Issue #3 out now

Translator Issue #3 brings you long-form journalism, reportage and non-fiction from Korea, South Africa, Greece, China, Italy and beyond - translated into English.

Featured Articles

Trouble in the Albanian Alps

How a scheme to boost economic development in Albania’s mountainous north could end up enriching a few, harming the environment and angering its neighbours. There are few true mountain wildernesses...

A Communist history of hip-hop

East Germany’s little-known musical history and the ongoing fight for recognition Breakdancing, rapping, DJing and graffiti may not be the first things that come to mind when one thinks of...

Ebola isn’t the only crisis unfolding in the DRC

How a political power struggle could distract from eradication efforts An already deadly and worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is compounded by the ruling government’s...

End of the line for Kyrgyzstan’s women drivers

A journalist set out to profile the women trolleybus drivers of Bishkek. What she found was a means of transport – and way of life – on the brink of...

Nepal’s silent epidemic

The devastating human and financial toll of surging non-communicable diseases Writing for Nepal’s leading digital news portal, Online Khabar, Pushparaj Chaulagain warns us of an epidemic: the sharp rise in non-communicable...

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Street Talk

Tehran: The price of now; spiraling infration and currency collapse

In Iran, we have a common joke: "I fell and felt something break. Thank God it was my leg and not my phone!" Yes, it's irrational. Your body should be...

Karachi: Surveillance, panic and chaos: the price the people pay for safer streets

Rapper Kashan Ali calls himself a ‘middle-class lover boy’. His Instagram reels score thousands of views, featuring music on broken hearts, unrequited love, cricket, and most recently, e-challans. Over a...

Kyoto: Zen and the art of being a tour guide

“Is there a good place to scatter my mother’s ashes?” This question came from a traveller visiting from the UK. He had a pensive gaze. His mother, he said, had...

Gaza: How genocide has transformed the daily lexicon

*This article was written in December 2025 under the prevailing conditions at that time. Genocide changed Gaza’s shape. But it also twisted time itself by the neck, rewired daily routines,...

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Our free weekly newsletter curates and summarises the most compelling journalism and reportage from languages other than English. From investigative pieces to cultural essays, Overheard helps you break free from your monolingual media bubble.

Feb 8, 2026
Latest Dispatch: Issue #52
Curated by Zanta M

The piñata’s journey from Italy to Mexico reveals how objects carry meaning across borders—transforming, adapting, yet somehow remaining true to their essence.

This week’s dispatch explores cultural migration through unexpected objects: Libyan oil infrastructure, Mexican piñatas, and Japanese tea ceremonies exported to California. Each story reveals how translation extends far beyond words.