Best Ted Talks in Spanish
Updated November, 2023
The goal of many intermediate second language students is to be able to contribute and understand conversations about any topic in that language. Major reasons include
They are considering language certification. Test topics on those exams can be about absolutely anything. One Spanish friend of mine had to transcribe the lyrics of the opening song of the Big Bang Theory for his exam (He also had to define the difference between the words hurl and thrust, which I had a hard time doing myself.)
To entice an educated, interesting native speaker to converse with you, just like in your native tongue, it helps to be able to ask questions and explore topics of special interest to him/her which may not be topics you normally talk about.
If you meet a native speaker who is especially accomplished in an area new to you, you may only have one chance to learn about a new subject from their perspective.
Whether speaker or listener, one tires quickly of conversations that consist of only the mundane, the cotidiana. You don’t have to conjugate perfectly to be a better conversationalist…(but you do need lots of nouns and verbs).
Ted Talks don’t demand more than 12-15 minutes, making them perfect for introducing vocabulary over subjects that might be arcane to you.
How to create flashcards from Ted Talks
Karo Martínez, creator of YouTube’s Espanol Automatico recommends creating flashcards with sentences and phrases rather than single words. In a Ted Talk, the best way is to create flash cards is as you go along, pausing and creating the card as you hear the word you want to learn, as well as writing the rest of the sentence for context.
Keep a flashcard browser open to Cram or Quizlet while you’re watching the Ted Talk.) It’s more fun to test yourself on whole sentences on flashcards than running through a list of only words. You can practice pronunciation as you go along
Choose speakers that deliver with an accent you wish to emulate. Pause and repeat what the speaker says out loud, sentence by sentence to practice pronunciation on days you can’t speak Spanish with actual people.
Ideally, (according to other language experts - I don’t just make this *** up), you should use Spanish subtitles, not English when viewing any video. Speakers in Ted Talks speak pretty fast over unfamiliar ground however, and you may find it necessary to “check in” on subtitles in English to maintain the thread of a whole Ted Talk.
Recommended Ted Talks in Spanish
After watching all of the speeches presented on Ted Talks in Spanish, I recommend the following to get started on based on the speakers' clear enunciation as well as how they cover their subjects. They are well worth listening to on their own merit.
I admit, this talk brought tears to my eyes. Many Spanish students have a love for language itself, as well as the power of words. Cristina Domenech recounts her experience giving poetry workshops in an Argentine prison. This is probably my favorite Ted Talk.
Did you know that a female candidate for the office of president of Colombia was once kidnapped and held prisoner in the jungle, often outdoors (think scorpions, anacondas and tarantulas) for six years? Hers an unimaginable scenario that beats the late Senator’s Cain’s record in captivity in at least comparably horrific conditions by six months. In an emotional presentation, Ingrid Betancourt explains the weaponization of fear.
Unbeknownst to me and the rest of the science-stupid world, the discovery of gravitational waves in 2015, which proved as fact what had been only a theory for centuries, was a huge deal in the scientific community. But why? What can gravitational waves be used for? A rapturous Gabriella Gonzalez explains the wonder of listening to the universe for the first time in history.
Eduardo Sáenz might be the first mathematician I’d actually want to date. Sáenz constructs his talk as a comedian would a joke, running a single cord through his theme then bringing us back to where we began and challenges the concepts of permanence and transcendence. (Don’t read the Ted Talk description before viewing it! It’s a spoiler!)
You may have heard of Jorge Ramos, who was famously kicked out of a press conference in 2015 for challenging President Trump on immigration policies. You may not know his history in Mexico as a young journalist. His talk is the most clear and best articulated Spanish among all the Ted Talks in Spanish.
Ted Talks have great elements for breaking up monotony in your studies
No language tool is perfect. None cover it all. Ted Talks have many of the elements of a great tool; the opportunity to listen to adult material that’s inherently interesting, the ability to pause the talk for repetition, and the right duration for concentrated study (less than 25 minutes). Give them a try!
About the author:
Kerry Baker is the author of books for people considering expat life, whether full time or a “mini life”.
If Only I Had a Place is the absolute guide to renting in Mexico - far different than you’d think. Don’t be fooled by realtors.
The Mexico Solution: Saving you money, sanity, and quality of life through part-time life in Mexico tells you how to set up for part-time life and the cultural surprises you will encounter along the way.
Her most recent work, The Lazy Expat: Healthy Recipes That Translate in Mexico is a cookbook for travelers, snowbirds and expats. In Mexico, you must cook to maintain a healthy diet. This book shows you how.