Podcasts are
an excellent way of keeping abreast of current affairs, keeping up our language
skills, and keeping our delicate cochleae safe from the hullabaloo made by
irksome fellow passengers on aeroplanes. And after all, what more do we live
for?
So in this
month’s blog we’re featuring a short selection in four languages (English,
Spanish, French and Portuguese) that may come in handy vis-à-vis the
abovementioned existential objectives. Please share any others you know of in
the comments section below!
ENGLISH
US
The World in Words – PRI (weekly, 20-25 mins)
“The World in Words podcast is about
language — everything from bilingual education to the globalization of
English to Icelandic insults.”
UK
The Allusionist - “Small adventures in language with Helen Zaltzman”
(fortnightly, approx 20 mins)
Etymology, words
in the news, words in literature, language and the brain… WITH transcripts and
extras including further reading and listening. Brilliant.
Fry’s English Delight – BBC Radio 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lv1k1
“Stephen Fry explores the highways and byways of the
English language”
Unfortunately,
season 9 just ended so only a couple of episodes are available on iPlayer right
now, but previous seasons, highly recommended, can be bought on CD or as audio
downloads.
Just a Minute - BBC Radio
4
“Panel game in which the contestants are challenged to
speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition on any subject
that comes up on the cards”
Classic British radio comedy, currently in season 77. It’s
also a good game for trainee interpreters to practice their linguistic
flexibility and endurance!
ESPAÑOL
ESPAÑA
Hispanorama – RTVE Radio Exterior
(semanal, 30 mins)
“Reportajes sobre la actualidad
socio-política y cultural de ámbito hispanohablante, con especial atención a
acontecimientos relacionados con América Latina.”
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/hispanorama/
ARGENTINA
Economista del medio (semanal, duración
variable)
https://goo.gl/fmYXti
“Podcasts
de economía. Lenguaje coloquial, coyuntura económica y algo de teoría
discutida.”
PORTUGUÊS
PORTUGAL
A beleza das pequenas
coisas (semanal, 1 hora)
http://expresso.sapo.pt/podcasts/a-beleza-das-pequenas-coisas
“Conversas pelo país conduzidas por Bernardo
Mendonça com as mais variadas personagens que contam histórias maiores do que a
vida. Ou tão simples como ela pode ser.”
BRASIL
Café Brasil (periodicidade
variável)
“Falamos
de comportamento, cultura, economia, saúde, educação, liderança,
empreendedorismo e muitos outros temas que ocupam nossas vidas, sempre
procurando chamar a atenção para um ponto de vista diferente daquele praticado
pelo senso comum.”
With full transcripts
on the website, Portuguese is worth learning for this podcast alone!
FRANÇAIS
L’AFRIQUE EN SOLO – France Inter (chaque samedi,
1 heure)
“Soro Solo raconte les Afriques en
musique. Société, cultures, traditions, modernités, légendes… On y trouve de
tout, même un ami.”
Une semaine d’actualité – RFI (chaque samedi,
1 heure)
http://www.rfi.fr/emission/une-semaine-actualite
« L’actualité africaine et internationale de la
semaine, passée en revue avec un invité. »
Les enjeux internationaux – France Culture (lundi-vendredi, 10 mins)
https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/les-enjeux-internationaux
“Un éclairage quotidien
sur les événements de l'actualité internationale, les tendances durables de la
géopolitique, de la diplomatie, de l'économie ou de la démographie.”
https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/les-enjeux-internationaux
Last but not
least, when the day of toil is done, make sure you aren’t going to have to
resort to talking shop or tongue wagging over dinner with a bit of this: http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/
