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 关于世界英语热

Filmed:
4,750,949 views

Jay Walker 解释为什么全世界20亿人在学英语。 他展示了一些图片和一些令人激动的录像,展示了成千上万的中国学生练习“世界第二语言”英语的场面。
- 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狂热.
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让我们来谈谈狂热。
00:22
Let's start开始 with Beatle甲壳虫 mania狂躁:
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先从甲壳虫热说起
00:26
hysterical歇斯底里 teenagers青少年,
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歇斯底里的少年们,
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crying哭了, screaming尖叫, pandemonium乌烟瘴气.
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高呼,尖叫,喧嚣的场面。
00:34
Sports体育 mania狂躁:
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体育热
00:37
deafening震耳欲聋 crowds人群,
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震耳欲聋的人群。
00:40
all for one idea理念 -- get the ball in the net.
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都是为了一个目标,要球进网。
00:46
Okay, religious宗教 mania狂躁:
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还有,宗教热。
00:48
there's rapture欢天喜地, there's weeping,
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有欢笑,也有泪水。
00:51
there's visions愿景.
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还有梦想。
00:53
Manias狂热 can be good.
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狂热可以是件好事。
00:55
Manias狂热 can be alarming惊人.
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狂热也可以使人担心。
00:57
Or manias狂热 can be deadly致命.
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有时狂热也可以是致命的。
01:04
The world世界 has a new mania狂躁.
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现在世界上有一种新的狂热。
01:06
A mania狂躁 for learning学习 English英语.
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学习英语的狂热
01:08
Listen as Chinese中文 students学生们 practice实践 their English英语
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听,中国学生在练习讲英语
01:12
by screaming尖叫 it.
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用高声叫喊的方式练习英语。
01:14
Teacher老师: ... change更改 my life!
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老师:... 改变我的生活!
01:16
Students学生们: I will change更改 my life.
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学生:我要改变我的命运。
01:18
T: I don't want to let my parents父母 down.
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老师:我不想让父母失望。
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S: I don't want to let my parents父母 down.
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学生:我不想让父母失望。
01:25
T: I don't ever want to let my country国家 down.
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老师:我从不想让国家失望。
01:28
S: I don't ever want to let my country国家 down.
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学生:我从不想让国家失望。
01:32
T: Most importantly重要的 ... S: Most importantly重要的 ...
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老师:最重要的...学生:最重要的...
01:35
T: I don't want to let myself down.
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老师:我不想让我自己失望。
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S: I don't want to let myself down.
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学生:我不想让我自己失望。
01:41
Jay松鸦 Walker助步车: How many许多 people are trying to learn学习 English英语 worldwide全世界?
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Jay Walker: 全世界现在有多少人学习英语?
01:44
Two billion十亿 of them.
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20亿
01:46
Students学生们: A t-shirtT恤衫. A dress连衣裙.
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学生:一件衬衫。 一条裙子。
01:50
JWJW: In Latin拉丁 America美国,
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JW:在拉丁美洲
01:52
in India印度, in Southeast东南 Asia亚洲,
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在印度,在东南亚。
01:55
and most of all in China中国.
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和几乎整个中国。
01:58
If you are a Chinese中文 student学生
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如果你是个中国学生
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you start开始 learning学习 English英语 in the third第三 grade年级, by law.
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根据法律,在小学三年级你得开始学习英语。
02:05
That's why this year
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这就是 为什么今年
02:07
China中国 will become成为 the world's世界 largest最大 English-speaking英语会话 country国家.
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中国会成为全世界最大的讲英语的国家。
02:12
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
02:14
Why English英语? In a single word: Opportunity机会.
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为什么是英语?用一个词来回答:机会。
02:17
Opportunity机会 for a better life, a job工作,
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一个获得更好生活,工作的机会。
02:20
to be able能够 to pay工资 for school学校, or put better food餐饮 on the table.
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可以上得起学,可以吃更好的食物。
02:24
Imagine想像 a student学生 taking服用 a giant巨人 test测试 for three full充分 days.
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想象一个学生用整整三天时间参加一次大考。
02:28
Her score得分了 on this one test测试
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她的这个考试的成绩
02:30
literally按照字面 determines确定 her future未来.
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真正地决定了她的前途。
02:33
She studies学习 12 hours小时 a day
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她每天学习12个小时
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for three years年份 to prepare准备.
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三年间都是如此,就是为了准备这个考试
02:38
25 percent百分 of her grade年级
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其中25%的成绩
02:41
is based基于 on English英语.
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是由英语决定的
02:43
It's called the Gaokao高考, and 80 million百万 high school学校 Chinese中文 students学生们
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这个考试叫做高考。有8000万的中国高中生
02:47
have already已经 taken采取 this grueling严罚 test测试.
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都已经参加过这个“独木桥”考试
02:50
The intensity强度 to learn学习 English英语
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学习英语的强度
02:52
is almost几乎 unimaginable不可思议, unless除非 you witness见证 it.
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几乎不可想象。除非你亲自见证过
02:56
Teacher老师: Perfect完善! Students学生们: Perfect完善!
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老师:完美!学生:完美!
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T: Perfect完善! S: Perfect完善!
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老师:完美!学生:完美!
03:01
T: I want to speak说话 perfect完善 English英语.
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老师:我想讲完美的英语
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S: I want to speak说话 perfect完善 English英语.
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学生:我想讲完美的英语
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T: I want to speak说话 -- S: I want to speak说话 --
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老师:我想说--学生:我想说--
03:08
T: perfect完善 English英语. S: perfect完善 English英语.
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学生:完美的英语。学生:完美的英语
03:10
T: I want to change更改 my life!
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老师:我要改变我的命运!
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S: I want to change更改 my life!
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学生:我要改变我的命运!
03:17
JWJW: So is English英语 mania狂躁 good or bad?
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JW:那么这股英语热是好还是坏呢?
03:21
Is English英语 a tsunami海啸, washing洗涤 away
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英语是海啸吗,
03:23
other languages语言? Not likely容易.
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席卷其他所有的语言?不见得。
03:26
English英语 is the world's世界 second第二 language语言.
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英语是世界第二大语言。
03:29
Your native本地人 language语言 is your life.
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你的母语是你的生活
03:31
But with English英语 you can become成为 part部分 of a wider更宽的 conversation会话:
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但是英语可以让你参与更大范围的讨论。
03:35
a global全球 conversation会话 about global全球 problems问题,
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一个全世界范围的关于全球问题的讨论。
03:39
like climate气候 change更改 or poverty贫穷,
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比如气候改变或者贫穷
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or hunger饥饿 or disease疾病.
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或者饥饿,或是疾病
03:45
The world世界 has other universal普遍 languages语言.
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这个世界上还有其他的全球性语言
03:48
Mathematics数学 is the language语言 of science科学.
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数学是科学的语言
03:51
Music音乐 is the language语言 of emotions情绪.
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音乐是感情的语言
03:54
And now English英语 is becoming变得 the language语言 of problem-solving解决问题.
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现在,英语正在成为解决问题的语言
03:59
Not because America美国 is pushing推动 it,
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并不是因为美国促使其如此。
04:01
but because the world世界 is pulling it.
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而是因为全世界的需要。
04:04
So English英语 mania狂躁 is a turning车削 point.
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所以英语热是一个转折点
04:08
Like the harnessing治理 of electricity电力 in our cities城市
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就像我们城市里的供电系统
04:10
or the fall秋季 of the Berlin柏林 Wall,
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或者柏林墙的倒塌,
04:13
English英语 represents代表 hope希望
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英语代表着希望
04:15
for a better future未来 --
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拥有一个更好的未来的希望
04:17
a future未来 where the world世界 has a common共同 language语言
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未来全世界将用共同语言
04:21
to solve解决 its common共同 problems问题.
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去解决共同的问题
04:23
Thank you very much.
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非常感谢
04:25
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Lu Meng
Reviewed by Haiming Lin

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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