Pavel Kuljuk's cat, Dora, sits in a window in eastern Ukraine. Pavel Kuljuk hide caption
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.

Rough Translation
From NPR
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.
Most Recent Episodes
Brandie Diamond stands by her FedEx Custom Critical truck in a Walmart Supercenter parking lot in Columbus, Ohio. Meg Vogel for NPR hide caption
Author Chibundu Onuzo attends the Cliveden Literary Festival in 2021. David Levenson/Getty Images hide caption
Our personas at work are not what they used to be. Sarah Gonzales for NPR hide caption
Founder of LEAP Africa Ndidi Nwuneli attends Barnard College's Global Symposium in 2015. J. Countess/Getty Images hide caption
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? Sarah Gonzales for NPR hide caption
Young women eat lunch in the Tuileries Garden in Paris in January 1929. Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images hide caption
In China, overwork is common and exhaustion is socially acceptable. Those who opt out of the grind are seen as a threat. Sarah Gonzales for NPR hide caption
Office workers leave at the end of a working day in a mini business district in central Moscow on March 14, 2019. Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption