The 1905 treaty draft between Russia and Japan showcased a significant linguistic misunderstanding. In the document, the terms used in French and English were treated as synonymous, leading to confusion. While the English term "control" implies dominance and power, the French "contrôler" simply refers to the act of inspecting or overseeing something.

This crucial difference in meaning nearly jeopardized the treaty's success. Such examples highlight the complexities of language, particularly in diplomatic contexts, and emphasize the importance of precise terminology in international agreements, as illustrated in Bill Bryson's book, "The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way."