ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lisa Bu - Passionate reader
Lisa Bu has built a career helping people find great stories to listen to. Now she tells her own story.

Why you should listen

At TED's annual staff retreat, everyone has to get up and talk about something -- either about work, or about something interesting from their own lives. In fall 2012, our own Lisa Bu prepared a talk about her love of reading. And our quiet, funny and efficient Content Distribution Manager simply brought down the house, with a story that's too good not to share. We are thrilled and proud that Lisa is the first TED staffer ever to be invited to speak on the mainstage at the TED Conference.

Born and raised in Hunan, China, Lisa Bu has been with TED since 2011. Before that, she spent seven years as a talk show producer and a digital media content director at Wisconsin Public Radio. She's also a computer programmer, with a PhD in journalism and an MBA in information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a BA in Chinese from Nanjing University in China.

More profile about the speaker
Lisa Bu | Speaker | TED.com
TED2013

Lisa Bu: How books can open your mind

Lisa Bu: Hoe boeke jou gees kan ontsluit

Filmed:
4,963,279 views

Wat gebeur wanneer jou kindsheiddroom ... nie waar word nie? Met haar aanpassing tot lewe in die Verenigde State van Amerika het Lisa Bu haarself aan boeke gewend om haar sienswyse te verbreed en 'n nuwe weg vir haarself te baan. Sy deel haar unieke benadering tot lees in hierdie lieflike, persoonlike praatjie oor die magiese krag van boeke.
- Passionate reader
Lisa Bu has built a career helping people find great stories to listen to. Now she tells her own story. Full bio

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

00:12
So I was trainedopgelei to becomeword a gymnastgimnas
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Ek's opgelei om 'n gimnas te word
00:15
for two yearsjaar in HunanHunan, ChinaChina in the 1970s.
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vir twee jaar
in Hunan, Sjina in die 1970's.
00:18
When I was in the first gradegraad, the governmentregering
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In graad 1, wou die regering
00:21
wanted to transferoordrag me to a schoolskool for athletesatlete,
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my na 'n skool vir atlete oorplaas --
00:24
all expensesuitgawes paidbetaal.
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alle kostes betaal.
00:26
But my tigerTiger mothermoeder said, "No."
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Maar my tier-ma het gesê: "Nee."
00:28
My parentsouers wanted me to becomeword
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My ouers wou hê ek moes
00:30
an engineeringenieur like them.
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'n ingenieur soos hulle word.
Hulle't die Kulturele Rewolusie oorleef
00:33
After survivingoorleef the CulturalKulturele RevolutionRevolusie,
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00:35
they firmlystewig believedgeglo there's only one sure way to happinessgeluk:
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en dus vas geglo aan één weg tot geluk:
00:38
a safeveilig and well-paidgoed betaalde jobwerk.
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'n veilige en goed-betaalde werk.
00:41
It is not importantbelangrik if I like the jobwerk or not.
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Dis nie belangrik of ek daarvan hou nie.
00:44
But my dreamdroom was to becomeword a ChineseChinees operaopera singersanger.
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Maar my droom was om
'n Sjinese operasangeres te word.
00:49
That is me playingspeel my imaginarydenkbeeldige pianoklavier.
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Hier speel ek my denkbeeldige klavier.
00:53
An operaopera singersanger mustmoet startbegin trainingopleiding youngjong
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'n Operasangeres moet van jongs af
00:55
to learnleer acrobaticsbetower,
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akrobatiek begin leer,
00:57
so I triedprobeer everything I could to go to operaopera schoolskool.
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so ek't als probeer
om operaskool toe te gaan.
01:00
I even wrotegeskryf to the schoolskool principalskoolhoof
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Ek't selfs aan die skoolhoof geskryf
01:02
and the hostgasheer of a radioradio showWys.
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en aan die aanbieder van 'n radioprogram.
01:05
But no adultsvolwassenes likedhou the ideaidee.
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Maar geen volwassenes
het van die idee gehou nie.
01:09
No adultsvolwassenes believedgeglo I was seriousernstige.
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Geen volwassenes het geglo
ek was ernstig nie.
01:11
Only my friendsvriende supportedondersteun me, but they were kidskinders,
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Net my vriende het my ondersteun,
maar hulle was kinders,
01:15
just as powerlessmagteloos as I was.
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net so magteloos soos ek.
01:17
So at ageouderdom 15, I knewgeweet I was too oldou to be trainedopgelei.
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Op 15 het ek geweet dat
ek te oud is om opgelei te word.
01:23
My dreamdroom would never come truewaar.
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My droom sou nooit waar word nie.
01:26
I was afraidbang that for the restres of my life
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Ek was bevrees dat vir die res van my lewe
01:29
some second-classslegs happinessgeluk
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'n tweedeklas geluk die beste was
01:31
would be the bestbeste I could hopehoop for.
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waarop ek kon hoop.
01:34
But that's so unfaironbillike.
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Maar dis so onregverdig.
01:36
So I was determinedbepaal to find another'n ander callingroeping.
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So was ek vasbeslote
om nog 'n roeping te vind.
01:40
NobodyNiemand around to teachleer me? Fine.
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Niemand om my te leer nie? Wel, gaaf.
01:43
I turneddraai to booksboeke.
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Dan keer ek my tot boeke.
01:45
I satisfiedtevrede my hungerhonger for parentalouerlike adviceadvies
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Ek't my honger vir ouerlike advies gestil
01:49
from this bookboek by a familygesin of writersskrywers and musiciansmusikante.["CorrespondenceKorrespondensie in the FamilyFamilie of FouFou LeiLei"]
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met 'n boek deur 'n familie van skrywers en musikante.
["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
01:54
I foundgevind my rolerol modelmodel of an independentonafhanklike womanvrou
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Ek't my rolmodel
van 'n onafhanklike vrou gevind,
01:57
when ConfucianConfucian traditiontradisie requiresvereis obediencegehoorsaamheid.["JaneJane EyreEyre"]
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al verlang Konfusiaanse tradisie
gehoorsaamheid. ["Jane Eyre"]
02:01
And I learnedgeleer to be efficientdoeltreffende from this bookboek.["CheaperGoedkoper by the DozenDozen"]
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En ek't uit dié boek geleer
om effektief te wees. ["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
02:04
And I was inspiredgeïnspireer to studystudie abroadbuiteland after readinglees these.
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En ek wou oorsee gaan studeer
nadat ek dié gelees het.
02:08
["CompleteVoltooi WorksWerke of SanmaoSanmao" (akaaka EchoEggo ChanChan)] ["LessonsLesse From HistoryGeskiedenis" by NanNan HuaijinHuaijin]
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["Complete Works of Sanmao" (al. Echo Chan)]
["Lessons from History" Nan Huaijin]
02:10
I camekom to the U.S. in 1995,
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Ek't in 1995 Amerika toe gekom,
02:14
so whichwatter booksboeke did I readlees here first?
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so watter boeke het ek eerste hier gelees?
02:16
BooksBoeke bannedverban in ChinaChina, of coursekursus.
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Boeke verban in Sjina, natuurlik.
02:20
"The Good EarthAarde" is about ChineseChinees peasantboer life.
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"The Good Earth" is oor
Sjinese landelike lewe.
02:24
That's just not convenientgerieflik for propagandapropaganda. Got it.
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Dis net nie gerieflik vir propaganda nie.
Ek snap dit.
02:28
The BibleBybel is interestinginteressant, but strangevreemde.
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Die Bybel is interestant, maar aardig.
02:31
(LaughterLag)
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(Gelag)
02:34
That's a topiconderwerp for a differentverskillende day.
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Dis 'n onderwerp vir 'n ander dag.
02:37
But the fifthvyfde commandmentgebod gavegegee me an epiphanyepifanie:
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Maar die vyfde gebod was 'n openbaring:
02:41
"You shallsal honoreer your fatherpa and mothermoeder."
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"Jy moet jou vader en jou moeder eer."
02:44
"HonorEer," I said. "That's so differentverskillende,
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"Eerbiedig," het ek gesê,
"Dis so anders, en beter,
as om te gehoorsaam."
02:47
and better, than obeygehoorsaam."
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02:48
So it becomesraak my toolhulpmiddel to climbklim out
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Dis toe my werktuig
om uit Confucius se
skuldgevoelstrik te klim
02:51
of this ConfucianConfucian guiltskuldgevoelens trapslaggat
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02:53
and to restartbegin oor my relationshipverhouding with my parentsouers.
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en my verhouding met my ouers te hervat.
02:57
EncounteringGee a newnuwe culturekultuur alsoook startedbegin my habitgewoonte
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Blootstelling aan 'n nuwe kultuur
het ook my gewoonte begin
03:00
of comparativevergelykende readinglees.
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om vergelykend te lees.
03:02
It offersaanbiedinge manybaie insightsinsigte.
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Dis baie insigryk.
03:04
For examplebyvoorbeeld, I foundgevind this mapkaart out of placeplek at first
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Ek't byvoorbeeld hierdie kaart
eers uit plek gevind
03:09
because this is what ChineseChinees studentsstudente grewgegroei up with.
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omdat dít is waarmee
Sjinese studente groot word.
03:14
It had never occurredplaasgevind to me,
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Ek't nooit besef
03:15
ChinaChina doesn't have to be at the centersentrum of the worldwêreld.
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dat Sjina nie die middelpunt
van die wêreld hoef te wees nie.
03:18
A mapkaart actuallyeintlik carriesdra somebody'siemand is viewbeskou.
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'n Kaart dra waarlik iemand se sienswyse.
03:22
ComparativeVergelykende readinglees actuallyeintlik is nothing newnuwe.
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Vergelykende nalees is niks nuut nie.
03:25
It's a standardstandaard practicepraktyk in the academicakademiese worldwêreld.
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Dis standaard in die akademiese wêreld.
03:28
There are even researchnavorsing fieldsvelde
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Daar's selfs navorsingsgebiede
03:30
suchsoos as comparativevergelykende religiongodsdiens and comparativevergelykende literatureliteratuur.
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soos vergelykende godsdienswetenskap
en vergelykende letterkunde.
03:34
CompareVergelyk and contrastkontrasteer givesgee scholarsskoliere
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Vergelyking en kontras gee geleerdes
03:36
a more completevolledige understandingbegrip of a topiconderwerp.
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'n meer volledige begrip van 'n onderwerp.
03:39
So I thought, well, if comparativevergelykende readinglees
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So, as vergelykende nalees
werk vir navorsing,
03:41
workswerke for researchnavorsing, why not do it in dailydaaglikse life too?
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waarom nie ook vir alledaagse lewe nie?
03:44
So I startedbegin readinglees booksboeke in pairspare.
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So't ek begin om boeke in pare te lees.
03:48
So they can be about people --
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Hulle kan oor mense wees --
03:49
["BenjaminBenjamin FranklinFranklin" by WalterWalter IsaacsonIsaacson]["JohnJohn AdamsAdams" by DavidDavid McCulloughMcCullough] --
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["Benjamin Franklin" Walter Isaacson]
["John Adams" David McCullough] --
03:50
who are involvedbetrokke in the samedieselfde eventgebeurtenis,
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betrokke in dieselfde gebeurtenis,
03:52
or friendsvriende with sharedgedeel experienceservarings.
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of vriende met gemeenskaplike ervaringe.
03:55
["PersonalPersoonlike HistoryGeskiedenis" by KatharineKatharine GrahamGraham]["The SnowballSneeubal: WarrenWarren BuffettBuffett and the BusinessBesigheid of Life," by AliceAlice SchroederSchroeder]
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["Personal History" Katharine Graham]
["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and
the Business of Life" Alice Schroeder]
03:56
I alsoook comparevergelyk the samedieselfde storiesstories in differentverskillende genresgenres -- (LaughterLag)
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Ek vergelyk ook dieselfde stories
in verskillende genres -- (Gelag)
04:01
[HolyHeilige BibleBybel: KingKoning JamesJames VersionWeergawe]["LambLam" by ChrisopherChrisopher MooreMoore] --
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[Holy BIble: King James Version]
["Lamb" Chrisopher Moore] --
04:03
or similarsoortgelyk storiesstories from differentverskillende cultureskulture,
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of soortgelyke stories
van verskillende kulture,
04:06
as JosephJosef CampbellCampbell did in his wonderfulwonderlik bookboek.["The PowerKrag of MythMite" by JosephJosef CampbellCampbell]
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soos Joseph Campbell gedoen het in sy wonderlike boek.
["The Power of Myth" Joseph Campbell]
04:09
For examplebyvoorbeeld, bothbeide the ChristChristus and the BuddhaBoeddha
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Byvoorbeeld, beide Christus en die Boeddha
04:12
wenthet throughdeur threedrie temptationsversoekings.
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het drie versoekings weerstaan.
04:15
For the ChristChristus, the temptationsversoekings
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Vir Christus was die versoekings
04:17
are economicekonomiese, politicalpolitiese and spiritualgeestelike.
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ekonomies, polities en geestelik.
04:21
For the BuddhaBoeddha, they are all psychologicalsielkundige:
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Vir die Boeddha was alles psigies:
04:25
lustlus, fearvrees and socialsosiale dutyplig -- interestinginteressant.
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wellus, vrees en sosiale plig --
interessant.
04:32
So if you know a foreignbuitelandse languageTaal, it's alsoook funpret
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As jy 'n vreemde taal ken,
is dit ook pret om jou gunsteling boeke
in twee tale te lees.
04:35
to readlees your favoritegunsteling booksboeke in two languagestale.
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04:37
["The Way of ChuangChuang TzuTzu" ThomasThomas MertonMerton]["TaoTao: The WatercourseWaterloop Way" AlanAlan WattsWatts]
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["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]
["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts]
04:38
InsteadIn plaas daarvan of lostverloor in translationvertaling, I foundgevind there is much to gainwins.
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In plaas van verlore in vertaling,
vind ek daar is baie om by te baat.
04:42
For examplebyvoorbeeld, it's throughdeur translationvertaling that I realizedbesef
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Ek't deur vertaling besef dat
04:46
"happinessgeluk" in ChineseChinees literallyletterlik meansbeteken "fastvinnig joyvreugde." Huh!
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"geluk" in Sjinees letterlik
"vinnige plesier" beteken. Nou toe.
04:52
"BrideBruid" in ChineseChinees literallyletterlik meansbeteken "newnuwe mothermoeder." Uh-ohUh-o.
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"Bruid" beteken letterlik "nuwe ma." Ô-ô.
04:57
(LaughterLag)
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(Gelag)
05:01
BooksBoeke have givengegee me a magictowerkuns portalportaal to connectverbind with people
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Boeke het my 'n magiese poort gegee
om met mense in verbinding te tree,
05:06
of the pastverlede and the presentteenwoordig.
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uit die verlede en die hede.
05:09
I know I shallsal never feel lonelyeensaam or powerlessmagteloos again.
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Ek sal nooit weer alleen
of magteloos voel nie.
05:13
HavingNadat a dreamdroom shatteredverpletter really is nothing
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Om 'n droom verbrysel te hê is niks
05:16
comparedvergelyking to what manybaie othersander have sufferedgely.
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in vergelyking met
baie ander se lyding nie.
05:19
I have come to believe that comingkom truewaar
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Ek glo dat die verwerkliking
05:21
is not the only purposedoel of a dreamdroom.
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nie die enigste doel van 'n droom is nie.
05:25
Its mostdie meeste importantbelangrik purposedoel is to get us in touchraak
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Sy belangrikste doel is
om ons in voeling te bring
05:29
with where dreamsdrome come from,
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met waar drome vandaan kom,
05:31
where passionpassie comeskom from, where happinessgeluk comeskom from.
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waar passie vandaan kom,
waar geluk vandaan kom.
05:34
Even a shatteredverpletter dreamdroom can do that for you.
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Selfs 'n verpletterde droom
kan dit vir jou doen.
05:38
So because of booksboeke, I'm here todayvandag,
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As gevolg van boeke is ek vandag hier,
05:40
happygelukkig, livinglewende again with a purposedoel and a clarityduidelikheid,
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gelukkig, lewend met 'n doel en klaarheid,
05:44
mostdie meeste of the time.
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meeste van die tyd.
05:45
So maymag booksboeke be always with you.
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So mag boeke altyd met julle wees.
05:49
Thank you.
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Dankie.
05:50
(ApplauseApplous)
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(Applous)
05:52
Thank you. (ApplauseApplous)
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Dankie. (Applous)
05:56
Thank you. (ApplauseApplous)
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Dankie. (Applous)
Translated by Jacques du Plessis
Reviewed by Ingrid Lezar

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lisa Bu - Passionate reader
Lisa Bu has built a career helping people find great stories to listen to. Now she tells her own story.

Why you should listen

At TED's annual staff retreat, everyone has to get up and talk about something -- either about work, or about something interesting from their own lives. In fall 2012, our own Lisa Bu prepared a talk about her love of reading. And our quiet, funny and efficient Content Distribution Manager simply brought down the house, with a story that's too good not to share. We are thrilled and proud that Lisa is the first TED staffer ever to be invited to speak on the mainstage at the TED Conference.

Born and raised in Hunan, China, Lisa Bu has been with TED since 2011. Before that, she spent seven years as a talk show producer and a digital media content director at Wisconsin Public Radio. She's also a computer programmer, with a PhD in journalism and an MBA in information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a BA in Chinese from Nanjing University in China.

More profile about the speaker
Lisa Bu | Speaker | TED.com