Return to a passage in a TED talk using its interactive transcript

Open the matching talk and transcript

On TED.com, the help directs viewers to Read Transcript under the player and then to the available-language selector. On the mobile app, the transcript can be opened when available and has segment time codes. Confirm that the speaker and title match your intended talk before searching the text.

For an illustrative study session, write a short subject cue in your own words rather than copy a large passage into the search note. Locate the relevant section in the chosen transcript language, then return to the video around that point. A concept can be expressed differently in a translation, so failure to find your exact English keyword in another language is not proof that the subject is absent.

Use the text to navigate, then watch the context

The publisher describes clicking transcript text on the website or a segment time code in the app to change the video position. After jumping, watch enough before and after the passage to understand how it fits the talk. A sentence isolated from its example or qualification can give an incomplete impression.

Keep a personal note with the official talk address, selected language and approximate time position. If you later switch to a different upload or edit, verify the passage again rather than assume that an old timestamp points to the same words. This original note-taking workflow is separate from any claim about the accuracy of a particular transcript.

Distinguish a translated transcript from automatic text

TED’s help separately discusses YouTube transcript menus and warns that an automatically generated transcript may be offered there. Read the actual language label rather than assuming that every text panel is the publisher’s reviewed translation. A text available on a different platform may have a different provenance.

If wording matters, inspect the matching official resource and retain which version you used. Do not present the navigation feature as a licence to republish a whole talk transcript. Retain the talk, language and text provenance whenever a note depends on a particular passage.

Questions about this guide

Sources and further reading

• TED transcript help