TED Talks with English transcript

14:45

TEDWomen 2017

Gretchen Carlson: How we can end sexual harassment at work

2017-11-011,593,788 views

Readability: 3.7

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When Gretchen Carlson spoke out about her experience of workplace sexual harassment, it inspired women everywhere to take their power back and tell the world what happened to them. In a remarkable, fierce talk, she tells her story -- and identifies three specific things we can all do to create safer places to work. "We will no longer be underestimated, intimidated or set back," Carlson says. "We will stand up and speak up and have our voices heard. We will be the women we were meant to be."

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05:05

TED2017

Matilda Ho: The future of good food in China

2017-04-241,440,344 views

Readability: 4.1

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Fresh food free of chemicals and pesticides is hard to come by in China: in 2016, the Chinese government revealed half a million food safety violations in just nine months. In the absence of safe, sustainable food sources, TED Fellow Matilda Ho launched China's first online farmers market, instituting a zero-tolerance test towards pesticides, antibiotics and hormones in food. She shares how she's growing her platform from the ground up and bringing local, organically grown food to the families that need it.

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07:27

TEDGlobal 2017

Niti Bhan: The hidden opportunities of the informal economy

2017-08-271,222,576 views

Readability: 4.9

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Niti Bhan studies business strategy for Africa's informal markets: the small shops and stands, skilled craftspeople and laborers who are the invisible engine that keeps the continent's economy running. It's tempting to think of these workers as tax-dodgers, even criminals -- but Bhan makes the case that this booming segment of the economy is legitimate and worthy of investment. "These are the fertile seeds of businesses and enterprises," Bhan says. "Can we start by recognizing these skills and occupations?"

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24:22

TED2017

Sebastian Thrun and Chris Anderson: What AI is -- and isn't

2017-04-241,575,780 views

Readability: 4

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Educator and entrepreneur Sebastian Thrun wants us to use AI to free humanity of repetitive work and unleash our creativity. In an inspiring, informative conversation with TED Curator Chris Anderson, Thrun discusses the progress of deep learning, why we shouldn't fear runaway AI and how society will be better off if dull, tedious work is done with the help of machines. "Only one percent of interesting things have been invented yet," Thrun says. "I believe all of us are insanely creative ... [AI] will empower us to turn creativity into action."

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17:13

TEDGlobal 2017

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and Stephanie Busari: An interview with Mauritius's first female president

2017-08-27955,773 views

Readability: 4.1

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Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has been an academic, an entrepreneur and is now the president of Mauritius -- the first Muslim female head of state in Africa. In a wide-ranging conversation with journalist Stephanie Busari, Gurib-Fakim discusses the humble beginnings of her political career, what it's like to be both a person of faith and a scientist and why we need to value traditional African knowledge, among much more. "I don't think you should take yourself seriously," she says. "You need to have trust in what you can do, have confidence in yourself and give yourself a set of goals and just work towards them."

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13:58

TEDxYouth@Bath

Sarah Corbett: Activism needs introverts

2016-11-171,200,982 views

Readability: 4.1

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For the introverts among us, traditional forms activism like marches, protests and door-to-door canvassing can be intimidating and stressful. Take it from Sarah Corbett, a former professional campaigner and self-proclaimed introvert. She introduces us to "craftivism," a quieter form of activism that uses handicrafts as a way to get people to slow down and think deeply about the issues they're facing, all while engaging the public more gently. Who says an embroidered handkerchief can't change the world?

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21:59

TED2017

Shonda Rhimes and Cyndi Stivers: The future of storytelling

2017-04-241,266,210 views

Readability: 3.4

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"We all feel a compelling need to watch stories, to tell stories ... to discuss the things that tell each one of us that we are not alone in the world," says TV titan Shonda Rhimes. A dominant force in television since "Grey's Anatomy" hit the airwaves, Rhimes discusses the future of media networks, how she's using her narrative-building skills as a force for good, an intriguing concept known as "Amish summers" and much more, in conversation with Cyndi Stivers, director of the TED Residency.

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16:47

TED2017

Atul Gawande: Want to get great at something? Get a coach

2017-04-243,174,731 views

Readability: 3.4

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How do we improve in the face of complexity? Atul Gawande has studied this question with a surgeon's precision. He shares what he's found to be the key: having a good coach to provide a more accurate picture of our reality, to instill positive habits of thinking, and to break our actions down and then help us build them back up again. "It's not how good you are now; it's how good you're going to be that really matters," Gawande says.

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13:46

TEDMED 2016

Lloyd Pendleton: The Housing First approach to homelessness

2016-11-301,058,681 views

Readability: 4.4

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What do you think would happen if you invited an individual with mental health issues who had been homeless for many years to move directly from the street into housing? Loyd Pendleton shares how he went from skeptic to believer in the Housing First approach to homelessness -- providing the displaced with short-term assistance to find permanent housing quickly and without conditions -- and how it led to a 91 percent reduction in chronic homelessness over a ten-year period in Utah.

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06:42

TED Residency

Hadi Eldebek: Why must artists be poor?

2016-12-131,267,259 views

Readability: 3.8

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The arts bring meaning to our lives and spirit to our culture -- so why do we expect artists to struggle to make a living? Hadi Eldebek is working to create a society where artists are valued through an online platform that matches artists with grants and funding opportunities -- so they can focus on their craft instead of their side hustle.

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05:57

TED2017

Kayla Briët: Why do I make art? To build time capsules for my heritage

2017-04-24975,898 views

Readability: 4.8

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Kayla Briët creates art that explores identity and self-discovery -- and the fear that her culture may someday be forgotten. She shares how she found her creative voice and reclaimed the stories of her Dutch-Indonesian, Chinese and Native American heritage by infusing them into film and music time capsules.

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17:11

TEDGlobal>NYC

Robert Muggah: The biggest risks facing cities -- and some solutions

2017-09-201,228,699 views

Readability: 4.7

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With fantastic new maps that show interactive, visual representations of urban fragility, Robert Muggah articulates an ancient but resurging idea: cities shouldn't just be the center of economics -- they should also be the foundation of our political lives. Looking around the world, from Syria to Singapore to Seoul and beyond, Muggah submits six principles for how we can build more resilient cities. "Cities are where the future happens first. They're open, creative, dynamic, democratic, cosmopolitan, sexy," Muggah says. "They're the perfect antidote to reactionary nationalism."

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07:42

TED2017

David Titley: How the military fights climate change

2017-04-241,016,753 views

Readability: 3.4

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Military leaders have known for millennia that the time to prepare for a challenge is before it hits you, says scientist and retired US Navy officer David Titley. He takes us from the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria to the icy shores of Svalbard to show how the military approaches the threat of climate change, in a refreshingly practical, nonpartisan take on climate preparedness. "The ice doesn't care who's in the White House. It doesn't care which party controls your congress. It doesn't care which party controls your parliament," Titley says. "It just melts."

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07:02

TED Residency

Beth Malone: How my dad's dementia changed my idea of death (and life)

2017-06-061,258,144 views

Readability: 3.1

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With warmth and grace, Beth Malone tells the deeply personal story of her dad's struggle with frontotemporal lobe dementia, and how it changed how she thinks about death (and life). A moving talk about a daughter's love -- and of letting go and finding peace.

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06:25

TED Residency

Jackson Bird: How to talk (and listen) to transgender people

2017-06-061,537,967 views

Readability: 4.1

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Gender should be the least remarkable thing about someone, but transgender people are still too often misunderstood. To help those who are scared to ask questions or nervous about saying the wrong thing, Jackson Bird shares a few ways to think about trans issues. And in this funny, frank talk, he clears up a few misconceptions about pronouns, transitioning, bathrooms and more.

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16:04

TEDNYC

Victoria Pratt: How judges can show respect

2016-10-051,175,130 views

Readability: 3.9

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In halls of justice around the world, how can we ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect? A pioneering judge in New Jersey, Victoria Pratt shares her principles of "procedural justice" -- four simple, thoughtful steps that redefined the everyday business of her courtroom in Newark, changing lives along the way. "When the court behaves differently, naturally people respond differently," Pratt says. "We want people to enter our halls of justice ... and know that justice will be served there."

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10:55

TED@UPS

Jon Bowers: We should aim for perfection -- and stop fearing failure

2017-07-201,730,649 views

Readability: 4.3

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Sometimes trying your best isn't enough; when the situation demands it, you need to be perfect. For Jon Bowers, who runs a training facility for professional delivery drivers, the stakes are high -- 100 people in the US die every day in car accidents -- and it's perfection, or "a willingness to do what is difficult to achieve what is right," that he looks to achieve. He explains why we should all be equally diligent about striving toward perfection in everything we do, even if it means failing along the way.

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09:21

TEDGlobal 2017

Nnedi Okorafor: Sci-fi stories that imagine a future Africa

2017-08-271,047,804 views

Readability: 4.9

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"My science fiction has different ancestors -- African ones," says writer Nnedi Okorafor. In between excerpts from her "Binti" series and her novel "Lagoon," Okorafor discusses the inspiration and roots of her work -- and how she opens strange doors through her Afrofuturist writing.

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22:56

TEDGlobal>NYC

Zeynep Tufekci: We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads

2017-09-202,866,905 views

Readability: 4.8

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We're building an artificial intelligence-powered dystopia, one click at a time, says techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci. In an eye-opening talk, she details how the same algorithms companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon use to get you to click on ads are also used to organize your access to political and social information. And the machines aren't even the real threat. What we need to understand is how the powerful might use AI to control us -- and what we can do in response.

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14:12

TEDxBend

Paul Hessburg: Why wildfires have gotten worse -- and what we can do about it

2017-05-131,282,030 views

Readability: 4.1

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Megafires, individual fires that burn more than 100,000 acres, are on the rise in the western United States -- the direct result of unintentional yet massive changes we've brought to the forests through a century of misguided management. What steps can we take to avoid further destruction? Forest ecologist Paul Hessburg confronts some tough truths about wildfires and details how we can help restore the natural balance of the landscape.

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15:10

TED@BCG Milan

Amel Karboul: The global learning crisis -- and what to do about it

2017-10-041,645,759 views

Readability: 4.8

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The most important infrastructure we have is educated minds, says former Tunisian government minister Amel Karboul. Yet too often large investments go to more visible initiatives such as bridges and roads, when it's the minds of our children that will really create a brighter future. In this sharp talk, she shares actionable ideas to ensure that every child is in school -- and learning -- within just one generation.

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16:43

TEDxRiodelaPlata

Inés Hercovich: Why women stay silent after sexual assault

2015-09-24572,102 views

Readability: 3.3

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Why do women who experience sexual assault rarely speak up about it? "Because they fear they won't be believed," says Inés Hercovich. "Because when a woman tells what happened to her, she tells us things we can't imagine, things that disturb us, things we don't expect to hear, things that shock us." In this moving talk, she takes us inside an encounter with sexual assault to give us a clearer idea of what these situations really look like -- and the difficult choices women make to survive. (In Spanish with English subtitles)

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13:08

TEDGlobal 2017

Washington Wachira: For the love of birds

2017-08-271,065,469 views

Readability: 4.3

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From the glorious crested guinea fowl to the adulterous African jacana to vultures that can pick a zebra carcass clean in 30 minutes, Washington Wachira wants us all to get to know the marvelous species of birds that share the planet with us. If you're not already a fan of earth's feathermakers -- or concerned about their conservation -- you will be after you watch this delightful talk.

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06:04

TED2017

Lauren Sallan: How to win at evolution and survive a mass extinction

2017-04-241,193,525 views

Readability: 4.6

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Congratulations! By being here, alive, you are one of history's winners -- the culmination of a success story four billion years in the making. The other 99 percent of species who have ever lived on earth are dead -- killed by fire, flood, asteroids, ice, heat and the cold math of natural selection. How did we get so lucky, and will we continue to win? In this short, funny talk, paleobiologist and TED Fellow Lauren Sallan shares insights on how your ancestors' survival through mass extinction made you who you are today.

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11:06

TED@BCG Milan

Rocío Lorenzo: How diversity makes teams more innovative

2017-10-041,563,140 views

Readability: 4.2

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Are diverse companies really more innovative? Rocío Lorenzo and her team surveyed 171 companies to find out -- and the answer was a clear yes. In a talk that will help you build a better, more robust company, Lorenzo dives into the data and explains how your company can start producing fresher, more creative ideas by treating diversity as a competitive advantage.

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14:04

TEDxDanubia

Giulia Enders: The surprisingly charming science of your gut

2017-05-044,411,130 views

Readability: 3.6

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Ever wonder how we poop? Learn about the gut -- the system where digestion (and a whole lot more) happens -- as doctor and author Giulia Enders takes us inside the complex, fascinating science behind it, including its connection to mental health. It turns out, looking closer at something we might shy away from can leave us feeling more fearless and appreciative of ourselves.

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13:34

TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue

G.T. Bynum: A Republican mayor's plan to replace partisanship with policy

2017-02-09948,592 views

Readability: 5.1

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Conventional wisdom says that to win an election, you need to play to your constituencies' basest, most divisive instincts. But as a candidate for mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, G.T. Bynum decided to skip the smear campaigns, tell voters what he wanted to accomplish and give them ways to measure his success -- and it led him to win the election. In a hopeful, funny talk, Bynum shares how he's tackling his city's most pressing issues and says that we need to set aside philosophical disagreements and focus on the aspirations that unite us.

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08:57

TED2017

Tim Kruger: Can we stop climate change by removing CO2 from the air?

2017-04-241,548,005 views

Readability: 4.2

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Could we cure climate change? Geoengineering researcher Tim Kruger wants to try. He shares one promising possibility: using natural gas to generate electricity in a way that takes carbon dioxide out of the air. Learn more -- both the potential and the risks -- about this controversial field that seeks creative, deliberate and large-scale intervention to stop the already catastrophic consequences of our warming planet.

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No Data

TED2017

Cynthia Erivo: "Natural Woman" and "Johnny and Donna"

2017-04-24170,354 views

Readability: 2.4

No Video

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"I love to sing," says Cynthia Erivo, "because it's the fast-track route to the heart." Listen as Erivo meditates on the superpower of music to connect us to one another in between gorgeous, soulful performances of Mali Music's "Johnny & Donna" and Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman," accompanied by Jason Webb on piano.

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06:04

TED Residency

Carlos Bautista: The awful logic of land mines -- and an app that helps people avoid them

2017-06-061,004,034 views

Readability: 4.2

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Fifty years of armed conflict in Colombia has left the countryside riddled with land mines that maim and kill innocent people who happen across them. To help keep communities safe from harm, TED Resident Carlos Bautista is developing an app to track land mines -- and direct travelers away from them. Learn more about how this potentially life-saving tool could promote peace in countries plagued by land mines once conflicts end.

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