Fifth Floor

Latest Episodes:

Translating President Trump Feb 03, 2017

Show notes

The new president of the United States has set a challenge to interpreters and translators. His off the cuff, informal style sometimes makes it hard to convey his exact meaning in other languages - even in English it can be unclear. We explore the intricacies of translating Trump into Farsi and French with BBC Persian's Siavash Ardalan and BBC Afrique's Olivier Weber.

Colombia's other war Much has been made of the peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group to end five decades of conflict. But less is heard about the war with another rebel group, the ELN, or National Liberation Army. But now peace talks are set to begin. Natalio Cosoy of BBC Mundo recently visited the town of Saravena close to the Venezuelan border, an area where the ELN is active.

Yours respectfully - deference around the world Cameroonian Sports Minister Pierre Ismaël Bidoung Kpwatt was recently pictured bowing down dramatically low to shake the hand of President Paul Biya. This display of extreme deference kicked off a social media trend, with people competing to adopt the lowest, most theatrical bows and handshakes. So how is deference expressed in different countries, and can it be taken too far?

Somalia election coverage After months of delays, Somalia has finally nailed a date for its presidential election and BBC Somali are getting ready to cover it. Easier said than done in a country emerging from decades of war, where the electoral process is potentially tortuous and journalists face constant security risks. Mohammud Ali of BBC Somali in Nairobi is organising the team as they prepare for this historic election.

"Broken neck girl" Every week, Marwa Mamoon of BBC Arabic ransacks history books and other archives for her weekly radio programme Story Shop. She recently found a story embedded in an everyday phrase used by Egyptian mothers to scold naughty daughters. It translates literally as "broken neck girl" and goes back to the sad fate of a Cairo aristocrat after the French invasion.

And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web.

Image: President Trump of the United States of America. Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

Tips on Surviving Chinese New Year Jan 27, 2017

Show notes

How to survive Chinese New Year It's Chinese New Year, with millions on the move to be with their families. But some young Chinese say they're fed up with what awaits them when they finally get home - a grilling about their personal lives. Yashan Zhao from BBC Hong Kong explains why Chinese New Year can be such a mixed experience. The secret of a long life? Devote yourself to art. Everyone wants to know the secret of a happy and healthy old age. It seems that in Nepal, it helps to be an artist. The BBC's Sewa Bhattarai has interviewed several artists in their 90s, still active and creative - like Nepal's 98-year-old national poet Madhav Prasad Ghimire.

The unexpected president The latest hit tv comedy series in Ukraine is about an ordinary guy who against all expectations suddenly finds himself president of his country, elected on a brief to clean out political elites. Servant of the People has got everybody talking, as we hear from Anastasiya Gribanova of BBC Ukraine.

Sahrawi refugees BBC Arabic reporter Sally Nabil has had rare access to the 'forgotten refugees' from the disputed territory of Western Sahara who have lived in Algerian refugee camps for 40 years. She spent a week in a camp and heard from inhabitants about the harshness of their lives and their lack of hope about a resolution.

Driving Tests Three men were recently jailed in England for taking money from learner drivers to impersonate them and pass their tests on their behalf. That led us to seek driving test stories from other countries. Which tests are fiendishly difficult, and which are worryingly easy?

And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web.

Image: Chinese lion dance in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province of China to welcome the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year. Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Hanging On To The Keys Jan 20, 2017

Show notes

As the Obamas leave the White House to make way for the Trumps, we hear about some less smooth handovers of official residences. Venezuelan Patricia Sulbaran of BBC Mundo, Sammy Darko in Ghana and BBC Hindi's Shivaani Kohok share tales of presidents, officials and family members who have become rather too attached to their state-owned homes.

You've been scammed... Police in central China have raided a tourist attraction they say was tricking people into visiting a fake Terracotta Army. Tourists have always been prey to scams and con-artists, including our Fifth Floor language service colleagues, who share tales of tricksters from around the world.

Soviet jazz Alexander Kan of BBC Russian grew up as a citizen of the USSR. He felt few regrets with the recent 25th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union, but he admits a nostalgia for Soviet jazz. He shares some of his favourite pieces from a rich tradition little known beyond the Iron Curtain.

'Sitting the Month' New mothers in China traditionally spent 30 days in near isolation from the outside world, and recently luxury hotels have been springing up to cater for women who want to sit their month in style. Laureen Leung from BBC Chinese in London and Daisy Li from the BBC Beijing bureau share insights and experiences.

Miami lunchboxes It's a busy week for BBC Miami with the inauguration of President Trump, but not so busy that there's no time for lunch. Emilio San Pedro recently visited and shared a culinary tour of South America with Uruguayan Ana Pais of BBC Mundo, and BBC Monitoring colleagues Rafael Abuchaibe and Claudia Plazas, both from Colombia.

And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web.

Image: A set of house keys. Credit: Barnaby Perkins, BBC

Farewell to Rafsanjani Jan 13, 2017

Show notes

This week's funeral of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani drew an estimated 2.5 million mourners. Rana Rahimpour of BBC Persian shares her memories of Rafsanjani, and explains why one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Revolution was mourned by so many reformists.

Where are Gambia's judges? Gambian President Yahya Jammeh claims he won't leave office until the Gambian Supreme Court rules on his request to re-run the election. Quite when this will be is uncertain, as the Supreme Court doesn't have enough judges to operate. Hassan Arouni of BBC Africa explains this mysterious shortage.

Tamil Nadu's Jallikattu ban Jallikattu, or bull taming, was an integral part of Tamil Nadu's harvest festival until banned in 2014 on account of animal welfare and human safety. Youths used to chase the bulls and try to snatch money hung from their horns; though not Swaminathan Natarajan, who grew up in the state, and has been following the story.

Menstruation huts: my experience The death in December of a Nepalese girl banished to a "menstruation hut" during her period shocked the international media. Krishnamaya Upadhyaya is a journalist in the western district of Jumla and shared her own experiences as a young woman growing up in a remote village in Jumla, and today.

Kenya's Uhuru challenge Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is facing ridicule on social media over his apparent love of grand opening ceremonies for modest projects. Why open a footbridge, when you can launch a "non-motorised motor project" instead? Abdinoor Aden in Nairobi shares Kenyans' online wit now called "The Uhuru Challenge".

And Fifi Haroon celebrates the wilder corners of the world wide web.

Image: Iranians gather around a hearse carrying the coffin of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Tracking Turkey's Mysterious Murders Jan 06, 2017

Show notes

Russian assassins strike in Turkey; shaping perfect eyebrows in Afghanistan; life along militarised walls; handball in the Arab World, family feud thrilling Indian politics.

Photo Credit: OZAN KOSE-AFP-Getty Images.

Watching the World Dec 30, 2016

Show notes

Wars, revolutions, chubby squirrels and jihadi hairstyles. All in a day's work for the multilingual journalists of BBC Monitoring, with David Amanor.

Image: TV news monitors with stories from around the world Credit: BBC

Saudi Women: Small Steps Towards Change Dec 23, 2016

Show notes

A year after Saudi women participated and voted in municipal elections for the first time, BBC Arabic's Hanan Razek has been back to see what's changed in the kingdom. She also tracked down the 'Niqabi Comedian' to find out why this mystery woman is making so many people laugh.

Odd insults There's been a lot of heavy news in 2016, but on the Fifth Floor we like to spread a bit of happiness, and when one of our morsels of merriment was picked as a "laugh out loud moment of 2016", it seemed the right moment to share it again. So in a year where political insults took a rather undiplomatic turn, we asked colleagues for more creative and nuanced insults from their home countries.

Highlights and happiness 2016 has been an eventful year on the news agenda. We ask Famil Ismailov of BBC Russian, Fernando Duarte of BBC Brasil, Victoria Uwonkunda of BBC Africa and Hanan Razek of BBC Arabic for their stand out moments, and the good news stories that sometimes get left behind.

Jihadi daughters' fashion Why has a fashion magazine article about three stylish Afghan women caused such a stir in Afghanistan? It turns out two of them come from prominent jihadi families, and photographs of them without their heads covered have broken a social taboo. Mariam Aman of BBC Persian has been looking at the reactions - positive as well as negative.

Why the Chinese love "Titanic" A full size replica of the Titanic is being built in the landlocked Chinese province of Sichuan, complete with bars and ballrooms. The Chinese obsession with the Titanic relates more to the film than the ship, and after its 1998 release there it became a pop culture phenomenon. Yashan Zhao of BBC Chinese is a fan, and explains why the film had such massive appeal.

(Image: Woman casting her ballot in last December's elections, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Credit: AFP/Getty Images.)

Searching for a Fake News Factory Dec 16, 2016

Show notes

Fake news; Gambia re-visited; Daredevils of Sassoun; Dakar workouts; Polygon timewarp

Gambia's Political Earthquake Dec 09, 2016

Show notes

Image: Adama Barrow, Gambia's President-elect, gesturing to the crowd in Kololi, Gambia. Credit: Joe Sinclair/AFP/Getty Images

Unravelling an Uzbek Mystery Dec 02, 2016

Show notes

Image: Gulnara Karimova at a press conference during Style.Uz Art Week 2013 in Tashkent Credit: Yves Forestier/Getty Images for Style.Uz Art Week 2013

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected