# Get the transcript of a TED talk on YouTube

**Use case:** 

Downloads the full transcript of Ken Robinson's TED talk "Do schools kill creativity?" with timestamps. Swap in any YouTube link to get its transcript as text or JSON for notes, summaries, quotes or AI tools.

## Input

```json
{
  "videos": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "videoId": {
    "label": "Video Id"
  },
  "title": {
    "label": "Title"
  },
  "channelName": {
    "label": "Channel Name"
  },
  "language": {
    "label": "Language"
  },
  "isAutoGenerated": {
    "label": "Is Auto Generated"
  },
  "wordCount": {
    "label": "Word Count"
  },
  "text": {
    "label": "Text"
  }
}
```

## How it works

### 1. Sign up on Apify or log in

The YouTube Transcript Scraper Actor is ready to run with the inputs already set for "Get the transcript of a TED talk on YouTube". [Sign up or log in](https://console.apify.com/create-task-from-example/zdXfh6ghk4Em4LOf5) and you'll land in Apify Console with a copy of this exact task.

### 2. Start the "Get the transcript of a TED talk on YouTube" task

The YouTube Transcript Scraper Actor will start running based on the input automatically. You can also change all the input fields, like video urls or ids and max transcripts, to match your specific use case.

### 3. Receive the "Get the transcript of a TED talk on YouTube" output

Monitor the progress in real time. You will be notified as soon as your dataset is complete and ready for review. Each result includes data such as video id, title, channel name, and more.

### 4. Integrate into your workflow

The final output is delivered in JSON, CSV, or Excel format, ready to be plugged into your workflow. You can also [run the "Get the transcript of a TED talk on YouTube" task via API](https://apify.com/piotrv1001/youtube-transcript-scraper.md).

## FAQ

### What do I get from the TED talk transcript task?

The TED talk transcript task returns Ken Robinson's "Do schools kill creativity?" as full text and timestamped segments, with word count, language, video title, channel, duration, view count and thumbnail.

### How do I get the transcript of a different TED talk?

The TED talk transcript task takes YouTube links or video IDs. Replace the Ken Robinson link with any TED talk, or any other YouTube video, and run it again; several links can go in one run.

### Can I get a TED talk transcript in another language?

The TED talk transcript task lists every caption language the video has, 65 for this talk. Set the language field to a code such as fr or pt-BR to get that translation instead of English.

### Can I download the TED transcript as plain text?

The TED talk transcript task stores the whole transcript in a single text field and the timed segments separately. Export as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read the text field through the Apify API.

### How much does the TED talk transcript task cost to run?

The TED talk transcript task is billed per transcript saved, plus a tiny start fee per run. One video means one transcript; maxItems caps a run with many links. See the Actor's Pricing tab for rates.

### Are the TED captions auto-generated?

The TED talk transcript task flags each transcript as auto-generated or not. This talk uses human-made captions, which are usually more accurate for quotes and notes.

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/piotrv1001/youtube-transcript-scraper.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/piotrv1001/youtube-transcript-scraper.md) to learn more, explore other use cases, and run it yourself.


## How to integrate an Actor?

This Task's input is already configured above. Use it as-is rather than inventing a new one.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For full API examples (JavaScript, Python, CLI, MCP, OpenAPI), see this Task's Actor page: https://apify.com/piotrv1001/youtube-transcript-scraper.md

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).