There was a time when British Olympic medal winners became household names，because there were so few of them. But the 67 medals at this year’s Games in Rio and 147 at the Paralympics meant that the GB medallists’ reception at Buckingham Palace was a crowded and happy event.
曾经有一段时间，英国奥运会奖牌获得者家喻户晓，因为他们很少。但今年里约热内卢奥运会上的67枚奖牌和残奥会上的147枚奖牌意味着在白金汉宫举行的国标获得者招待会是一个拥挤而快乐的活动。
Throughout the Commonwealth there were equally joyful celebrations.
整个英联邦都举行了同样愉快的庆祝活动。
Grenada, the Bahamas, Jamaica and New Zealand won more medals per head of population than any other countries.
格林纳达、巴哈马、牙买加和新西兰的人均奖牌数量超过其他任何国家。
Many of this year’s winners spoke of being inspired by athletes of previous generations. Inspiration fed their aspiration; and having discovered abilities they scarcely knew they had, these athletes are now inspiring others.
今年的许多获奖者都说受到了前几代运动员的启发。灵感激发了他们的愿望；他们发现了自己几乎不知道的能力，现在这些运动员正在激励其他人。
A few months ago, I saw inspiration of a different kind when I opened the new Cambridge base of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, where Prince William works as a helicopter pilot. It was not hard to be moved by the dedication of the highly skilled doctors, paramedics and crew, who are called out on average five times a day.
几个月前，当我打开东英格兰航空救护车的新剑桥基地时，我看到了一种不同的灵感，威廉王子在那里担任直升机飞行员。熟练的医生、医护人员和船员的奉献精神并不难让人感动，他们平均每天被叫来五次。
But to be inspirational you don’t have to save lives or win medals. I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, carers, community organisers and good neighbours; unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special.
但要想鼓舞人心，你不必拯救生命或赢得奖牌。我经常从遇到做不平凡事情的普通人身上汲取力量：志愿者、保育员、社区组织者和好邻居；无名英雄，他们安静的奉献使他们与众不同。
They are an inspiration to those who know them, and their lives frequently embody a truth expressed by Mother Teresa, from this year Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She once said: ‘Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love’.
他们是认识他们的人的灵感，他们的生活经常体现了特蕾莎修女从今年加尔各答圣特蕾莎表达的真理。她曾经说过：“不是所有人都能做大事。但我们可以用伟大的爱做一些小事。
This has been the experience of two remarkable organisations, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Prince’s Trust, which are 60 and 40 years old this year. These started as small initiatives but have grown beyond any expectations, and continue to transform young people’s lives.
这是两个杰出组织的经验，爱丁堡公爵奖和王子信托，今年分别有60岁和40岁。这些举措起初只是一些小小的举措，但发展超出了任何预期，并继续改变年轻人的生活。
To mark my 90th birthday, volunteers and supporters of the six hundred charities of which I have been patron came to a lunch in the Mall. Many of these organisations are modest in size but inspire me with the work they do.
为了庆祝我90岁的生日，我赞助的600家慈善机构的志愿者和支持者来到购物中心吃午饭。这些组织中有许多规模不大，但他们的工作给了我灵感。
From giving friendship and support to our veterans, the elderly or the bereaved; to championing music and dance; providing animal welfare; or protecting our fields and forests, their selfless devotion and generosity of spirit is an example to us all.
从给予我们的老兵、老人或丧亲者友谊和支持，到支持音乐和舞蹈，提供动物福利，或保护我们的田地和森林，他们无私的奉献和慷慨的精神是我们所有人的榜样。
When people face a challenge they sometimes talk about taking a deep breath to find courage or strength. In fact, the word ‘inspire’ literally means ‘to breathe in’. But even with the inspiration of others, it’s understandable that we sometimes think the world’s problems are so big that we can do little to help.
当人们面临挑战时，他们有时会谈论深呼吸以找到勇气或力量。事实上，“激励”一词的字面意思是“吸气”。但是，即使有了他人的灵感，我们有时也会认为世界上的问题是如此之大，以至于我们几乎无能为力地提供帮助，这是可以理解的。
On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.
就我们自己而言，我们不能结束战争或消除不公正，但成千上万的小善行的累积影响可能比我们想象的要大。
At Christmas, our attention is drawn to the birth of a baby some two thousand years ago. It was the humblest of beginnings, and his parents, Joseph and Mary, did not think they were important.
圣诞节时，我们注意到大约两千年前一个婴儿的出生。这是最卑微的开端，他的父母约瑟夫和玛丽认为他们并不重要。
Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and never travelled far. He was maligned and rejected by many, though he had done no wrong. And yet, billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.
耶稣基督一生大部分时间都默默无闻地生活着，而且从未远行过。尽管他没有做错事，但许多人都对他加以诽谤和拒绝。然而，现在数十亿人跟随他的教诲，在他身上找到了他们生活的指引之光。我是他们中的一员，因为基督的榜样帮助我认识到用伟大的爱做小事的价值，无论是谁做的，无论他们自己相信什么。
The message of Christmas reminds us that inspiration is a gift to be given as well as received, and that love begins small but always grows.
圣诞节的信息提醒我们，灵感是一个礼物，给予和接受，爱开始小，但始终增长。
I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
祝大家圣诞快乐。
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