Gregory Warner
Host, Rough Translation
Gregory Warner is the host and creator of NPR's Rough Translation, a podcast that tells stories from far off places that hit close to home. Whether interviewing Ukrainians about the use of jokes on war's front lines, a Japanese apology broker navigating different cultural meanings of the word "sorry" or a German dating coach helping a Syrian refugee find love, Warner's storytelling approach takes us out of our echo chambers. Rough Translation has received multiple awards from the Overseas Press Club and was named one of the New York Times' top ten podcasts of 2021.
In his role as host, Warner draws on his own overseas experience. As NPR's East Africa correspondent, he covered the diverse issues and voices of a region that experienced unparalleled economic growth as well as a rising threat of global terrorism. Before joining NPR, he reported from conflict zones around the world as a freelancer. He climbed mountains with smugglers in Pakistan for This American Life, descended into illegal mineshafts in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Marketplace's "Working" series, and lugged his accordion across Afghanistan on the trail of the "Afghan Elvis" for Radiolab.
Warner has also worked as senior reporter for American Public Media's Marketplace, endeavoring to explain the economics of American health care. He's used puppets to illustrate the effects of Internet diagnostics on the doctor-patient relationship, and composed a Suessian poem to explain the correlation between health care job growth and national debt. His musical journey into the shadow world of medical coding won a Best News Feature award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival.
Warner has won a Peabody Award and awards from Edward R. Murrow, New York Festivals, AP and PRNDI. He was named a Poynter Fellow in Journalism at Yale University.
