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Rough Translation

Author: NPR

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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 places.
89 Episodes
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
We're back @Work. The new season of Rough Translation will tell surprising stories from workplaces and work cultures around the world.
Home/Front: Marla's List

Home/Front: Marla's List

2021-07-1050:145

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

Home/Front: Marla's War

2021-06-3035:483

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.
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

Home/Front: Battle Borne

2021-06-1640:451

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

Home/Front: Battle Lines

2021-06-0939:371

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.
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.
Home/Front

Home/Front

2021-05-2623:373

Is it true that "you can't understand" if you've never been to war? In the first episode of our new season, we hear from people on opposing sides of a widening divide.
War Poems Revisited

War Poems Revisited

2021-05-0547:394

As the U.S. pulls out of Afghanistan, we look back at a time when Taliban poetry and a local cooking show became part of the war. And the U.S. had the perfect person to fight on that front.
How To Speak Bad English

How To Speak Bad English

2021-04-2135:4616

Heather Hansen used to teach people to speak "perfect" English. Until she realized that so-called "bad English" might be a better way to communicate.
Our favorite McDonald's in Marseille, France has reached its afterlife. It took court cases, spray paint, and the slogan you know turned upside down (literally) to get there.
In the wake of the shootings in Atlanta, a Korean-American writer reconnects with her own family.
Two very different approaches to wooing vaccine skeptics. And how a little FOMO can go a long way.
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Comments (102)

Sheri Price

is there a reason all current episodes are not appearing in this app?

Jan 31st
Reply

Stella Maranga

why are these Russia/Ukraine episodes not showing up in the feed?

Apr 28th
Reply

majopareja

Amazing! Rough Translation at its best!

Jan 5th
Reply

An-D

What an amazing woman!

Jul 22nd
Reply

Devin Sperling

This show is ostensibly about bridging the civil/military divide but we're three episodes into the season and it's only focusing on one case that is an extreme example of violence and PTSD that just reinforces veteran stereotypes. All this show is doing is widening the gulf it's supposed to be trying to fix.

Jun 16th
Reply

dok dicer

It's so sad how this American ideology around the military and their supposed heroism (for engaging in imperial warfare for oil against outgunned and outfinanced countries and their civilian population) victimizes spouses and normalizes that abuse. I don't need to understand what that abusive pos went through to know that nobody should suffer through what he put his wife through.

Jun 9th
Reply

Arielle Niss

I’ve been loving Rough Translation for YEARS! This new civ/mil series is eye-opening. And the music is really evocative. Thanks, team!!

Jun 8th
Reply

mari arana

Wow, I'm always so I'm awe of military families. What a huge sacrifice.

May 16th
Reply

Gabriella Arroyo

this one made me cry last time, and again this time.

May 10th
Reply

Katie Devlin

the lack of understanding about the Black and Korean community issues regarding the LA riots 100% equate to the French- former colonie boys.

Apr 8th
Reply

ncooty

Anecdotes provide an interesting perspective, but this podcast often uses anecdotes as a means for individuals to over-generalize their own experiences or cast their suspicions as facts. There seems to be little effort to check facts or to contextualize these anecdotes within actual statistics. For example, what are the relative absolute and frequencies of violent crimes against people of Asian descent in the U.S.? Have those frequencies increased? Is it just a matter of increased reporting or sensitivity? Are there any relevant covariates to race that help explain the trends (vs. insinuating that all crimes against racial minorities are racially motivated)? This is just lazy story-telling with a lack of concern for facts, context, or journalistic integrity--as if you think allowing a guest to spread inaccurate information via your platform is not your problem.

Mar 26th
Reply

Brent Cupp

n.nnnnnn

Mar 18th
Reply

ncooty

Guide books are sometimes wrong. Sometimes, they increase the popularity of certain activities, such that they're no longer the same as they were for the writer of the guide book. That's not racism. It's corrosive and wrong to blame everything on racism, and to search so fervently for the ways in which we're each sanctified victims.

Mar 7th
Reply

Kyomi Paris

12:16 Also, the man who wrote the tweet is referring to muslims as a sort of threat, and the joke goes to show that islamic presence is just... the opposite. socially speaking, peaceful and unobtrusive. What's wrong with washing your hands 5 times a day and covering yourself? (everyone is doing this now!) ... What's wrong with being Muslim?

Feb 6th
Reply

Kyomi Paris

12:16 It clearly demonstrates that now, all are doing the same things (but under different labels: covid 19 safety &/ muslim tradition), and how different are we? i.e We are all ''normal'' people. The only real difference between a Muslim and a non Muslim is religious belief concerning God, and personal practices.

Feb 6th
Reply

mari arana

Sad that this poor man was harassed and brought down by his own chosen religious group who did not act according to what they supposedly believe.

Jan 11th
Reply

it

não é só corrigir, é educar. trés bien!

Dec 29th
Reply (1)

Chanaka Hettige

This was beyond beautiful ❤️

Dec 23rd
Reply

Chanaka Hettige

Thanks for this guys. It was intriguing. And thinking back to my motherland, Sri Lanka, it's not so different from the situation in Pakistan. Luckily, not that worse!

Dec 21st
Reply

Chanaka Hettige

Hey! That sound like our experience in US.! 🤣

Dec 2nd
Reply
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