美国微软公司董事长比尔盖茨2007年在清华大学的演讲——前路所在:同中国一起创新
When I visited here in 1997—10 years ago—I was very impressed by the talent, the enthusiasm and the creativity of the students that I met at Tsinghua. And it inspired me to support Microsoft in creating a research lab here in Beijing.
我上次到访清华还是在10年前的1997年,当时清华学子的天资聪颖、热情洋溢 和富于创新的精神就给我留下了深刻的印象。因此这也促使我决心在北京设立一个 微软研究所。
That research lab has gone on to incredible success, led by Harry Shum and joined by top university graduates from this school and others. It’s made huge contributions to Microsoft. And if you look at various conferences getting together to discuss the state-of-the-art issues, the researchers from this lab are making huge contributions. Or if you look at the products, even the recent Windows Vista or Office 2007,we have substantial innovations in those products.
这个研究所是由沈向阳领导以及众多清华及其他一流大学毕业生参与的。它获 得了不可思议的成功。这个研究所为微软作出了巨大贡献。如果你们留心观察各种 关于讨论最前沿话题的会议时就会发现,这个研究所的研究人员在这些问题的解决 上作出了巨大贡献。或者只稍看一下这些产品’例如最近新出的Windows Vista系统或 是Office 2007,都有着实质性的创新成分。
This is an incredible time to be a student at this University. The frontiers of science,including computer science, have never been nearer. The opportunity to improve people’s lives in every way has never been stronger.
现在能在这所学校就读是再好不过的时机了。包括计算机科学在内的前沿学科 领域从未离我们如此之近。从各个方面来提高人们生活的机遇也从未如此之多。
We’ve really just scratched the surface of the digital revolution. Yes, we have about a billion personal computers that are connected up to the Internet. And we’ve already started to transform the way people think studying information and sharing information. But there are so much more that we can do.
我们真的只不过是触及到数字革命的表层而已。我们已经有大约10亿台个人电 脑可以连接上网络,并且巳经开始改变人们学习信息和分享信息的方式。但是我们 需要做的还很多。
The exponential improvement in not only the processor transistors but also what we have in storage or optic fiber bandwidth give us an opportunity to apply software that can work in a far more powerful way.
处理器的晶体管中以及存储和光纤带宽中的指数的进步,给了我们机会去使用 软件,从而使工作更加得心应手。
For example, when we think about TV Today it’s just a passive,non-interactive situation, but that’s in the process of changing: changing so that you can get any show that you want on the Internet, changing so that it can be interactive so that you can learn as you go home, changing so that the flexibility even to talk and collaborate with others will be part of that experience.
例如,当我们想到电视的时候。目前,电视仅仅是一种被动且缺少互动的形 式,但这个过程正在发生着变化,变化就是你现在可以在互联网上看到所有想看的节 目,变化就是这些节目可以变得能够互动,你可以一回到家就开始进行学习,变化 就是你可以自由地掌控同人的交流及合作。
If you think about product design—and products are going to be designed digitally. I spent several hours yesterday at the Agricultural Rice Institute talking with the experts there about how they are using software technology to sequence different rice varieties. And they’re optimistic that they can come up with new varieties that will require less fertilizer, less water and yet increase the yield. And its advances like that that really reach out and change the lives not just of those of us who work in technology but people everywhere.
比如你想到一个产品设计——而这些产品就将被设计的数字化。昨天在农科院,我就花了好几个小时同那里的专家们讨论怎样运用软件技术来给不同的水稻品 种进行排列。并且他们相信自己能够找到新的水稻品种,这种新品种对肥料和水分 的需求更少、但同时却获得更高的产量。这种进步,这种改变,真正关系到各地各 处的每个人,而不仅仅只和像我们这样的、只从事技术行业的人有关。
The advances in medicine are dependent on software, software that can manage the databases and understand the complex systems. Fm very optimistic that we can make big breakthroughs based on what software will provide.
医学领域的进步也要依靠软件,软件可以构建数据库并且理解复杂的系统程 序。我相信我们在软件技术的支持上能取得很大的突破。
And if you think about your mobile phone going from being just a voice device to being something that can be a “digital wallet”,that can show you maps and you’ll be able to talk to it and ask for information and it will go out to the Internet and find the things that you’re interested in.
你们试想一下,自己的手机从一个简单的传播声音的工具变成了所谓的“数字 钱包”,并且还可以被拿来当地图使用,你甚至可以跟手机对话,询问相关信息, 手机会上网找到你感兴趣的信息。
In terms of learning, by creating what we call the “student tablet” that will be very inexpensive and the size of a tablet but wirelessly connected to the Internet and able to record your voice or recognize your ink handwriting and yet provide learning experiences that are far more effective—and in fact bringing together all of the world’s knowledge on the Internet in a very attractive form. Teachers will be able to see the world’s best lectures, and they’ll be able to see the best materials and for the first time start to share with each other. And so for anyone who wants to learn or wants to teach,it will be a very, very different world.
关于学习,我们发明了 “学生写字板”,这是一种价格便宜并且大小相当于一 个写字板的工具,它可以用来无线上网,能够录下你的声音,识别你的笔迹,还可 以提供学习经验使你学习起来更有效率——事实上这种写字板巳经把在全球范围内 发布在网上的知识用一种吸引人的方式整合起来。老师们将能看到世界上最棒的讲座,他们还可以看到最好的教学素材并第一次开始同他人分享。对于任何一个想学 习或想当老师的人来说,这种工具使他们的世界都变得不同了。
We certainly have some very tough and interesting problems that I know the students here will be making breakthroughs in. Writing software that’s reliable, that’s totally secure, software that can handle parallel execution, software that’s very easy to use and software that can solve some very tough problems,for example problems of artificial intelligence that we’ve already spent many decades working on. And so this is an amazing time to be working in the sciences and particularly in computer science.
我们当然也面临着一些棘手但又很有趣的问题,我知道在座的同学们将会解决 这些难题。我们的输入软件是非常安全可靠的,软件可以平行执行,操作简易并且 一些难题已经得到了解决,例如人工智能。我们巳经花费了数十年对此进行研究。 所以现在是在科学领域,尤其是在计算机领域工作的一个绝佳的时期。
It’s also an amazing time to this country. What’s going on in China and the growth of its economy with incredible contributions not just within the country but to the global economy as well~you know, starting to be a very major contributor in all the sciences, advances in the medical drugs,advances in computer science. China will start to play a very substantial role, and part of that is the investments that have been made in having world-class universities, of which Tsinghua is really the shining example.
对于中国来说这也是个绝佳的时机。中国发生的事情和中国经济的增长不仅对 中国本身甚至对世界都有着令人难以置信的贡献——中国已经开始成为所有学科中 的主要贡献者,例如在医药领域中的进步,计算机科学领域的进步。中国将会开始 扮演一个十分重要的角色,并且拥有世界一流大学就是最好的投资,而清华就是一 个耀眼的例子。
For Microsoft, we have a commitment to work with our partners here and make them successful, to make sure that there are literally hundreds of software start-ups that not only sell in the market here but sell to the entire world.
对微软来说,我们已经承诺同我们的伙伴进行合作,并且也获得了成功。我们必须确保数百个软件启动程序不仅仅在本地,而是在全球市场上进行销售。
We also want to make sure that the digital advances are available to all the citizens. And so whether it’s displaced workers or migrants or people who have disabilities—for example blind people—trying to use the computer, there are these special programs that we can put together to make sure that software really isn’t just for the few but really is about empowering everyone. A good example of that is the 170 Hope Cyber Schools where we provided lots of training.
我们也想要确保数字进步能为全体公民提供便利。因此不管是工人、移民还 是残疾人——比如盲人,都可以尝试使用电脑,我们可以将一些特殊的程序放到一 起,旨在确保软件不只是为一部分人服务,而是让所有人都变得强大。一个最好的 例子就是170所希望网络学校,在那里会提供很多的培训。
This commitment to think long-term and this commitment to the future is something that the Chinese Government, this University and Microsoft all share. And so the opportunity of working together on new curriculum, faculty exchange: these have strengthened all three of our institutions.
我们的这个承诺是关注长远利益并且是面向未来的,这也是中国政府,清华大 学和微软共同的想法。这个机会可以在新的课程上进行合作并交换师资:这些会让 我们三方都能得到提高。
In the last several years,over 2,000 students from 100 Asian universities have worked at our research center here and we’ve awarded over 170 fellowships, so it’s really become a mixing ground for the most talented people in the region. And of course, the university that has the largest representation has been Tsinghua.
在过去几年中,有2000多名来自亚洲100多所大学的学生巳经在我们这个研究所 里工作过,并为其中170多人提供了研究基金,所以这个研究所名副其实的成为了该 地区汇聚人才的地方。当然,其中清华大学的学生在研究所里所占的比例最大。
Many more researchers are teaching courses, including the course here called “Hot Topics in Computing Research” that I think is a very novel type of course and I think will be a model for many other universities as well.
更多的研究员还在教课,包括在这里开设的“计算机研究热点话题”课程,我 觉得这是一个很新奇的课程,同时我也认为这将为其他大学树立榜样。
Today I get a chance to announce some new program between Microsoft and Tsinghua, which is the “Microsoft Distinguished Visiting Professorship” at Tsinghua. And under this program, our research group will support a world-renowned computer scientist every year to visit the University at Professor Yao’s Institute for Theoretical Computer Science. And the first recipient of this—a very impressive recipient~is Professor Frans Kaashoek from MIT.
今天我要宣布微软和清华之间将要启动一个新的项目,那就是清华的“微软杰出科学家客座教授”计划。在这个项目的框架下,我们的研究团体每年将会派一名 世界知名的计算机科学家访问姚教授的理论计算机科学所。而这个项目的第一个派 出者就是非常知名的科学家一来自麻省理工学院的弗朗斯凯斯霍德教授。
And so I hope you get a sense of my optimism~optimism about what software can do and the interesting breakthroughs we can all make, opportunities to use that~ use it for making businesses more effective, making jobs more interesting, designing far better jobs than ever before but also using it for the handicapped, for education, for outreach so that any student who has an opportunity to connect up to the Internet will have the same type of opportunities as most privileged students.
我希望你们能跟我一样对此持乐观态度——对软件的功用,对我们可以进行的 有趣的突破,对可以利用的机会一使得这个项目在商业上更加的有效,让工作变 得有趣,设计出比以前更好的东西,但是同时可以用软件为残疾人、为教育、为更 大范围的群体服务,因此每一个可以上网的学生都将同那些最优秀的学生一样拥有 同等的机会。
So these are amazing times and,you know, I think the intersection of what’s going on in China,what’s going on with companies like Microsoft to take this longterm approach and the great academic tradition that is exemplified by the excellence of this University, I think, we can all have a very high expectation. And certainly we,re committed to working with all of you to realize that potential. Thank you!
所以处在这个美好的时代,现在中国也处在一个交叉口,那就是同像微软这样 的公司继续合作的同时保持优秀的传统学术发展,而清华已经通过自身优秀的教育 质量对此进行了说明。我认为,我们可以对此抱有较高的期望,当然我们将会加倍 努力与你们一起实现这个可能。谢谢你们!