What do a seventeen-year-old Pakistani, a Norwegian explorer, a Tibetan monk, and an American pastor have in common?
一个17岁的巴基斯坦人，一位挪威探险家，一个西藏和尚和一名美国牧师之间有什么相同之处呢？
They were all awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
那就是他们都被授予了诺贝尔奖。
Among the top prestigious awards in the world, this prize has honored some of the most celebrated and revered international figures and organizations in history.
在世界上最负声望的奖项中，此奖被颁发给历史上最有名望和受人尊敬的国际人物以及组织。
To understand how it all got started, we have to go back to the 1800s.
为了了解它的起源，我们需要追溯到19世纪。
Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel was then mostly known for the invention of dynamite, a breakthrough which launched his career as a successful inventor and businessman.
瑞典化学家阿尔弗雷德·诺贝尔因炸药的发明而为人所知，这个重大成就让他以一位成功发明家和商人的身份开创了自己的事业。
30 years later, he had become extremely wealthy, but never married, and had no children.
30年后，他变得极其富有，却从未结婚，也没有儿女。
When his will was opened after his death, it came as a surprise that his fortune was to be used for five prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.
他辞世后遗嘱被公开，人们很惊讶，因为他的财富都被用于设立物理、化学、医药、文学与和平五个领域的奖项。
These prizes illustrated his lifelong commitment to sciences and his passion for literature.
这些奖项诠释了他对科学的毕生追求以及对文学的热爱。
But what about peace?
但是和平奖又怎么解释呢？
Because Nobel's name was tied to inventions used in the war industry, many have assumed that he created the peace prize out of regret.
由于诺贝尔的名字与军工发明联系在一起，许多人猜测他设立和平奖是出于愧疚。
However, this is all speculation as he never expressed any such sentiments, and his inventions were also used for constructive purposes.
然而，这皆是猜测而已，他从未表达过此想法，而且他的发明也用于建设目的。
Instead, many historians connect Alfred Nobel's interest for the peace cause to his decade-long friendship and correspondence with an Austrian pacifist named Bertha Von Suttner.
反之，许多历史学家把阿弗雷德·诺贝尔对和平的兴趣归结于他和一位名叫贝尔塔·冯·苏特纳的澳大利亚和平主义者之间长达十年的友谊和通信。
Von Suttner was one of the leaders of the international peace movement, and in 1905, after Nobel's death, she became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
冯·苏特纳是世界和平运动的领导人之一，1905年诺贝尔逝世后，她成为了获得诺贝尔和平奖的第一名女性。
Nobel's will outlined three criteria for the Peace Prize, which unlike the other Sweden-based prizes, would be administered in Norway. Disarmament, peace congresses, and brotherhood between nations.
和其它瑞典奖项不同，诺贝尔和平奖在挪威举行，诺贝尔的遗嘱概括了和平奖的三项标准：取消或裁减常备军队，和平大会以及促进民族团结友好。
These standards have since been expanded to include other ways of promoting peace, such as human rights and negotiations.
这些标准已经扩展到其它促进和平的方式，例如人权和磋商。
And the prize doesn't just have to go to one person.
这一奖项并非只颁发给个人。
About a third of Noble Peace Prizes have been shared by two or three laureates.
三分之一的和平奖都由两至三位获奖者共享。
So how do nominations for the prize work?
那么奖项的提名是如何运作的呢？
According to the Nobel Foundation, a valid nomination can come from a member of a national assembly, state government, or an international court.
根据诺贝尔基金会规定，有效的提名可以由挪威议会、州立政府或者国际法院的成员提出。
Eligible nominators also include university rectors, professors of the social sciences, history, philosophy, law, and theology, and previous recipients of the Peace Prize.
有资格的提名者可以是大学校长，社会科学、哲学、法学、神学的教授，以及诺贝尔和平奖的历届获奖人。
But if you want to know more about who was recently nominated, you'll have to be patient.
但是如果你想知道更多关于最近谁被提名的消息，你最好耐心些。
All information about nominations remains secret for 50 years.
所有提名者的信息都会保密五十年。
Take Martin Luther King Jr.
就拿马丁·路德金来说吧。
We didn't actually know who nominated him until 2014.
事实上我们在2014年之前都不知道是谁提名了他。
His nominators turned out to be the Quakers, who had won the prize previously, and eight members of the Swedish Parliament.
他的提名者被证实是贵格会，也就是前任获奖者以及瑞典议会的八名成员。
