How are the things we're talking about being talked about somewhere else in the world? Gregory Warner tells stories that follow familiar... more
As we head toward a new year, former Rough Translation host Gregory Warner reflects on "goal disengagement" — letting go... more
In this bonus episode of Love Commandos, Gregory Warner interviews musician John Ellis, who composed Rough Translation's original theme music... more
In Episode 5 of Love Commandos, couples seeking to shut down the Love Commandos' shelter band together for a risky... more
On Episode 4 of Love Commandos, couples in the shelter feel pressured to stay indefinitely. We try to figure out... more
On Episode 3 of Love Commandos, stories of life inside the Love Commandos shelter begin to diverge as co-founder Sanjoy... more
On episode 2 of Love Commandos, an inter-caste couple in India hits a breaking point. They make one last-ditch phone... more
When falling in love can mean risking your life, the Love Commandos in India will protect you. But at what... more
They seemed like superheroes. In a country where arranged marriage is the norm, the Love Commandos promise to protect love... more
We leap into the gap between love stories and real life. And hear a sneak peek of Rough Translation's newest... more
Gregory talks "inside baseball" of American English. And we revisit an episode that sparked a lot of conversation among listeners... more
The unlikely places that fandom can take us, and how to know when we've gone too far. This week, we... more
Gregory tells a story about his first job out of college. And we revisit an episode from 2017. Also, what's... more
Our host Gregory Warner reads your tweets and drops some big news about Rough Translation. Subscribe to Gregory's Substack and... more
We travel to Ukraine to follow a shipment of abortion pills, and discover a complicated conversation about pregnancy and choice... more
One weekend. An amateur smuggling operation. A wartime mission. The story, in collaboration with Radiolab.Learn more about sponsor message choices:... more
A hyperlocal news site in Red Hook, N.Y. posts a job opening. A journalist in Ukraine applies. And what readers... more
726 miles in one day. Gas station sushi. Mysterious loading docks. We hit the road with two American women who... more
Nigerian novelist Chibundu Onuzo dreams of returning to Lagos, but she worries she'll struggle to adapt in the city of... more
Who are you at work? In this episode, two stories of people who really commit to embodying their work selves.... more
Many of us think we can't share our stories of failure until we've reached success. Some Mexico City entrepreneurs started... more
When Portugal forbade bosses from contacting employees after hours, international media jumped at the chance to cover the new law.... more
In 2021, France suspended a law that forbids eating lunch at work. We talk to an American teacher relieved to... more
A video ricochets across Chinese offices, and a scooter thief becomes an icon for brewing discontent. Why is a thief... more
We're back @Work. The new season of Rough Translation will tell surprising stories from workplaces and work cultures around the... more
Hundreds of thousands of Russians are leaving Russia. They're facing an uncertain welcome abroad. Poet and writer Linor Goralik joins... more
What can a blank piece of paper, four ballerinas, a scarf and snuff box mean in Russia? A conversation with... more
When Naira calls her parents back home in Russia to talk about the war in Ukraine, they treat her as... more
When protecting a language is used as justification for war, how can its speakers fight back? A conversation with Russian... more
Vladimir Putin joined the KGB at age 23. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy got his early training in a no less... more
The past few years have shaken the fundamental ways we live. It's... disorienting. But it's also an opportunity to reexamine... more
A jazz dance born in Harlem in the 1920s ends up in a tiny Swedish town. What happens when Black... more
An Irish journalist discovers she belongs in a place she's never been. A 6-year-old boy decides he's from another country.... more
You can zoom around the world through sight and sound, but you can't taste at a distance, right? Stories about... more
Marla kept a detailed account of Iraqi civilians harmed by war. How did she recruit people in the U.S. military... more
Marla Ruzicka didn't belong in a war zone. Nobody in Afghanistan knew what to make of her. Until Marla started... more
Two worlds: dress uniforms and foosball tables. The military and Silicon Valley used to work hand in hand. Now, why... more
Alicia's situation raises questions about the VA's caregiver program. And a new diagnosis changes everything for Matt. How will Alicia... more
Alicia Lammers takes on the twin roles of wife and caregiver to her veteran husband. What happens when your husband... more
He's a veteran looking for love. She's a civilian who learns more about war than she ever imagined. Part 1... more
Is it true that "you can't understand" if you've never been to war? In the first episode of our new... more
As the U.S. pulls out of Afghanistan, we look back at a time when Taliban poetry and a local cooking... more
Heather Hansen used to teach people to speak "perfect" English. Until she realized that so-called "bad English" might be a... more
Our favorite McDonald's in Marseille, France has reached its afterlife. It took court cases, spray paint, and the slogan you... more
In the wake of the shootings in Atlanta, a Korean-American writer reconnects with her own family.Learn more about sponsor message... more
Two very different approaches to wooing vaccine skeptics. And how a little FOMO can go a long way.Learn more about... more
What happens when your guidebook isn't written with you in mind? Nanjala Nyabola on her new book: Travelling While Black.Learn... more
Your stories and creative solutions to not quite fitting in.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
From Montréal to Edinburgh, and from São Paulo to Taipei: your stories about belonging, or longing to just be.Learn more... more
France is the place where for decades you weren't supposed to talk about someone's blackness, unless you said it in... more
For close to a year, Talia Lavin went undercover in white supremacist online communities, creating fake personas that would gain... more
What can a young refugee who's survived a war teach a novelist about writing young adult adventure?Learn more about sponsor... more
Just because you can't vote, doesn't mean you're not watching. We crisscross the globe to understand how people see their... more
On this bonus drop, we feature an episode from the NPR podcast Louder Than A Riot called "Lyrics on Trial."Learn... more
After a Ugandan scholar is suspended from her university job, she discovers a new tool for resistance: extreme public rudeness.... more
What if more evangelical Christians in the United States fought climate change with the same spirit they bring to the... more
How does India's caste system play out in the hiring practices of Silicon Valley? And what happens when dominant caste... more
A Chinese idol had millions of fans who adored him for his kindness and good looks. Then, this February, one... more
We're back with a special series, Rough Translation's "School of Scandal," stories about people around the world calling each other... more
One man's mission to get hundreds of his fellow Venezuelans back home from Ecuador in a pandemic, even if it... more
Ireland's "cocooning" policy during the coronavirus lockdown asked people over age 70 to stay at home and not to leave... more
Resolving conflict through consensus is a very Dutch tradition. But how do you compromise when it comes to racism? This... more
Five personal stories from five continents on the global impact of George Floyd.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy... more
The French republic "lives with her face uncovered," say the posters. But now face masks are mandatory. We look back... more
One hundred and eighty recovering COVID-19 patients. One Jerusalem hotel. Secular, religious, Arabs, Jews, old, young. Their phones are out,... more
Back in 2017, we brought you the story of a Chinese mom who hired an American surrogate to carry her... more
Public shame is a powerful tool. But how useful is it when trying to curb a global pandemic? Shaming stories... more
She felt the urgency before her husband did. A story about the time lag between the arrival of the coronavirus... more
This week on Rough Translation, we check in with NPR international correspondents in China, Germany and Greece about the ways... more
A young Chinese exchange student in Taiwan with no history of activism posts a video criticizing China's president Xi Jinping... more
This week, we present the latest episode of NPR's Throughline, a look at the life and complicated legacy of the... more
One hundred and eighty recovering COVID-19 patients. One Jerusalem hotel. Secular, religious, Arabs, Jews, old, young. Their phones are out, they're recording.... more