I enrolled in courses in college that I hadn’t planned to take, and they changed the way I see the world now, forty years later: a course in the history of theater styles, a course in writing poetry, a course in real-world (applied) sociology, a course in geology that involved fascinating fieldwork. Make sure you explore the great range and diversity of academic experiences available to you here.
我在大学时参加了一些我并没有计划的课程，它们改变了在四十年后的我看世界的方式。当时我上了一门关于戏剧风格历史的课，一门诗歌创作的课，一门应用社会学课，还有一门涉及有趣的田野调查的地质学课。确保你在耶鲁能够探寻足够广泛和多样的学术经验。  
Second, as citizens of Yale, we are obligated to listen carefully to others. Sometimes this means we must listen to ideas we find objectionable. You don’t have to agree, but each of us must enjoy the opportunity to express thoughts and opinions. We work hard to safeguard this right on our campus. I hope you will have many opportunities to think deeply and speak honestly and courageously about difficult issues during your time here.
第二，作为耶鲁的公民，我们有义务认真倾听他人的意见，虽然有时这意味着我们必须倾听那些反对我们的想法。你不需要同意每个人，但我们每个人都必须有机会表达自己的想法和观点。我们努力在校园中维护这一权利。我希望你们在耶鲁度过的这段时间里，有很多机会深入思考，并真诚且勇敢地谈论复杂的问题。
Discourse is the heart of the academic enterprise. So, find times and places for conversation, whether in a classroom, dining hall, or on the athletic field.  
论述是学术事业的核心。所以，找时间与不同的人交谈，无论是在教室、餐厅还是在体育场上。
There are many impediments to meaningful conversation, including technology. I am not going to try to persuade you to stop texting or tweeting altogether. But I would urge you to put down your phones whenever possible, and seek out face-to-face interactions. We are happier and our relationships are stronger when we do. (Just ask anyone who took “Psychology and the Good Life” with Professor Laurie Santos last year!)
当然，要进行一场有意义的对话面临包括科技上的许多障碍。我不会试图说服你停止发短信或推特，但我会敦促你尽可能地放下手机，寻求面对面的交流。当我们面对面交流时，我们会更快乐，我们的关系也  会更牢固。(任何一个听了Laurie Santos的课程《心理学和美好生活》的人都知道!)
You will meet people of remarkable talent, promise, and integrity here at Yale. In the days and weeks ahead, I would urge you to seek out a wide variety of friends and associates. As I said to last year’s graduating class, draw a larger circle to include people who might look, talk, act, or think differently from you. Introduce yourself to staff members; get to know your neighbors in the city of New Haven. Your ability to speak but also listen, to reach beyond what is familiar and easy, will be one of the great measures of your time here at Yale.
在耶鲁，你会遇到拥有杰出天赋、前途和品格的人。在未来的日子里，我希望你结识不同领域的朋友，正如我对去年的毕业生所说的，画出一个更大的圈子，将样貌、谈吐、行动或思维与你不同的人囊括进去。去认识更多教职员工，去认识你在纽黑文市的邻居。你在谈话时也不要忘了倾听，超越那些你已经熟识的事物，将是衡量你的耶鲁时光的一大标准。  
Third, as citizens of Yale we strive to support a culture of mutual respect on our campus. To do this we must accord each person the dignity and recognition they deserve.
Claudia Rankine is the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale. In her powerful work, Citizen: An American Lyric, she explores what citizenship and belonging mean in contemporary America, often by describing mundane situations. I would like to read you a passage:
第三，作为耶鲁的公民，我们努力在我们的校园里建立一种相互尊重的文化。要做到这一点，我们必须让每个人都得到应有的尊严和认可。  
Claudia Rankine是耶鲁大学的诗歌教授。在她的著作《公民：一首美国抒情诗》中，通过描述一些平凡的场景，她探讨了当代美国公民的身份和归属感。在此我想给你们读上一段：  
“In line at the drugstore it’s finally your turn, and then it’s not as he walks in front of you and puts his things on the  counter. The cashier says, Sir, she was next. When he turns to you he is truly surprised.

Oh my God, I didn’t see you.  
You must be in a hurry, you offer.  
No, no, no, I really didn’t see you.”  
Who do we see—or not see? In our residential colleges and classrooms, in restaurants, on vacation and at work, in our country and in our world? Who do we see, and who do we look past?  
在药店排队的时候，终于轮到你了，这时他却走到你前面，把他的东西放在柜台上。收银员说，先生，她是下一个。当他转向你的时候，确是一脸的惊讶。  
“哦，天哪，我没看见你。”  
“你一定很着急”，你主动解围。  
“不，不，不，我真的没看见你。”  
我们看得到谁，又看不到谁?放眼住宿学院和教室、餐馆，亦或是度假或工作期间，甚至是在我们的国家乃至我们的世界?我们看到的是谁，我们忽略的又是谁?