Rough Translation
Our expectations of work are changing. Whether you're a cubicle-dweller, side gig hustler, or blue-collar breadwinner, we're all experiencing some major changes to the idea of what a workplace should look and feel like. Can the culture of work change too?
In this latest season of Rough Translation, we'll be traveling the globe to see how people are shifting their relationship to their jobs. From the mysterious man who inspired a "slacker revolution" in China to an American trans woman trucker changing the rules of the road, and from to the new codes of small talk in the Brazilian metaverse, to the ways that a war can change how Ukrainians look at work (and how work can change how they see a war). We explore what happens when international workplace norms are challenged both by local customs and homegrown rule-breakers.
In this latest season of Rough Translation, we'll be traveling the globe to see how people are shifting their relationship to their jobs. From the mysterious man who inspired a "slacker revolution" in China to an American trans woman trucker changing the rules of the road, and from to the new codes of small talk in the Brazilian metaverse, to the ways that a war can change how Ukrainians look at work (and how work can change how they see a war). We explore what happens when international workplace norms are challenged both by local customs and homegrown rule-breakers.
Язык: en-us
by NPR
Fan Favorites: How to Speak Bad English
10 May 2023
00:38:07
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 [email protected] a...
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 [email protected] a...
Fan Favorites: Dream Boy and the Poison Fans
26 April 2023
00:39:27
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
12 April 2023
00:36:49
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.
This Is Not A Goodbye
31 March 2023
00:02:13
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.
Ukraine: The Handoff
03 February 2023
00:31:17
We travel to Ukraine to find a shipment of abortion pills, and discover a complicated conversation about pregnancy and choice in wartime. Part 2 of our collaboration with Radiolab.
Ukraine: Under The Counter
20 January 2023
00:40:59
One weekend. An amateur smuggling operation. A wartime mission. The story, in collaboration with Radiolab.
The Cat Must Still Be Fed
03 August 2022
00:39:56
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.
[email protected]: Miles To Go Before I'm Me
13 July 2022
00:31:48
726 miles in one day. Gas station sushi. Mysterious loading docks. We hit the road with American women who found long-haul trucking as a means of escape and self-transformation.
[email protected]: Miles To Go Before I'm Me
726 miles in one day. Gas station sushi. Mysterious loading docks. We hit the road with American women who found long-haul trucking as a means of escape and self-transformation.
[email protected]: Home Is Where The Hustle Is
06 July 2022
00:26:36
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.
[email protected]: Home Is Where The Hustle Is
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'[email protected]: The Right Persona for the Job
29 June 2022
00:33:57
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.
You'[email protected]: The Right Persona for the Job
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.
[email protected]: Epic Fails & Failure Epics
22 June 2022
00:30:19
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.
[email protected]: Epic Fails & Failure Epics
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.
[email protected]: Your Country's Brand Is Escape, But You Can't
15 June 2022
00:41:26
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?
[email protected]: Your Country's Brand Is Escape, But You Can't
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?
[email protected]: When Eating at Your Desk Is Forbidden
08 June 2022
00:30:48
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.
[email protected]: When Eating at Your Desk Is Forbidden
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.
[email protected]: A Song for the Exhausted
01 June 2022
00:40:44
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?
[email protected]: A Song for the Exhausted
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.
25 May 2022
00:02:45
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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