天的会议。在过去的十几年里，我的生命的轨迹，因为我是独立中文笔会的会员、我是刘晓波的亲密朋友、我是一个追求言论自由的作家，而发生了巨大的变化。在刘晓波担任独立中文笔会会长期间，我有幸担任副会长，配合他组织笔会的会议，突破中国共产党设置的对结社和集会自由的限制，以及为那些狱中的作家提供各种支援。今天，中国的监狱里关押着人数最多的作家和记者，当年竭力营救狱中作家的刘晓波，自己也被关进了监狱；而我在经历了酷刑折磨，险些失去生命之后，被迫离开自己的祖国，来到大洋的彼岸，继续我的写作。离开中国一年之后，我完成了两本新书，其中一本是《刘晓波傳》。我们不应该忘记这位像古希腊神话中推着石头上山的西西佛斯的英雄。我们更不应该忘记那些没有刘晓波有名的狱中作家，他们的名字出现在今天即将发布的报告上，在监狱里的他们，虽然不知道这份报告的发布，但他们肯定知道，全世界有那么多的同行爱着他们。非常感谢参与和支持这项工作的每一位朋友的努力。独立中文笔会之所以能够仍然在中国存在，因为它是国际笔会接纳的正式成员。如果中国共产党公开宣布独立中文笔会是非法组织，也就等于宣布国际笔会是非法组织，他们暂时还不敢这样做。但是，多年来，他们一直在向国际笔会施加压力，或者承诺好处，希望国际笔会抛弃独立中文笔会。这些年来，很多国家的政府和非政府组织，大公司和富豪们，已经屈服于中国政府的软硬兼施了。他们只关心跟中国做生意，而假装看不见中国日益严重的人权问题。然而，国际笔会没有这样做，而是一如既往地支持中国作家的言论自由和其他基本人权，这让我想起了美国作家海明威的一本名著的书名——丧钟为谁而鸣，丧钟为我们每一个人而鸣，如果我们忘记那些因言获罪的在监狱里的兄弟姊妹，我们就不配享有自由。刘晓波说过，你们可以关押我的身体，却不能囚禁我的灵魂。圣经中说，那杀死身体却不能杀死灵魂的力量，你不要怕他。去年，当我在纽约获得功名勇气奖的时候，我五岁的儿子Justin問我说，爸爸，你每天都在电脑前面写作，又没有像我的好朋友的爸爸那样是个去救火的消防员，你为什么能够得到这个关于勇敢的奖励？我暂时无法回答这个过于复杂的问题。我不能告诉他，我曾经被共产党的秘密警察用黑头套绑架，然后他们一根一根地掰我的手指，他们说，我的手指在电脑上敲出了一千万字的反对共产党的文章，所以十个手指都要被折断。他们说，只要上级一个电话，在半个小时內就可以挖一个坑將我活埋。在无数次的噩梦中，我不断梦见当时遭受酷刑的场景。这就是在中国，一个说真话的作家所需要承受的痛苦，以及所必备的勇气。我期盼，当我的儿子长大的时候，他不会听到这样的让人毛骨悚然的答案。在那个时候，所有的中国作家都能够自由地思想和写作。在那个时候，我和刘晓波將在北京重逢，并邀请诸位到北京去开国际笔会的会议。为了那一天及早到来，让我们一起努力。谢谢大家。