Completely lost in translation

It would be too much to expect perfect translations when authorities get even the most basic terms wrong.

At an academic meet on human mobility several years ago, a French scholar was beginning to look visibly uncomfortable before she ventured to ask why some participants were bandying about the term ‘alien’ when referring to a certain category of people in the United States. She was probably protesting that people be spared that descriptor because it conjured up images of ‘alien-looking’ creatures made famous by sci-fi movies, and, for those of a certain generation, comic books as well. It was only after she was informed that that was how the US government referred to everyone not an American citizen did she appear somewhat mollified.