Can the language we speak influence how and what we think?
Moreover, in the sea of available information, how much information do we understand? And how does storytelling fire up our brains?
These four Talks shine a light on the importance of localizing content. Why is connecting to customers in their own native language so powerful?
How strong is the power of
native languages?
Check out our selection of Ted and TedX talks for this week for more thought-provoking questions and inspiring stories.
This is your brain on communication
Uri Hasson tells a compelling story about the effects of storytelling on our brains that span across cultural and language barriers.
Today, too many of us live in echo chambers where we’re exposed to the same perspective day after day. We should all be concerned as a society if we lose our common ground and lose the ability to communicate effectively and share our views with people who are different than us.
Uri Hasson
But where does the ability to understand come from? How sharing stories connect speakers to listeners? Check it out in this amazing talk.
What our language habits reveal
Is language a window into the human nature? Steven Pinker believes so and you might too by the end of this charming talk.
How much of our personality is determined by the language we use?
Language is not so much a creator or shaper of human nature,so much as a window onto human nature.
Steven Pinker
The right to understand
Sandra Fisher-Martins believes public documents should be accessible in a way a regular person can understand.
She raises an important question in her talk: are we fighting for our right to understand the information we find in our environment? Should we, instead of just increasing literacy rates, work on reducing the complexity of official documents?
When I don't understand which are my rights, the benefits I can have access to, I can't understand my duties and I'm not an active and participative citizen either.
Sandra Fisher-Martins
Don't kill your language!
Suzanne Talhouk discusses the importance of using our mother tongue and the connection between languages we speak and identity.
Consequently, she questions if the language we use shapes our personality, our behavior, and choices?
Language isn't one, two or three words or letters put together.
It's an idea inside that relates to how we think, and how we see each other and how others see us.
Suzanne Talhouk
Need more inspiration?
Our selection of TED and TEDx Talks covers compelling talks on the importance of language, translation, cultural identities and communication.
Check out our previous posts for 4 amazing talks on identity from Global Citizens or a selection of talks on language evolution.