Word Wise:The Olympic Motto 奥林匹克格言
A: Hello! This is Word Wise on Language Tips, I’m Marc.
B: Hello, this is Meggie.
A: Today, we will talk about the Olympic Motto.
B: The Olympic Motto? 奥林匹克格言？
A: Yes. I guess you know what the motto is, right?
B: 应该是“更快，更高，更强”吧？
A: Exactly. Faster, higher, stronger is the Olympic Motto. These three words encourage athletes to give their best during competitions and to strive beyond themselves.
B: 哦，就是鼓励运动员在比赛中尽自己最大的努力。
A: Yes. Actually, being first is not necessarily a priority, but giving one's best and striving for personal excellence is a worthwhile goal.
B: Definitely. 第一名只有一个，我们只要全力以赴，发挥自己最佳水平就好了。
A: This also applies to everyone of us.
B: 是啊，我们在生活中也应该这样，凡事尽心尽力，跟自己比赛。
A: These three words originates from three Latin words: Citius, Altius, Fortius. They became the Olympic motto in 1894.
B: Citius, Altius, Fortius. 太难学了!
A: Not easy for me either. Following the three words, a more well-known expression was developed: The most important thing is not to win but to take part!
B: 啊！这个我知道，重在参与嘛。
A: Then, do you know who developed this idea?
B: Well, it’s really a hard question for me. I am not always good at remembering names, let alone a foreigner’s name.
A: Hahaha… Ok, it’s Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics.
B: 是顾拜旦吗？这个名字我还是知道的，现代奥运之父，只不过他的名字实在有些拗口。
A: So, Meggie, we’ve talked about the Olympic Motto and its origin. Do you think we've made ourselves clear enough?
B: Sure, we did!
A: That’s great! You’ve been listening to Word Wise on Language Tips. For more word wise please log onto our website at language.chinadaily.com.cn, see you next time!
B: Bye bye!
