As she prepares to leave the White House, Michelle Obama has revealed that she intends to continue a life of public service.

随着美国第一夫人米歇尔.奥巴马正做好准备离开白宫，她透露将会继续投身公共服务。

Gracing the cover of the December issue of Vogue, in her last interview with the magazine as First Lady - conducted in September - the 52-year-old said she believes ’it’s time’ for her and President Barack Obama to move on.

在今年9月——她最后一次以第一夫人的身份登上《Vogue》12月号封面的采访中，现年52岁的米歇尔.奥巴马表示，她相信“到她和奥巴马继续前行的时候了。”

"I think our democracy has it exactly right: two terms, eight years. It’s enough," she explained. "Because it’s important to have one foot in reality when you have access to this kind of power. The nature of living in the White House is isolating."

她坦言，“我认为我们的民主体系十分正确：两届任期，8年，足够了。当你拥有这种权力后，最重要的是你务必要一只脚踏在现实世界。白宫生活本质上是孤立的。”

While she revealed that her teenage daughters Malia, 18, and Sasha, 15, brought ’some normalcy’ to The White House, she admitted that, being immersed in political life, it becomes difficult to connect with everyday experience.

同时她也透露，她们的两个女儿，18岁的玛丽亚和15岁的萨莎，为白宫带来了“一些常态”。她坦承，一旦投入政治生活，便很难再体验到日常平凡的生活。

"When you’re not engaged in the day-to-day struggles that everybody feels, you slowly start losing touch. And I think it’s important for the people in the White House to have a finger on the pulse."

“当你不再经历普通人日复一日的挣扎，慢慢地你就会脱节了。所以我认为白宫中的人要把握脉搏，这是非常重要的。”

Dressed in a white Carolina Herrera dress on the cover of the magazine’s December issue, the First Lady exudes her characteristic style and elegance. Despite being hailed a global style icon, according to Mail Online she explained that fashion wasn’t a huge consideration for her in her role as First Lady. "It all boils down to comfort level: If I’m going to make you comfortable, then I have to be comfortable first,’ she explained.

本次12月号的封面拍摄中，米歇尔身着一袭卡罗琳娜.海莱娜长裙，散发着第一夫人独有的风格，高贵典雅。尽管她在全球都被誉为时尚偶像，但据《每日邮报》报道称，米歇尔表示时尚并不是她作为第一夫人所关心的一个大问题。她解释道，“这全归结为一个舒适度的问题——如果我想让你感到舒服，我自己必须先看起来舒服。”

Paying tribute to his wife, President Obama said in an email to Vogue writer Jonathan Van Meter, that he always knew Michelle would be an "incredible" First Lady.

奥巴马也向《Vogue》杂志的作家乔纳森.凡.米特发了一封电邮赞扬爱妻，他说，早知道米歇尔会成为一位“卓越”的第一夫人。”

"Like a lot of political spouses, the role was thrust upon her," he explained. "But I always knew she’d be incredible at it, and put her own unique stamp on the job. That’s because who you see is who she is — the brilliant, funny, generous woman who, for whatever reason, agreed to marry me."

他写道，“就像很多领袖人物的伴侣，第一夫人是硬塞给她。但我早知道她一定会胜任，做事时还会带有自己的色彩。因为你看到的她就是她本人，聪明、有趣、仁慈大方的女子，不管出于什么原因，嫁给了我。”