ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jay Walker - Entrepreneur
Jay Walker is fascinated by intellectual property in all its forms. His firm, Walker Digital, created Priceline and many other businesses that reframe old problems with new IT. In his private life, he's a bibliophile and collector on an epic scale.

Why you should listen

It's befitting that an entrepreneur and inventor so prolific and acclaimed would curate a library devoted, as he says, to the astonishing capabilities of the human imagination. TIME twice named him one of the "50 most influential business leaders in the digital age," and he holds more than 200 patents. Jay Walker's companies -- under Walker Digital -- have alone served tens of millions of people and amassed billions in value. 

A chunk of his net worth went into building this enchanting library space, whose exhibits (please touch!) go back, roughly, to the point our species learned to write, with a slight post-moveable type bias. Brimming with exquisitely illustrated books and artifacts (Enigma machine; velociraptor skeleton), the library itself is a marvel. Is it the glowing etched glass panels, or the Vivaldi piped from hidden speakers that gives it that je ne sais quoi? Maybe it's Walker himself, whose passion for the stuff just glows. It's apparent to those lucky enough to snag a tour.

At the 2008 TED Conference, Walker lent many of his priceless and geeky artifacts to decorate the stage -- including a real Sputnik artificial satellite, a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet and a Gutenberg bible. After you've watched his talk, the WIRED article is a must-read.

More profile about the speaker
Jay Walker | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Jay Walker: The world's English mania

Jay Walker fala sobre a mania mundial de aprender Inglês

Filmed:
4,750,949 views

Jay Walker explica por que dois bilhões de pessoas ao redor do mundo estão tentando aprender Inglês. Ele compartilha fotos e áudio de dar arrepios de estudantes chineses ensaiando Inglês -- "a segunda língua do mundo" -- aos milhares.
- Entrepreneur
Jay Walker is fascinated by intellectual property in all its forms. His firm, Walker Digital, created Priceline and many other businesses that reframe old problems with new IT. In his private life, he's a bibliophile and collector on an epic scale. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:18
Let's talk about manias.
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Vamos falar sobre manias.
00:22
Let's start with Beatle mania:
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Comecemos com a Beatle mania.
00:26
hysterical teenagers,
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Adolescentes histéricas,
00:29
crying, screaming, pandemonium.
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gritando, berrando, pandemônio.
00:34
Sports mania:
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Esporte mania.
00:37
deafening crowds,
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Multidões ensurdecedoras.
00:40
all for one idea -- get the ball in the net.
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Todos com uma só ideia. Fazer a bola entrar na rede.
00:46
Okay, religious mania:
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OK, mania religiosa.
00:48
there's rapture, there's weeping,
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Há o êxtase. Há o choro.
00:51
there's visions.
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Há visões.
00:53
Manias can be good.
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Manias podem ser boas.
00:55
Manias can be alarming.
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Manias podem ser alarmantes.
00:57
Or manias can be deadly.
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Ou manias podem ser mortais.
01:04
The world has a new mania.
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O mundo tem uma nova mania.
01:06
A mania for learning English.
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Uma mania de aprender Inglês.
01:08
Listen as Chinese students practice their English
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Ouçam como estudantes Chineses praticam seu Inglês
01:12
by screaming it.
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gritando.
01:14
Teacher: ... change my life!
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Professor: "... mude a minha vida!"
01:16
Students: I will change my life.
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Estudantes: "Eu irei mudar a minha vida."
01:18
T: I don't want to let my parents down.
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P: "Eu não quero decepcionar os meus pais."
01:21
S: I don't want to let my parents down.
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E: "Eu não quero decepcionar os meus pais."
01:25
T: I don't ever want to let my country down.
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P: "Eu nunca quero decepcionar o meu País."
01:28
S: I don't ever want to let my country down.
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E: "Eu nunca quero decepcionar o meu País."
01:32
T: Most importantly ... S: Most importantly ...
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P: "Mais importante ainda ... E: "Mais importante ainda ..."
01:35
T: I don't want to let myself down.
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P: "Eu não quero decepcionar a mim mesmo."
01:38
S: I don't want to let myself down.
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E: "Eu não quero decepcionar a mim mesmo."
01:41
Jay Walker: How many people are trying to learn English worldwide?
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Jay Walker: Quantas pessoas estão tentando aprender Inglês por todo o mundo?
01:44
Two billion of them.
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Dois bilhões de pessoas.
01:46
Students: A t-shirt. A dress.
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Estudantes: "A t-shirt." "A dress"
01:50
JW: In Latin America,
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JW: Na América Latina,
01:52
in India, in Southeast Asia,
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na Índia, no Sudeste Asiático,
01:55
and most of all in China.
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e principalmente na China.
01:58
If you are a Chinese student
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Se você é um estudante Chinês
02:00
you start learning English in the third grade, by law.
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você começa a aprender Inglês na terceira série, por lei,
02:05
That's why this year
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É por isso que este ano
02:07
China will become the world's largest English-speaking country.
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a China se tornará o maior país de língua Inglesa do mundo.
02:12
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:14
Why English? In a single word: Opportunity.
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Por que Inglês? Numa só palavra: Oportunidade.
02:17
Opportunity for a better life, a job,
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Oportunidade por uma vida melhor, um emprego,
02:20
to be able to pay for school, or put better food on the table.
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ser capaz de pagar pelos estudos, ou colocar melhores alimentos na mesa.
02:24
Imagine a student taking a giant test for three full days.
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Imaginem uma estudante fazendo uma prova gigante por três dias completos.
02:28
Her score on this one test
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A nota dela nesta única prova
02:30
literally determines her future.
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literalmente determina o seu futuro.
02:33
She studies 12 hours a day
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Ela estuda 12 horas por dia
02:35
for three years to prepare.
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por três anos para se preparar.
02:38
25 percent of her grade
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25% da sua nota
02:41
is based on English.
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é baseada no Inglês.
02:43
It's called the Gaokao, and 80 million high school Chinese students
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A prova se chama Gaokao. E 80 milhões de estudantes Chineses
02:47
have already taken this grueling test.
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já fizeram esta prova torturante.
02:50
The intensity to learn English
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A pressão para se aprender Inglês
02:52
is almost unimaginable, unless you witness it.
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é quase inimaginável. A menos que você testemunhe isto.
02:56
Teacher: Perfect! Students: Perfect!
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Professor: "Perfect!" Estudantes: "Perfect!"
02:58
T: Perfect! S: Perfect!
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P: "Perfect!" E: "Perfect!"
03:01
T: I want to speak perfect English.
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P: "Eu quero falar um Inglês perfeito."
03:03
S: I want to speak perfect English.
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E: "Eu quero falar um Inglês perfeito."
03:06
T: I want to speak -- S: I want to speak --
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P: "Eu quero falar" -- E: "Eu quero falar" --
03:08
T: perfect English. S: perfect English.
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P: "Inglês perfeito." E: "Inglês perfeito."
03:10
T: I want to change my life!
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P: "Eu quero mudar a minha vida!"
03:14
S: I want to change my life!
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E: "Eu quero mudar a minha vida!"
03:17
JW: So is English mania good or bad?
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JW: "Então a English mania é boa ou ruim?"
03:21
Is English a tsunami, washing away
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O Inglês é um tsunami, varrendo
03:23
other languages? Not likely.
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outras línguas do mapa? É pouco provável.
03:26
English is the world's second language.
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O Inglês é a segunda língua do mundo.
03:29
Your native language is your life.
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A sua língua nativa é a sua vida.
03:31
But with English you can become part of a wider conversation:
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Mas com o Inglês você pode se tornar parte de uma conversa mais ampla.
03:35
a global conversation about global problems,
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Uma conversa global sobre problemas globais.
03:39
like climate change or poverty,
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Como mudança climática ou pobreza.
03:42
or hunger or disease.
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Ou fome ou doenças.
03:45
The world has other universal languages.
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O mundo tem outras línguas universais.
03:48
Mathematics is the language of science.
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A Matemática é a língua da ciência.
03:51
Music is the language of emotions.
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A Música é a língua das emoções.
03:54
And now English is becoming the language of problem-solving.
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E agora o Inglês está se tornando a língua do solucionamento de problemas.
03:59
Not because America is pushing it,
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Não porque a América o está impondo.
04:01
but because the world is pulling it.
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Mas porque o mundo o está procurando.
04:04
So English mania is a turning point.
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Então a English mania é um divisor de águas.
04:08
Like the harnessing of electricity in our cities
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Assim como o uso da eletricidade em nossas cidades,
04:10
or the fall of the Berlin Wall,
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ou a queda do Muro de Berlin.
04:13
English represents hope
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O Inglês representa a esperança
04:15
for a better future --
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de um futuro melhor.
04:17
a future where the world has a common language
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Um futuro onde o mundo tem uma língua comum
04:21
to solve its common problems.
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para solucionar seus problemas em comum.
04:23
Thank you very much.
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Muito obrigado.
04:25
(Applause)
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(Aplauso)
Reviewed by Gustavo Amorim

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jay Walker - Entrepreneur
Jay Walker is fascinated by intellectual property in all its forms. His firm, Walker Digital, created Priceline and many other businesses that reframe old problems with new IT. In his private life, he's a bibliophile and collector on an epic scale.

Why you should listen

It's befitting that an entrepreneur and inventor so prolific and acclaimed would curate a library devoted, as he says, to the astonishing capabilities of the human imagination. TIME twice named him one of the "50 most influential business leaders in the digital age," and he holds more than 200 patents. Jay Walker's companies -- under Walker Digital -- have alone served tens of millions of people and amassed billions in value. 

A chunk of his net worth went into building this enchanting library space, whose exhibits (please touch!) go back, roughly, to the point our species learned to write, with a slight post-moveable type bias. Brimming with exquisitely illustrated books and artifacts (Enigma machine; velociraptor skeleton), the library itself is a marvel. Is it the glowing etched glass panels, or the Vivaldi piped from hidden speakers that gives it that je ne sais quoi? Maybe it's Walker himself, whose passion for the stuff just glows. It's apparent to those lucky enough to snag a tour.

At the 2008 TED Conference, Walker lent many of his priceless and geeky artifacts to decorate the stage -- including a real Sputnik artificial satellite, a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet and a Gutenberg bible. After you've watched his talk, the WIRED article is a must-read.

More profile about the speaker
Jay Walker | Speaker | TED.com