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Podcast Playlist

Podcasts about the things that get lost in translation

Learn how language can sometimes be frustrating, awkward and downright confusing.
CBC Radio ·
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

I was not expecting to like this podcast.

A podcast by author and vlogger John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed rates "different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale." It considers Hawaiian Pizza (2 stars) alongside Viral Meningitis (1 star). But the podcast is a delight. It's a gem of literary wit and weirdness - a vehicle to whip around and see the world from a brand new angle. To marvel at the Canada Goose, and to wonder at the history of the pineapple.

Overall, I think The Anthropocene Reviewed is a worthy and fresh addition to your subscriptions.
I give this podcast 4 stars, because I don't believe anything can be perfect.

- Lindsay Michael, Host & Sr. Producer, Podcast Playlist

Podcasts featured this week:

  • Hidden Brain - Learning new languages can help us understand other cultures and countries. Cognitive science professor Lera Boroditsky says the languages we speak can do more than that—they can shape how we see the world in profound ways. Click here to listen to the full episode.

  • The Allusionist - Pavement/sidewalk; football/soccer; bum bag/fanny pack: we know that the English language is different in the UK and the USA. But why? Linguist Lynne Murphy points out the geographical, cultural and social influences that separate the common language. Click here to listen to the full episode.

  • Kanata Pod - In Canada - there are approximately 60 distinct Indigenous languages, from 10 different language families. In BC, they're very linguistically diverse within a relatively small geography. A fear for many First Nations is the idea of losing the language, or have it go extinct with the absence of new, fluent language speakers. Click here to listen to the full episode.
     
  • The Longest Shortest Time - Meet a dad who speaks five languages makes the case for teaching his kid only one. English.  Click here to listen to the full episode.
     
  • Plus, an interview with Radio Atlas creator Eleanor McDowall. Radio Atlas is an English-language home for subtitled audio from around the world. A place to hear inventive documentaries, dramas and works of sound art that have been made in languages you don't necessarily speak.

Radio Atlas:

People are making compelling, engaging audio in countries all over the world, but it's not always in English.

That's where Radio Atlas comes in. It takes radio documentaries in other languages and sets them to videos of timed English captions. The effect is like watching a well-made subtitled foreign film -- you almost forget that you aren't hearing it in your own language.

Here are a few great pieces from the Radio Atlas archives: Stairway to Heaven, In Boxer Shorts, The Last Act, On Top.

Listen to the full length Canadian Broadcast Version:

What's your favourite new podcast? Email, tweet us @PodcastPlaylist, or find us on Facebook.

For more great podcasts, check out CBC's podcast portal, subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

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