Rough Translation

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How are the things we're talking about being talked about somewhere else in the world? Gregory Warner tells stories that follow familiar conversations into unfamiliar territory. At a time when the world seems small but it's as hard as ever to escape our echo chambers, Rough Translation takes you pla…

NPR


    • Dec 27, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 31m AVG DURATION
    • 102 EPISODES

    4.8 from 7,301 ratings Listeners of Rough Translation that love the show mention: another culture, cross cultural, surrogate, outside the us, rough translation, warner, brazilians, congo, american news, across the world, gregory, parts of the world, different cultures, mosul, stories from around the world, international perspective, cultural differences, sometimes it feels, ghana, pakistan.


    Ivy Insights

    The Rough Translation podcast is an absolute gem that I recently discovered and have quickly become obsessed with. It has become my go-to podcast for road trips, as I find myself captivated by the stories from around the world that it presents. The podcast holds a special place in my heart because it allows me to experience different cultures and perspectives through the voices of the people themselves. It's a unique and meaningful way to travel without actually leaving the comfort of my own home.

    One of the best aspects of Rough Translation is its ability to tell stories that are both insightful and thought-provoking. The reporting is always respectful, highlighting other cultures without hyperbole, and making them relatable to American culture. The podcast takes a non-American centric approach, allowing listeners to hear journalism spoken from a local point of view rather than interpreted through a typical US mindset. This perspective adds depth and humanity to each episode, creating a truly immersive experience.

    However, one of the worst aspects of Rough Translation is the fact that it is ending. As someone who has been listening from the beginning, I am heartbroken to learn that NPR has canceled this exceptional podcast. It feels like losing a connection to the world and missing out on incredible storytelling. I hope that NPR or another media outlet will reconsider and bring back Rough Translation, or even better, make it a weekly show.

    In conclusion, Rough Translation is an extraordinary podcast that offers an unparalleled exploration of stories from around the world. Its ability to connect listeners with different cultures makes it incredibly valuable in our globalized times. Although I am saddened by its cancellation, I am grateful for all of the incredible work done by Gregory and his team. I will continue listening and eagerly anticipate their next adventure in whatever form it may take.



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    Latest episodes from Rough Translation

    Rough Translation New Years Farewell

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2023 4:37


    As we head toward a new year, former Rough Translation host Gregory Warner reflects on "goal disengagement" — letting go of past goals, rather than coming up with New Year resolutions. He recommends three of his favorite episodes aligned with this theme for Rough Translation fans and new listeners. Episodes are in the show notes below. And we encourage you to visit our archives with some timeless Rough Translation gems.When Failure is a 4-Letter Word: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/05/738963753/when-failure-is-a-four-letter-wordWar Poems: https://www.npr.org/2018/07/02/625501009/war-poemsAmerican Surrogate: https://www.npr.org/2017/10/17/547332434/american-surrogateDiscover Rough Translation's archive of timeless episodes here: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510324/rough-translation

    new year new years farewell letter word rough translation gregory warner
    Hold the Sitar: The Making of the Love Commandos Theme Song

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 24:42


    In this bonus episode of Love Commandos, Gregory Warner interviews musician John Ellis, who composed Rough Translation's original theme music in 2017, and songwriters Amira Gill and VASU, who jointly created the new theme song for Love Commandos. They discuss their musical processes, and how they incorporate stories into their music. Love Commandos will be releasing more bonus episodes like this one over the next few weeks, where the team will continue to take listeners behind the scenes of the show and continue exploring the themes of love and marriage in modern India. To access those episodes, sign up for Embedded+ at plus.npr.org/embedded.

    Calling It Quits

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2023 31:02


    In Episode 5 of Love Commandos, couples seeking to shut down the Love Commandos' shelter band together for a risky plan. Want to hear bonus episodes of Love Commandos? Sign up for Embedded+ at plus.npr.org/embedded. Subscribe to host Gregory Warner's Rough Transition substack newsletter.

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    Forever Yours

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2023 35:24


    On Episode 4 of Love Commandos, couples in the shelter feel pressured to stay indefinitely. We try to figure out why. Want to hear episodes of Love Commandos a week before everyone else? Sign up for Embedded+ at plus.npr.org/embedded. Subscribe to host Gregory Warner's Rough Transition substack newsletter.

    forever embedded gregory warner
    The Honeymoon

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2023 32:24


    On Episode 3 of Love Commandos, stories of life inside the Love Commandos shelter begin to diverge as co-founder Sanjoy Sachdev shows a different side.Want to hear episodes of Love Commandos a week before everyone else? Sign up for Embedded+ at plus.npr.org/embedded. And subscribe to host Gregory Warner's Rough Transition Substack.

    honeymoon embedded gregory warner
    After The Wedding

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2023 33:20


    On episode 2 of Love Commandos, an inter-caste couple in India hits a breaking point. They make one last-ditch phone call to try to stay together. Want to hear episodes of Love Commandos a week before everyone else? Sign up for Embedded+ at plus.npr.org/embedded. Subscribe to host Gregory Warner's Rough Transition newsletter on Substack.

    The Vow

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 21:32


    When falling in love can mean risking your life, the Love Commandos in India will protect you. But are they really who they promise to be? Want to hear episodes of Love Commandos a week before everyone else? Sign up for Embedded+ at plus.npr.org/embedded. And follow host Gregory Warner on Substack here.

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    New Season: Love Commandos. Starting Wednesday, July 26th.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2023 3:24


    They seemed like superheroes. In a country where arranged marriage is the norm, the Love Commandos promise to protect love couples and help them marry. But is this a group of protectors in the way they promise to be?

    When We Talk About Love Stories

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2023 25:53


    We leap into the gap between love stories and real life. And hear a sneak peek of Rough Translation's newest season! Subscribe here to Gregory's substack.

    Fan Favorites: How to Speak Bad English

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2023 38:09


    Gregory talks "inside baseball" of American English. And we revisit an episode that sparked a lot of conversation among listeners in 2021–about the global pursuit of "good English" and what it takes to change the multi-billion dollar industry built around it.Write to us at roughtranslation@npr.org and follow Gregory's Substack.Read more at NPR's global health and development blog, Goats and Soda.Tower Of Babble: Nonnative Speakers Navigate The World Of 'Good' And 'Bad' EnglishPrepone That! Your Accent Is Funny! Readers Share Their ESL Stories

    Fan Favorites: Dream Boy and the Poison Fans

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 39:27


    The unlikely places that fandom can take us, and how to know when we've gone too far. This week, we revisit an episode from 2020. And don't forget to subscribe to Gregory's Substack.

    Fan Favorites: Anna in Somalia

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2023 36:49


    Gregory tells a story about his first job out of college. And we revisit an episode from 2017. Also, what's your favorite Rough Translation episode? Let us know.

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    This Is Not A Goodbye

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 2:13


    Our host Gregory Warner reads your tweets and drops some big news about Rough Translation. Subscribe to Gregory's Substack and follow him on Twitter to stay on the journey. And coming soon: episodes revisiting our archives, plus an exciting summer season in collaboration with NPR's international desk.

    npr substack rough translation gregory warner
    Ukraine: The Handoff

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2023 31:17


    We travel to Ukraine to follow a shipment of abortion pills, and discover a complicated conversation about pregnancy and choice in wartime. Part 2 of our collaboration with Radiolab.

    White Lies: The Men on the Roof

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2023 46:18


    It all started with a photograph. A photograph from 1991 of a prison takeover in rural Alabama. A photograph of a group of men on the roof of that prison holding a bedsheet scrawled with a message: "Pray for us." In the first episode of the new season of White Lies, hosts Chip Brantley and Andrew Beck Grace go searching for answers to the questions raised by this photograph. Who were these men? What on earth had made them want to take over that prison? And what became of them after? As they search, they uncover a sprawling story: a mass exodus across the sea, a secret list, and the betrayal at the heart of this country's ideals. Want to hear the next episode of White Lies a week before everyone else? Sign up for Embedded+ at plus.npr.org/embedded.

    Ukraine: Under The Counter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2023 40:59


    One weekend. An amateur smuggling operation. A wartime mission. The story, in collaboration with Radiolab.

    The Stoop: Reclaiming Black In Australia

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2022 36:08


    Who is Black in Australia? (Or "Blak?") Our friends at The Stoop listen to the calls of the kookaburra and reexamine the global reach of the American Black Panther Party to understand the relationship between Blackness and Indigeneity down under.

    The Cat Must Still Be Fed

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 39:56


    A hyperlocal news site in Red Hook, N.Y. posts a job opening. A journalist in Ukraine applies. And what readers think of as "local news" is going to change dramatically.

    Alone@Work: Miles To Go Before I'm Me

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2022 31:48


    726 miles in one day. Gas station sushi. Mysterious loading docks. We hit the road with two American women who found long-haul trucking as a means of escape and self-transformation.

    Ourselves@Work: Home Is Where The Hustle Is

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2022 26:36


    Nigerian novelist Chibundu Onuzo dreams of returning to Lagos, but she worries she'll struggle to adapt in the city of her birth, where the word "oppressor" is often used as a compliment. In this episode, she seeks advice from her "big boss" older brother.

    You're@Work: The Right Persona for the Job

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2022 33:57


    Who are you at work? In this episode, two stories of people who really commit to embodying their work selves. The result? New realms and new personalities.

    Failing@Work: Epic Fails & Failure Epics

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2022 30:19


    Many of us think we can't share our stories of failure until we've reached success. Some Mexico City entrepreneurs started a club to change that, and the world took notice.

    Stuck@Work: Your Country's Brand Is Escape, But You Can't

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2022 41:26


    When Portugal forbade bosses from contacting employees after hours, international media jumped at the chance to cover the new law. Portuguese workers were oddly quiet. Why?

    Lunching@Work: When Eating at Your Desk is Forbidden

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2022 30:48


    In 2021, France suspended a law that forbids eating lunch at work. We talk to an American teacher relieved to see it go and a French historian determined to bring it back.

    Slackers@Work: A Song for the Exhausted

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2022 40:44


    A video ricochets across Chinese offices, and a scooter thief becomes an icon for brewing discontent. Why is a thief who says he's tired of working viewed by the Chinese state as such a threat?

    New Season: @Work. Starting June 1.

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2022 2:45


    We're back @Work. The new season of Rough Translation will tell surprising stories from workplaces and work cultures around the world.

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    The Good Russians

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2022 20:01


    Hundreds of thousands of Russians are leaving Russia. They're facing an uncertain welcome abroad. Poet and writer Linor Goralik joins us to read from "Exodus 22," her uncomfortably frank conversations with Russians who – before the war – lived in a Westernized bubble, ignoring the mounting threats of Putin's regime. Then, the bubble burst.

    The Scarf and the Snuffbox

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2022 17:28


    What can a blank piece of paper, four ballerinas, a scarf and snuff box mean in Russia? A conversation with Russian Anthropologist Alexandra Arkhipova about how anti-war protestors resist the war in Ukraine through code and hidden messages.

    Letter of Unhappiness

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 15:50


    When Naira calls her parents back home in Russia to talk about the war in Ukraine, they treat her as an outsider and a threat. She finds a way to break through the propaganda wall, with inspiration from a chain letter.

    The Culture Front

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2022 40:36


    When protecting a language is used as justification for war, how can its speakers fight back? A conversation with Russian speakers of the diaspora who are rethinking their relationship to language, identity, and the Russian community.

    Fighting Words In Ukraine

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 31:23


    Vladimir Putin joined the KGB at age 23. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy got his early training in a no less Soviet institution–the world of competitive comedy. We update our 2019 episode about a high-stakes comedy competition in Ukraine.

    Presenting 'TED Radio Hour': Work, Play, Rest

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2022 50:40


    The past few years have shaken the fundamental ways we live. It's... disorienting. But it's also an opportunity to reexamine how we spend our time. In this episode from TED Radio Hour, speakers investigate evolving notions of what it means to pay our bills.

    May We Have This Dance?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2021 44:23


    A jazz dance born in Harlem in the 1920s ends up in a tiny Swedish town. What happens when Black dancers try to bring the Lindy Hop home?

    Moms In Translation

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2021 41:59


    An Irish journalist discovers she belongs in a place she's never been. A 6-year-old boy decides he's from another country. Stories about finding home far from home.

    Tasting At A Distance

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2021 33:26


    You can zoom around the world through sight and sound, but you can't taste at a distance, right? Stories about what happens when we try.

    Home/Front: Marla's List

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2021 49:00


    Marla kept a detailed account of Iraqi civilians harmed by war. How did she recruit people in the U.S. military to help them? And what toll did it take on her? Part 2 of the story of Marla Ruzicka. You can find Part 1 here.

    Home/Front: Marla's War

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2021 34:34


    Marla Ruzicka didn't belong in a war zone. Nobody in Afghanistan knew what to make of her. Until Marla started to solve a problem that no one thought could be solved.

    Home/Front: Rebels In The Valley

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2021 29:29


    Two worlds: dress uniforms and foosball tables. The military and Silicon Valley used to work hand in hand. Now, why won't big tech build them a new gonculator?

    Home/Front: Battle Borne

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2021 40:20


    Alicia's situation raises questions about the VA's caregiver program. And a new diagnosis changes everything for Matt. How will Alicia and Matt start healing their respective wounds, borne out of different battles? Find part 2, Battle Lines, here. And part 1, Battle Rattle, here.

    Home/Front: Battle Lines

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2021 39:43


    Alicia Lammers takes on the twin roles of wife and caregiver to her veteran husband. What happens when your husband becomes your official duty? Part 2 of the story of Matt and Alicia Lammers. You can find Part 1, Battle Rattle, here.

    Home/Front: Battle Rattle

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2021 40:20


    He's a veteran looking for love. She's a civilian who learns more about war than she ever imagined. Part 1 of the story of Matt and Alicia Lammers.

    New Season: Home/Front

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2021 23:40


    In the first episode of our new season, we hear from people on two sides of an invisible divide.

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