English Original
Bill Gates receives honorary knighthood
Britain's Queen Elizabeth stands with Microsoft chairman and philanthropist Bill Gates after presenting him with an honorary knighthood at Buckingham Palace, London, March 2, 2005. (REUTERS/Chris Young/Pool)
Sir Bill? Not quite. Proclaiming himself "humbled and delighted," Microsoft founder Bill Gates received an honorary knighthood Wednesday from Queen Elizabeth II - an accolade that allows the recipient to use "KBE" after his name, but not to put "Sir" in front of it.
One of the world's richest men, Gates, 49, was being honored for his charitable activities around the world and his contribution to enterprise in Britain.
Past recipients of the honorary knighthood range from Irish singer Bob Geldof to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
"This honor is particularly poignant given the deep connections Microsoft enjoys with the United Kingdom," said Gates, whose company employs about 2,000 people in Britain.
Gates' royal honor - bestowed by the queen on the advice of the government - was announced in January 2004, but a "mutually convenient" date to receive it had not been available until now.
British recipients of knighthoods are entitled to be addressed with a "Sir" before their names. The honor was long the preserve of senior soldiers, judges and other servants of the state, but recent years have seen the creation of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John.
As an American, Gates is not entitled to use "Sir" before his name, but he can put the initials KBE - Knight Commander of the British Empire - after his name.
Gates joins a roster of American knights that includes former presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, comedian Bob Hope, retired U.S. Army Gen. Tommy Franks and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Gates said he was proud of what he called Microsoft's "special relationship" with Britain.
"The U.K. was the first country in which Microsoft set up a subsidiary outside the U.S., and our experience in the U.K. has been significant in shaping our international growth," he said.
Microsoft's British facilities include Research Cambridge, a laboratory established in 1997 in the university town that employs 80 scientists. In 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a donation of $210 million to Cambridge University to create a scholarship program for graduate students from outside Britain.
中文翻译
比尔·盖茨获授荣誉爵士勋章
2005年3月2日，英国女王伊丽莎白在伦敦白金汉宫授予微软董事长兼慈善家比尔·盖茨荣誉爵士勋章后与其合影。（路透社/克里斯·杨/普尔）
比尔爵士？并不完全准确。微软创始人比尔·盖茨周三（3月2日）从伊丽莎白二世女王手中接受了荣誉爵士勋章，他自称感到“诚惶诚恐又欣喜万分”。这一荣誉允许受勋者在其姓名后使用“KBE”字样，但不能在名前冠以“爵士”称号。
现年49岁的盖茨是世界上最富有的人之一，他因其全球慈善活动以及对英国企业的贡献而获此殊荣。
过去获得荣誉爵士称号的人士范围广泛，从爱尔兰歌手鲍勃·格尔多夫到美国前总统罗纳德·里根。
“鉴于微软与英国之间的深厚联系，获得这一荣誉让我尤为感动，”盖茨说道。他的公司在英国雇佣了约2000名员工。
盖茨的皇家荣誉——由女王根据政府建议授予——于2004年1月宣布，但直到现在才确定了一个“双方都方便”的授勋日期。
获得爵士头衔的英国人有资格在其姓名前加上“爵士”称谓。这一荣誉长期以来仅限于高级军人、法官和其他国家公职人员，但近年来也出现了保罗·麦卡特尼爵士（披头士成员）、米克·贾格尔爵士（滚石乐队主唱）和埃尔顿·约翰爵士（流行音乐家）。
作为美国人，盖茨无权在其姓名前使用“爵士”称号，但他可以在姓名后加上缩写“KBE”——即“大英帝国爵级司令勋章”。
盖茨由此加入了一份美国籍荣誉爵士名单，其中包括前总统里根和乔治·H·W·布什、喜剧演员鲍勃·霍普、已退休的美国陆军上将汤米·弗兰克斯和前国务卿科林·鲍威尔。
盖茨表示，他为微软与英国之间的“特殊关系”感到自豪。
他说：“英国是微软在美国本土之外设立子公司的第一个国家。我们在英国的经验对于塑造我们的国际增长至关重要。”
微软在英国的机构包括微软剑桥研究院，该实验室于1997年在这座大学城成立，雇佣了80名科学家。2000年，比尔及梅琳达·盖茨基金会宣布向剑桥大学捐赠2.1亿美元，用于为来自英国以外的研究生设立奖学金项目。