How to Get TED Talk Transcripts from YouTube [2026]

TED Talks are excellent for learning and research—and they come with high-quality transcripts. This guide covers getting transcripts from both YouTube and TED.com.

TED Talk Transcript Sources

Method 1: TED.com Official Transcripts (Best Quality)

Why TED.com First?

• Human-reviewed transcripts
• 100+ languages available
• Paragraph-formatted for reading
• Synchronized with video

Steps

1. 1.Go to ted.com
2. 2.Find your talk
3. 3.Click "Read transcript"
4. 4.Select language if needed
5. 5.Copy or download

Download Option

Some TED talks allow direct transcript download:

1. 1.Click three-dot menu on talk page
2. 2.Look for "Download transcript"
3. 3.Available in TXT format

Method 2: YouTube TED Channel

TED's official YouTube channel has millions of views per video.

Using NoteLM.ai

1. 1.Copy TED video URL from YouTube
2. 2.Open NoteLM.ai
3. 3.Paste URL → "Get Transcript"
4. 4.Copy or download

Using YouTube Native

1. 1.Open TED video on YouTube
2. 2.Click three-dot menu
3. 3."Show transcript"
4. 4.Copy text

Method 3: TEDx Talks

TEDx talks (independently organized) are often only on YouTube.

Finding TEDx Transcripts

On YouTube:

1. 1.Navigate to TEDx video
2. 2.Use YouTube transcript feature
3. 3.Or extract via NoteLM.ai

Quality varies:

• Official TEDx often has good captions
• Smaller events may only have auto-captions

Multi-Language TED Transcripts

On TED.com

1. 1.Open talk on ted.com
2. 2.Click "Read transcript"
3. 3.Use language dropdown
4. 4.Select from 100+ languages

On YouTube

1. 1.Open YouTube video settings
2. 2.Click CC → Settings
3. 3.Choose subtitles language
4. 4.Use transcript in that language

Available Languages (TED.com)

Most popular talks have translations in:

• Spanish, French, German, Portuguese
• Chinese (Simplified & Traditional)
• Japanese, Korean
• Arabic, Russian
• And many more

TED Talk Use Cases

Academic Citations

TED talks are frequently cited in academic work:

Citation format (APA):
Speaker, A. (Year, Month). Title of talk [Video]. TED Conferences. URL

Example:
Robinson, K. (2006, February). Do schools kill creativity? [Video]. TED Conferences. https://ted.com/talks/...

Study and Note-Taking

# TED Talk Notes: [Title]

## Speaker: [Name]
## Key Message:
[One sentence summary]

## Main Points:
1. [Point 1]
2. [Point 2]
3. [Point 3]

## Memorable Quotes:
> "Quote 1" - [Timestamp]
> "Quote 2" - [Timestamp]

## Action Items:
- [ ] Based on talk recommendations...

## Related Talks:
- [Link to related talk]

Language Learning

TED Talks are excellent for language practice:

• Clear, articulate speakers
• Multiple language transcripts
• Engaging topics
• 10-20 minute length ideal for study

Content Creation

Use TED transcripts for:

• Blog post research
• Quote compilation
• Topic exploration
• Teaching materials

Organizing TED Transcripts

By Topic

📁 TED Transcripts
├── 📁 Technology
│   ├── ai_talk_transcript.txt
│   └── future_of_work.txt
├── 📁 Science
│   └── climate_research.txt
├── 📁 Personal Development
│   └── creativity_talk.txt
└── 📁 Business
    └── leadership_talk.txt

Database Format

| Title | Speaker | Year | Topics | Link |
|-------|---------|------|--------|------|
| Do schools kill creativity? | Ken Robinson | 2006 | Education | ted.com/... |
| The power of vulnerability | Brené Brown | 2010 | Psychology | ted.com/... |

TED vs TEDx Transcripts

Finding TEDx Content

1. 1.Search YouTube: "TEDx [topic]"
2. 2.Check for caption availability
3. 3.Extract via NoteLM.ai if captions exist

AI Analysis of TED Talks

Summary Prompts

Summarize this TED Talk transcript in 5 key points:
[Paste transcript]

Deeper Analysis

Analyze this TED Talk:
1. What is the speaker's main argument?
2. What evidence do they provide?
3. What rhetorical techniques are used?
4. What questions does it leave unanswered?
5. How does this connect to current research?

[Paste transcript]

Discussion Questions

Generate 5 discussion questions based on this TED Talk for a university seminar:
[Paste transcript]

Popular TED Talks for Transcripts

Most Viewed (Often Downloaded)

These talks have:

• Multiple language transcripts
• High-quality captions
• Extensive translations

Quick workflow:

1. 1.Check TED.com for official transcript first
2. 2.If not available, copy YouTube URL
3. 3.Extract via NoteLM.ai
4. 4.Save and organize by topic

Start building your TED Talk transcript library today!