本項翻譯係經世界總會授權，版權亦屬世界總會及中華民國國際演講協會所有，
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信守承諾

譯者：李威霖 William, Excellence

I recited the Toastmasters Promise when I was inducted into the membership of the Swan Valley Toastmasters Club more than 27 years ago. And then I filed it away.
27年前我加入天鵝谷(Swan Valley)演講會時，我朗讀著演講會會員承諾條文。之後，我就把這張會員承諾條文收入文件夾、束之高閣了。

On my visit to the District 81 spring conference in St. Lucia, in the Caribbean, I was amazed and inspired when the general membership stood en masse and recited this promise at the Opening Ceremony. I also felt self-conscious that I was unable to recite the promise along with them. Right then, I committed to revisiting – and memorizing – the promise when I arrived home.
在我拜訪加勒比海，聖路西亞81地區的春季大會時，當地的會員給了我驚奇和很大的啟示。他們在開幕式時，全體會員站起來朗誦演講協會會員承諾條文。

那時我感到有點難為情，因為我竟然無法跟他們一齊朗誦條文。當場，我表示會再次拜訪，並且會在回到家之前把條文背好。

A few days later, with the Toastmasters Promise in front of me, I thought, “How can I best fulfill my Toastmasters promise?” And then it came to me: I could bring the Promise to the forefront of our great organization in this column space! (You can read it on the opposite page, in a box on the Table of Contents page. It will remain there this year, so you can be reminded of it in every issue of the magazine.)
幾天後，我面前擺著一張會員承諾條文。我心想：「要如何盡最大的力量來實踐會員承諾?」突然腦中閃過一個念頭：我可以把會員承諾條文，放在雜誌的最前面。如此，大家可以在目錄頁中，右下角的框框內看到條文內容。且在未來這一年中，國際演講協會雜誌每月都會刊出，隨時提醒會員，不要忘記我們的承諾。

As I reread and ponder each line of this promise, I realize that this pledge we take as we join our clubs leads us to become engaged students of the Toastmasters communication and leadership programs. We promise to do our homework. We promise to encourage our fellow learners. We promise to play fair and to rise to the challenge when someone sees something great in us. We promise to engage in our experiential learning program. We promise to include others in our learning and hold them to a level that they are worthy of achieving. And I especially love the part of the promise where we commit to having fun while learning at each meeting!
每當我讀著會員承諾條文，並且仔細思索其內容時，我相信這些承諾在我們宣誓加入演講會後，讓我們在溝通與領導課程中，成為用心學習的學生。我們承諾做好家庭作業；我們承諾鼓勵我們的學習夥伴；我們承諾當有人看到我們的優點時，我們會光明磊落地接受任何的挑戰；我們承諾致力於親身經驗的學習課程；我們承諾跟別人一齊學習，並使他們也能獲得應有的成就和水平；我特別喜愛的是我們能讓每個人在充滿歡樂的演講會中學習、成長。

Toastmasters International is fortunate enough to have people knock on our doors searching for leadership, listening, thinking and speaking skills. Millions of people worldwide have found what they came looking for. I hope that is true for you as well. I believe we are able to meet these diverse needs because each of us fulfills our promise to ourselves and one another.
很幸運地，有許許多多的人不斷為了追求領導、聽力、思考和演說的技巧而加入國際演講協會。這個世界上，已經有好幾百萬人知道他們加入演講協會所追求的目標。我希望你們也是這樣。我相信國際演講協會可以滿足各種不同的需求，因為我們每個人都能履行對自己和對別人的承諾。

My fervent hope is that each one of us identifies our fear and moves boldly into it. This is the very spot where true learning takes place. Make a commitment to your personal greatness by looking for new lessons to learn and supporting the learning of others.
我亟盼每個演講協會會員，能知道自己擔憂的缺點在哪裡，並且勇敢的面對它，這才是真正的學習精神。藉由本身對新領域不斷的學習，同時也協助別人學習，而讓個人的崇高理想得以實現。

Greatness is keeping our promise to ourselves and to each other. I am confident that as we fulfill our promise, we will catch glimpses of the greatness in ourselves and others. That is the reward in our programs. Be bold and grow this year. Keep your Toastmasters Promise!
會員的崇高情操，就是要能信守對自己，和對別人的承諾。我相信當我們履行承諾時，我們將見證到自己，和別人崇高之處，這是我們學習過程中，所獲得的回饋。願每個人今年皆能勇敢學習、不斷成長。請信守演講協會的會員承諾！

Pat Johnson, DTM　佩特強森
International President世界總會長