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Strongly agreed.

But I used to translate Japanese technical manuals into english for a living. I am quite aware that our expected meaning of a phrase, particularly after it's been translated(changed) into english can mean something entirely different. The task from my employer was to clear up such numerous literary situations. Many of the things if translated literally could get an American firm sued by the resulting translation for false claims.

I would have to add stuff like may include, or possible causes, etc.... I remember a version of troubleshooting instructions which translated as "Rotate the Rotating Mechanism". I of course changed it to "Turn the Machine On"

It's very difficult to literally translate Arabic or Farsi. Anyone translating an Arabic text to english will not keep it's original meaning. It's especially true in a society where you must say one thing which may be needed for posturing purposes, but could be really saying something entirely different to a person not versed or even from the region.

I once had a Japanese counterpart who said yes to all of my company's demands which I requested. I was quite pleased with myself as my predicessor had failed at gaining such ground. I immediately announced my success in the form of a memo to everyone in the loop. Two days later an official letter arrived via DHL courrier. It denied every request. I contacted my counterpart and asked him WTF? He acted as though he had no idea why I misunderstood a series of specific "Yes" answers(in Japanese a short "Hi")

What I had failed to consider was that asking one person for absolute answers to something was not possible in Japanese Industrial Culture. It was considered irrational to ask just one person for company decisions. His "Yes" merely meant "Yes I heard you".

Now think of that in terms of "Admiral, shall I push this launch button?"

We know nothing of the Arab and Asian cultures we are presently kicking sand around. Not that understanding them would improve one's soul, but it helps when you're crawling thru their streets. The education system of America really needs to bone up on geography, world history, and world cultures. When I say that I don't mean in PC terms. I mean all the history of such places. The good, bad, and ugly.