18. Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra 34th Jewelry Fair in Bangkok, the Opening Ceremony of the Speech
18. 泰国总理他信在第34届曼谷珠宝交易会开幕式上的演讲
As some of you may know, Thailand has a long history relating to gems and jewelry,
正如许多人所知道的那样,泰国在宝石和珠宝制作方面有着悠久的历史。
starting hundreds of years ago when our ancestors mined rubies and sapphires in areas such as Chantaburi and Kanchanaburi.
这可以追溯到上百年之前,那时,我们的祖先便开始在炎竹汶府(地名,盛产红宝石和热带水采)和北碧府(地名,位于泰国西部)开采红蓝宝石。
Once the stones were mined, craftsmen began fashioning the gems and developing their cutting skills.
一旦这些石头被开采出来,工匠们便开始对这些宝石进行精加工,精进他们的切割工艺。
Craftsmanship was already an inherent part of Thai culture,
这项工艺早已成为泰国文化的一项遗产,
so perfecting these skills came naturally to them.
所以对那些平前的工匠们来说,完善技艺就成了他们很自然的工作。
It was the same for jewelry manufacturers whose skills grew out of carving, weaving, and other arts already well-advanced in Thailand.
这种情况同样适用于那些从雕刻和编织中获取工艺的首饰制造业和其他在泰国十分先进的艺术品制造领域。
I believe that the combination of our natural resources and history of fine craftsmanship gave us a distinct advantage over other countries in the world in the gem and jewelry industry.
我相信,我们丰富的自然资源和悠久的工艺历史已经让我们在宝石和珠宝首饰制造业方面拥有比其他国家更明显的优势。
Therefore, nowadays, it is no surprise that Thailand is often referred to as the gem and jewelry center of the world.
所以,今天,泰国被大家认定为世界宝石、珠宝中心完全在意料之中。