On Saturday, November 7, 2020, Kamala Harris delivered a moving victory speech as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian Vice President-Elect ever. Wearing a white pantsuit (likely a nod to Hillary Clinton and suffragettes before her), Harris recognized the historic, glass-breaking moment and thanked the women, including her immigrant mother, who paved the path for her to serve in the White House alongside President-Elect Joe Biden.
Read the full transcript of Kamala Harris’s speech below.
Good evening! Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you, thank you. Good evening. So, thank you, good evening. So, Congressman John Lewis, Congressman John Lewis before his passing wrote “Democracy is not a state, it is an act.” And what he meant was that America’s democracy is not guaranteed.
It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. To guard it and never take it for granted. And protecting our democracy takes struggle. It takes sacrifice. But there is joy in it.
And there is progress. Because we, the people, have the power to build a better future.
And when our very democracy was on the ballot in this election with the very soul of America at stake and the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America. To our campaign staff and volunteers, this extraordinary team, thank you for bringing more people than ever before into the democratic process.
And so making this victory possible. To the poll workers and election officials across our country who have worked tirelessly to make sure every vote is counted, our nation owes you a debt of gratitude.
You have protected the integrity of our democracy. And to the American people who make up our beautiful country, thank you for turning out in record numbers to make your voices heard. And I know times have been challenging, especially the last several months.
The grief, sorrow, and pain, the worries, and the struggles, but we have also witnessed your courage, your resilience, and the generosity of your spirit. For four years, you marched and organized for equality and justice, for our lives and for our planet and then you voted!
And you delivered a clear message. You chose hope and unity, decency, science, and yes, truth! You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America!
And Joe is a healer, a uniter, a tested and steady hand. A person whose own experience of loss gives him a sense of purpose that will help us as a nation reclaim our own sense of purpose. And a man with a big heart who loves with abandon. It’s his love for Jill, who will be an incredible first lady.
It’s his love for Hunter and Ashley and his grandchildren and the entire Biden family. And while I first knew Joe as vice president, I really got to know him as the father who loved Beau [bəʊ $ boʊ], my dear friend who we remember here today.
And to my husband Doug and our children Cole and Ella and my sister Maya and our whole family, I love y’all more than I can ever express. We are so grateful to Joe and Jill for welcoming our family into theirs on this incredible journey. And to the woman most responsible for my presence here today, my mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who is always in our hearts. When she came here from India at the age of 19, she maybe didn’t quite imagine this moment.
But she believed so deeply in an America where a moment like this is possible, and so I am thinking about her and about the generations of women, Black women, Asian, White, Latina, Native American women, who throughout our nation’s history, have paved the way for this moment tonight, women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality and liberty and justice for all. Including the Black women who are often, too often overlooked but so often proved they are the backbone of our democracy.
All the women who have worked to secure and protect the right to vote for over a century 100 years ago with the 19th Amendment, 55 years ago with the Voting Rights Act, and now in 2020 with a new generation of women in our country who cast their ballots and continued the fight for their fundamental right to vote and be heard.
Tonight, I reflect on their struggle, their determination, and the strength of their vision to see what can be unburdened by what has been. And I stand on their shoulders. And what a testament it is to Joe’s character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country and select a woman as his vice president.
But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities and to the children of our country regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before.
But know that we will applaud you every step of the way. And to the American people, no matter who you voted for, I will strive to be a vice president like Joe was to President Obama: loyal, honest, and prepared; waking up every day thinking of you and your family, because now is when the real work begins, the hard work, the necessary work, the good work, the essential work to save lives and beat this epidemic.
To rebuild our economy so it works for working people, to root out systemic racism in our justice system and society. To combat the climate crisis, to unite our country, and heal the soul of our nation. And the road ahead will not be easy. But America is ready. And so are Joe and I.
We have elected a president who represents the best in us, a leader the world will respect and our children will look up to. A commander in chief who will respect our troops and keep our country safe and a president for all Americans.
Exercise 1. Practice smooth reading of the words below. Then translate the speech.
pantsuit [ˈpæntsuːt, -sjuːt] – женский брючный костюм |un
tailleur-pantalon
a nod to smb – дань уважения кому-либо / un signe de (la) tête pour donner le feu vert à quelqu’un
to pave – выстилать, мостить, прокладывать / paver, daller
to guarantee [,ɡærənˈti:] – гарантировать / garantir
to take for granted – принимать как должное / ne faire aucun cas de quelqu’un
а struggle – борьба / une lutte (pour la survie)
(а) sacrifice – жертва / (un) sacrifice
our very democracy – сама наша демократия / notre propre démocratie
a ballot – бюллетень / un vote
an election – выборы / un scrutin
a soul – душа / une âme
at stake – на кону, в опасности / en jeu
to usher – возвещать, объявлять, проводить / faire entrer quelqu’un
a campaign – кАмпания (рекламная, выборная, просветительская) / une campagne
a staff – сотрудники / un personnel
a volunteer – доброволец/ un/une bénévole
an extraordinary team – выдающаяся команда / une équipe extraordinaire
poll workers – работники голосования / travailleurs électoraux
election officials – должностные лица на выборах / fonctionnaires électoraux
tirelessly – без устали / sans relâche
а vote – голосование / un vote
to owe – задолжать / devoir, être redevable
a debt of gratitude – долг благодарности / une dette de grattude
(some) integrity – целостность / une intégrité
make up a country – составлять страну / former un pays
to turn out – оказаться, выключать / venir, se rassembler
in record numbers – в рекордных количествах / nombre sans précédent, en nombre record
grief, sorrow, and pain – горе, печаль и боль / le deuil, le chagrin et la douleur ( la peine)
to witness courage, resilience, generosity – засвидетельствовать мужество, стойкость и щедрость / témoigner courage, résilience, générosité
(a) spirit – дух, душа, настроение / en esprit
equality and justice – равенство и справедливость / l’égalité (f) et la justice
unity and decency – единство и порядочность / unité (f) et décence (f)
a tested and steady hand – испытанная и твердая рука / une main éprouvée et stable
to reclaim a sense of purpose – вернуть чувство цели / retrouver un sens du but
to love with abandon – любить самоотверженно (несдержанно) / to love with abandon
to express – выражать / exprimer
to be grateful to smb – быть благодарным кому-либо / être reconnaissant envers quelqu’un
to welcome on the incredible journey – пригласить в невероятное путешествие / accueillir pour le voyage incroyable
the most responsible for – самый ответственный за / le plus responsable de
а generation – поколение / une génération
to fight and sacrifice for equality and liberty and justice for all – бороться и жертвовать за равенство, свободу и справедливость для всех / lutter et sacrifier pour l’égalité et la liberté et la justice pour tous
to be overlooked – быть незамеченным / d’être ignorés, à être négligés
a backbone of the democracy – основа демократии / une colonne vertébrale de la démocratie
to cast а ballot/vote – голосовать / voter
to cast – проливать свет, быстро посмотреть / jeter, lancer
to reflect on – размышлять о / réfléchir à (sur)
to be unburdened – быть освобожденным от бремени / être soulagé
a testament – завещание / un testement, un témoignage
(some) audacity – дерзость/ audace (f)
the most substantial barriers [‘bæriə] – самые существенные препятствия / les obstacles les plus importants
regardless of your gender – независимо от вашего пола / quel que soit votre sexe
Dream with ambition, lead with conviction – Мечтайте с амбициями, ведите с убеждением / Rêvez avec ambition, mènez avec conviction
to applaud – апплодировать / applaudir
to strive – стремиться / s’efforcer
essential work – основная работа / travail essentiel
to beat this epidemic – одолеть эпидемию / vaincre cette épidémie
to root out systemic racism in our justice system and society – искоренить системный расизм в нашей системе правосудия и обществе /éliminer le racisme systémique dans notre système de justice et notre société
to combat the climate crisis – бороться с климатическим кризисом /lutter contre la crise climatique (le réchauffement climatique)
to heal the soul of our nation – исцелить душу народа / guérir l’âme de notre nation
a commander in chief – главнокомандующий / un commandant en chef
troop(s) – войска/ un escadron
Exercise 2. Compose 5 questions of different kinds to the quote below. See the grammar rule here.
Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before.
Exercise 3. Fill in the missing words from the list below:
a pantsuit, a nod to smb, to pave, to guarantee, to take for granted,
а struggle, (а) sacrifice, our very democracy, a ballot, an election, a soul,
at stake, to usher, a campaign, a staff, a volunteer, extraordinary,
a poll, an official, tireless
She turns from them to put on the matching jacket to her taupe ____________.
It was __________ all the creative workers.
The road through the valley was only _________ last year.
In movies, talent by no means _____________ success.
It was impossible ______________________.
Millions of people ________________ for survival.
They equally fear losing power through ____________ box.
Who do you think will win ____________?
He is really quite a sensitive _______________.
They have to win the contract – thousands of jobs are __________.
At the front door stood two smart young men, who ________________ the guests into the house.
She was involved in many political _________________.
Joan is the only lawyer we have on ______.
I need some _______________ to help with the washing-up.
Chris’ behaviour that morning was quite ____________________.
The latest public opinion _________ showed that 25% of us consider ourselves superstitious.
In any case, the police did not offer a high enough salary for any but the most inexperienced ______________.
But the blackguard was just as __________.
Ex. 4. Prepare the text below for dictation.
You have protected the integrity of our democracy. And to the American people who make up our beautiful country, thank you for turning out in record numbers to make your voices heard. And I know times have been challenging, especially the last several months.
The grief, sorrow, and pain, the worries, and the struggles, but we have also witnessed your courage, your resilience, and the generosity of your spirit. For four years, you marched and organized for equality and justice, for our lives and for our planet and then you voted!
And you delivered a clear message. You chose hope and unity, decency, science, and yes, truth! You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America!
Ex. 5 Fill in the missing prepositions. And be ready to explain the meaning of the words in bold, use Longman dictionary if needed.
And Joe is a healer, a uniter, a tested and steady hand. A person whose own experience ______ loss gives him a sense ________ purpose that will help us as a nation reclaim our own sense ______ purpose. And a man _______ a big heart who loves ________ abandon. It’s his love _______ Jill, who will be an incredible first lady.
It’s his love ______ Hunter and Ashley and his grandchildren and the entire Biden family. And while I first knew Joe as vice president, I really got to know him as the father who loved Beau [bəʊ $ boʊ], my dear friend who we remember here today.
And to my husband Doug and our children Cole and Ella and my sister Maya and our whole family, I love y’all more than I can ever express. We are so grateful ______ Joe and Jill _______ welcoming our family _______ theirs on this incredible journey. And to the woman most responsible for my presence here today, my mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who is always ________our hearts. When she came here ________ India at the age of 19, she maybe didn’t quite imagine this moment.
But she believed so deeply ______ an America where a moment like this is possible, and so I am thinking _________ her and _________ the generations of women, Black women, Asian, White, Latina, Native American women, who __________our nation’s history, have paved the way ________ this moment tonight, women who fought and sacrificed so much ______ equality and liberty and justice _______ all. Including the Black women who are often, too often overlooked but so often proved they are the backbone ______ our democracy.
Exercise 6. Select predicates and verbs in the extract below and determine their tense and their forms (the infinitive, the past form, the past participle, the present participle, and the gerund).
All the women who have worked to secure and protect the right to vote for over a century 100 years ago with the 19th Amendment, 55 years ago with the Voting Rights Act, and now in 2020 with a new generation of women in our country who cast their ballots and continued the fight for their fundamental right to vote and be heard.
Tonight, I reflect on their struggle, their determination, and the strength of their vision to see what can be unburdened by what has been. And I stand on their shoulders. And what a testament it is to Joe’s character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country and select a woman as his vice president.
But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities and to the children of our country regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before.
But know that we will applaud you every step of the way. And to the American people, no matter who you voted for, I will strive to be a vice president like Joe was to President Obama: loyal, honest, and prepared; waking up every day thinking of you and your family, because now is when the real work begins, the hard work, the necessary work, the good work, the essential work to save lives and beat this epidemic.
To rebuild our economy so it works for working people, to root out systemic racism in our justice system and society. To combat the climate crisis, to unite our country, and heal the soul of our nation. And the road ahead will not be easy. But America is ready. And so are Joe and I.
We have elected a president who represents the best in us, a leader the world will respect and our children will look up to. A commander in chief who will respect our troops and keep our country safe and a president for all Americans.
Exercise. 7 Do you remember well the new words from the speech of Kamala Harris? Check it out.
On Saturday, November 7, 2020, Kamala Harris delivered a moving victory speech as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian Vice President-Elect ever. Wearing a white брчный костюм (likely дань уважения Hillary Clinton and suffragettes before her), Harris recognized the historic, glass-breaking moment and thanked the women, including her immigrant mother, who проложить the path for her to serve in the White House alongside President-Elect Joe Biden.
Read the full transcript of Kamala Harris’s speech below.
Good evening! Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you, thank you. Good evening. So, thank you, good evening. So, Congressman John Lewis, Congressman John Lewis before his passing wrote “Democracy is not a state, it is an act.” And what he meant was that America’s democracy is not гарантирована.
It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. Охранять it and never не принимать как должное. And protecting our democracy takes struggle. It takes жертвование. But there is joy in it.
And there is progress. Because we, the people, have the power to build a better future.
And when наша собственная демократия was on бюллетене in this выборы with the very душа of America на кону (в опасности) and the world watching, you провели/возвестили in a new day for America. To our сотрудники кампании и добровольцы, this экстраординарная команда, thank you for bringing more people than ever before into the democratic process.
And so making this victory possible. To the работники голосования and должностные лица на выборах across our country who have worked без устали to make sure every голос is counted, our nation быть обязаным you долг благодарности.
You have protected целостность of our democracy. And to the American people who составлять нашу красивую страну, thank you for появление в рекордных количествах to make your voices heard. And I know times have been challenging, especially the last several months.
Горе, печаль и боль, the worries, and the struggles, but we have also засвидетельствовали мужество, стойкость и щедрость of your spirit. For four years, you marched and organized for равенство и справедливость, for our lives and for our planet and then you voted!
And you delivered a clear message. You chose hope and единство и порядочность science, and yes, truth! You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America!
And Joe is a healer, a uniter, испытанная и твердая рука. A person whose own experience of loss gives him a sense of purpose that will help us as a nation вернуть (провозгласить вновь) чувство цели. And a man with a big heart who любит самоотверженно. It’s his love for Jill, who will be an incredible first lady.
It’s his love for Hunter and Ashley and his grandchildren and the entire Biden family. And while I first knew Joe as vice president, I really got to know him as the father who loved Beau [bəʊ $ boʊ], my dear friend who we remember here today.
And to my husband Doug and our children Cole and Ella and my sister Maya and our whole family, I love y’all more than I can ever выразить. We так благодарны Joe and Jill for приглашение нашей семьи в их в это невероятное путешествие. And to the woman самую ответственную за my presence here today, my mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who is always in our hearts. When she came here from India at the age of 19, she maybe didn’t quite imagine this moment.
But she believed so deeply in an America where a moment like this is possible, and so I am thinking about her and about the поколения of women, Black women, Asian, White, Latina, Native American women, who throughout our nation’s history, have paved the way for this moment tonight, women who много боролись и жертвовали за равенство, свободу и справедливость для всех. Including the Black women who are often, too often overlooked but so often proved they are основа нашей демократии.
All the women who have worked to secure and protect the right to vote for over a century 100 years ago with the 19th Amendment, 55 years ago with the Voting Rights Act, and now in 2020 with a new generation of women in our country who голосуют and continued the fight for their fundamental right to vote and be heard.
Tonight, I ращмышляю над their struggle, their determination, and the strength of their vision to see что можут быть освобождено от бремени by what has been. And I stand on their shoulders. And what завещание it is to Joe’s character that he had дерзость to break one of существенных барьеров that exist in our country and select a woman as his vice president.
But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities and to the children of our country несмотря на пол, our country has sent you a clear message: Мечтайте с амбицией, ведите с убеждением, and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before.
But know that we will апплодировать you every step of the way. And to the American people, no matter who you voted for, I will стремиться to be a vice president like Joe was to President Obama: loyal, honest, and prepared; waking up every day thinking of you and your family, because now is when the real work begins, the hard work, the necessary work, the good work, the существенная работа to save lives and победить эту эпидемию.
To rebuild our economy so it works for working people, искоренить системный расизм в нашей системе правосудия и обществе. Бороться с климатическим кризисом, to unite our country, and вылечить душу нашей нации. And the road ahead will not be easy. But America is ready. And so are Joe and I.
We have elected a president who represents the best in us, a leader the world will respect and our children will look up to. Главнокомандующий who will keep our country safe and a president for all Americans.