“I want to know all possible translations, Hector.”

“Sir, it’s not necessarily an ambiguous phrase…” Hector began.

“Look, I know you translators are conditioned to deal with people who think there’s a one-to-one correspondence between every word in every language, but I have enough classes under my belt to know that’s not true. Did you ever hear the story of Prime Minister Suzuki and the Potsdam Declaration?”

Hector looked thoroughly perplexed. “Um…”

“When the Allies demanded that the Japanese Empire surrender unconditionally in the Potsdam Declaration, Suzuki used the word mokusatsu to describe the government’s response. That particular word was a favorite of Japanese politicians because it could mean anything from ‘no comment’ to ‘ignore it’ to ‘silent contempt.’ Needless to say, the translator on our side opted for the latter, and our response was pithy and very much to the point in the form of atomic weapons. That’s what I mean by all possible translation, Hector.”