If you had caught me straight out of college in the halls of the Vermont State House where I was a lobbyist in training and asked me what I was going to do with my life, I would have told you that I'd just passed the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, the Chinese equivalency exam, and I was going to go study law in Beijing, and I was going to improve U.S.-China relations through top-down policy changes and judicial system reforms. (Laughter) (Applause) I had a plan, and I never ever thought it would have anything to do with the banjo.
Se me atopasen ó rematar a universidade, na Vermont State House onde facía prácticas para formar parte de grupos de presión e me preguntasen que ía facer coa miña vida eu contestaríalles que xusto aprobara o HSK, o exame oficial de chinés, e que ía estudar dereito en Pequín e que ía mellorar as relacións entre os EE.UU. e China a través de cambios políticos de carácter vertical e mediante reformas do sistema xudicial. (Risos) (Aplausos) Eu tiña un plan. E en ningún caso pensei que tería algo que ver cun banjo.
Little did I know what a huge impact it would have on me one night when I was at a party and I heard a sound coming out of a record player in the corner of a room. And it was Doc Watson singing and playing "Shady Grove." ♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫ ♫ Shady Grove, my darlin' ♫ ♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫ ♫ Going back to Harlan ♫ That sound was just so beautiful, the sound of Doc's voice and the rippling groove of the banjo. And after being totally and completely obsessed with the mammoth richness and history of Chinese culture, it was like this total relief to hear something so truly American and so truly awesome. I knew I had to take a banjo with me to China.
Non esperaba o forte impacto que ía recibir unha noite cando estaba nunha festa e escoitei un son a través dun tocadiscos que soaba dende un recuncho do cuarto. Era Doc Watson cantando e tocando "Shady Grove". ♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫ ♫ Shady Grove, my darlin' ♫ ♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫ ♫ Going back to Harlan ♫ Era un son tan fermoso, a voz de Doc Watson e a cadencia ondulante do banjo. E despois de estar totalmente obsesionada coa colosal historia e riqueza da cultura chinesa, era un completo acougo escoitar algo tan estadounidense e tan impresionante. Souben entón que tiña que levar un banjo a China.
So before going to law school in China I bought a banjo, I threw it in my little red truck and I traveled down through Appalachia and I learned a bunch of old American songs, and I ended up in Kentucky at the International Bluegrass Music Association Convention. And I was sitting in a hallway one night and a couple girls came up to me. And they said, "Hey, do you want to jam?" And I was like, "Sure." So I picked up my banjo and I nervously played four songs that I actually knew with them. And a record executive walked up to me and invited me to Nashville, Tennessee to make a record.
Así que, antes de ir á facultade de dereito en China, comprei un banjo, metino na miña furgoneta vermella e viaxei pola rexión de Appalachia, e aprendín moitas cancións norteamericanas tradicionais. E rematei en Kentucky, na Convención Internacional da Bluegrass Music Association. Unha noite estaba eu sentada nun vestíbulo e acercáronseme dúas mozas. "Gustaríache improvisar uns temas?", dixeron. "Claro", contesteilles. Así que collín o meu banjo e, nerviosa, toquei con elas 4 pezas que coñecía. E un produtor discográfico achegóuseme e invitoume a ir a Nashville, Tennesee, para gravar un disco.
(Laughter)
(Risos)
It's been eight years, and I can tell you that I didn't go to China to become a lawyer. In fact, I went to Nashville. And after a few months I was writing songs. And the first song I wrote was in English, and the second one was in Chinese.
Xa hai oito anos diso. O certo é que non fun a China para estudar dereito. De feito, fun a Nashville. E logo duns meses xa estaba compoñendo. A primeira canción compúxena en inglés e a segunda en chinés.
(Music)
(Música)
[Chinese]
[Chinés]
Outside your door the world is waiting. Inside your heart a voice is calling. The four corners of the world are watching, so travel daughter, travel. Go get it, girl.
Fóra, o mundo está agardando. No teu corazón unha voz está chamando. Os confíns do mundo están vixiando, así que viaxa, pequena, viaxa. Faino, ti podes, nena.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)
It's really been eight years since that fated night in Kentucky. And I've played thousands of shows. And I've collaborated with so many incredible, inspirational musicians around the world. And I see the power of music. I see the power of music to connect cultures. I see it when I stand on a stage in a bluegrass festival in east Virginia and I look out at the sea of lawn chairs and I bust out into a song in Chinese. [Chinese] And everybody's eyes just pop wide open like it's going to fall out of their heads. And they're like, "What's that girl doing?" And then they come up to me after the show and they all have a story. They all come up and they're like, "You know, my aunt's sister's babysitter's dog's chicken went to China and adopted a girl." And I tell you what, it like everybody's got a story. It's just incredible. And then I go to China and I stand on a stage at a university and I bust out into a song in Chinese and everybody sings along and they roar with delight at this girl with the hair and the instrument, and she's singing their music.
Xa pasaron oito anos dende aquela noite en Kentucky. Toquei en milleiros de espectáculos e colaborei con moitísimos músicos inspiradores e incribles, por todo o mundo. E vexo o poder que ten a música. Vexo o poder da música para conectar culturas. Véxoo cando estou nun escenario, nun festival de música bluegrass no leste de Virxinia e miro o mar de cadeiras fronte a min e arranco cunha canción en chinés. [Chinés] E todo o mundo fica cos ollos moi abertos, coma se lles fosen saír das órbitas. E todos pensan "Pero que fai esa rapaza?". E despois do espectáculo, achéganse a min e todos teñen algunha historia. Todos veñen: "Pois a galiña do can da coidadora da irmá da miña tía foi a China... e adoptou unha nena." Saben que? Todo mundo ten unha historia. É incrible. Logo fun a China e, sobre un escenario na universidade, cantei unha canción en chinés e todo o mundo cantou comigo. e berrábanlle cheos de ledicia a esta moza, con este pelo e con este instrumento, que lles cantaba a súa música.
And I see, even more importantly, the power of music to connect hearts. Like the time I was in Sichuan Province and I was singing for kids in relocation schools in the earthquake disaster zone. And this little girl comes up to me. [Chinese] "Big sister Wong," Washburn, Wong, same difference. "Big sister Wong, can I sing you a song that my mom sang for me before she was swallowed in the earthquake?" And I sat down, she sat on my lap. She started singing her song. And the warmth of her body and the tears rolling down her rosy cheeks, and I started to cry. And the light that shone off of her eyes was a place I could have stayed forever.
E vexo, sobre todo, o poder da música para conectar os corazóns. Como cando estiven na provincia de Sichuan cantándolles ós nenos das escolas de recolocación na zona catastrófica posterior ó sismo. Unha rapaza achégase e dime: [Chinés] "Irmá Wong" Washburn, Wong, tanto ten. "Irmá Wong, podo cantarche unha canción que me cantaba a miña nai antes de que fose engulida polo sismo?" E sentei, ela sentou no meu colo. Comezou a cantar a súa canción. Sentín o seu corpo tépedo e vin as bágoas caéndolle polas meixelas. Comecei a chorar. E a luz que brillaba nos seus ollos. era un sitio onde podería ter ficado para sempre.
And in that moment, we weren't our American selves, we weren't our Chinese selves, we were just mortals sitting together in that light that keeps us here.
Nese intre, non eramos nin estadounidense nin tampouco chinesa. Eramos soamente dúas mortais,
I want to dwell in that light with you and with everyone. And I know U.S.-China relations doesn't need another lawyer.
sentadas xuntas nesa luz que nos mantén aquí. Eu quero vivir nesa luz, convosco e con todo o mundo. E sei que as relacións entre os EE.UU. e China non precisan doutro avogado.
Thank you.
Grazas.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)