習近平指出，多年來，孔子學院和孔子課堂的教職工為介紹中華文化、溝通人民心靈(communicate people's minds)、搭建友誼橋梁傾注了大量熱情和心血(passion and painstaking efforts)，取得了可喜成績。語言是了解一個國家最好的鑰匙，孔子學院是世界認識中國(the world to understand China)的一個重要平臺(an important platform)。

Xi said the Institutes and Classrooms, as windows and bridges for linguistic and cultural exchanges between China and the world, have played an active role in facilitating people around the world to learn Chinese language and understand its culture. In addition, they have also made important contributions to China's people-to-people exchanges with the world, as well as the development of a diverse and colorful world civilization, he said.
他表示，作為中外語言文化交流的窗口和橋梁，孔子學院和孔子課堂為世界各國民眾學習漢語和了解中華文化發(fā)揮了積極作用，也為推進中國同世界各國人文交流、促進多元多彩的世界文明發(fā)展作出了重要貢獻。

習近平指出，近年來，孔子學院在英國快速發(fā)展(rapid expansion)。目前，英國已經(jīng)建立起29所孔子學院和126個孔子課堂，數(shù)量居歐洲之首(ranking first among European countries)。全英孔子學院取得的碩果也是中英人文交流蓬勃發(fā)展的縮影。

“為之不厭，誨人不倦。”習近平說，希望在座各位教師再接再厲，為中英友好事業(yè)(China-Britain relations)添磚加瓦。希望孔子學院繼續(xù)秉承“相互尊重、友好協(xié)商、平等互利”的校訓，為傳播文化、溝通心靈、促進世界文明多樣性(the diversity of world civilizations)作出新的更大貢獻(make greater contribution)。

（中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 丁一）