In a country famed for its politeness, you have to take care not to offend, or to be perceived to offend, when expressing an opinion that may differ from those held by people about whom you are expressing the opinion. An expression might well be perceived as a prejudicial. Hint: the country is not South Africa, although, on second thoughts, this may also apply to South Africa.

When visiting countries abroad, and being able to converse in a language other than English, one might be lured into the false sense of security that you might well not be understood. You might believe that the odds are very small, possibly even quite remote, that someone would be able to understand you.

This is particularly the case when you are visiting Europe from the southernmost country on the African continent. Come to think of it, the most unfortunate thing about a country being called South Africa is that its name is perceived as a geographical description rather than the name of a country. It is true that – when people from the African continent visit Europe and Europeans ask them where they come from and, on informing them, the Europeans do not recognise the country name – the fall-back position is to make mention of a geographical area – something like “I am from East Africa”. But I digress.

If you believe that you would not be understood on your travels abroad, be aware that there is a singular word that you should avoid using at all costs. A singular word. No, it is not a swear word. It is a word that has seemingly seamlessly crossed borders and cultures and has embedded into almost all languages.

As you contemplate what the word could be, it, of course, appears in the English language. But the Americans will no doubt take issue with this mention and no doubt contest and protest that they do not speak English, but rather American. If you have to cross out English-speaking countries (including British overseas territories such as Gibraltar) across the world, the use of the word would account for a significant geographical part of our planet. I have no doubt that the word is also used on the oceans and the seas.

The word in question is ‘idiot’. According to Wikipedia, an idiot, dolt, dullard or (archaically) mome is an individual perceived to be lacking intelligence or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way. Words that in the past have been used alongside ‘idiot’, such as moron, imbecile and cretin (an archaic word that referred to the intellectually dis- abled) have all since gained specialised meanings in modern times. An idiot is said to be idiotic and to suffer from idiocy.

The word ‘idiot’ is derived from the Greek ‘idiōtēs’, which means a person lacking professional skill. These were people who were considered incapable of engaging in the public sphere. ‘Idiot’s’ modern meaning dates back to Middle English, around the year 1300, when it meant an uneducated or ignorant person. The meaning of the word ‘idiot’ has evolved, if one can call it that, to now imply an individual with overall bad judgment.

Just how widely used the word is evidenced by the languages in which it appears. What follows is a list of the languages in which it is used and, in brackets, the word as it is written in that language.

In the European languages: Albanian (idiot), Basque (idiota), Catalan (idiota), Croatian (idiot), Czech (idiot), Danish (idiot), Dutch (idioot), English (idiot) [Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, British overseas territories, such as Gibraltar], Estonian (idioot), Finnish (idiootti), Galician (idiota), Hungarian (idióta), Italian (idiota), Latvian (idiots), Lithuanian (idio- tas), Maltese (idjota), Norwegian (idiot), Polish (idiota), Portuguese (idiota), Romanian (idiot), Slovak (idiot), Slovenian (idiot), Spanish (idiota), Swedish (idiot), and Welsh (idiot). In Esperanto: (idioto), Catalan (idiota), Croatian (idiot), Czech (idiot), Danish (idiot), Dutch (idioot), English (idiot) [Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, British overseas territories, including Gibraltar], Estonian (idioot), Finnish (idiootti), Galician (idiota), Hungarian (idióta), Italian (idiota), Latvian (idiots), Lithuanian (idiotas), Maltese (idjota), Norwegian (idiot), Polish (idiota), Portuguese (idiota), Romanian (idiot), Slovak (idiot), Slovenian (idiot), Spanish (idiota), Swedish (idiot), and Welsh (idiot). In Esperanto (idioto).

In Asian languages: Azerbaijani (idiot), Georgian (idiot) and Lao (idiot). In African languages: Afrikaans (idioot), Swahili (idiot) and Zulu (idiot).

So, what are you to do when someone conveys to you that to which might normally react by rolling your eyes and even offer a one-word summation, or expression, even if doing so under your breath – ‘idiot’? How would you phrase a non-offensive response?

In the consulting environment, clients tend to want you to do everything to ensure that you (as their consultant) achieves their desired, and self-satisfying, outcome. In doing so, the client tends to offer their own interpretation and ‘insights’ of the law, regulations and the associated provisions, which, in a word, is ‘wrong’.

The most diplomatic and non-offensive response to offer, I am told, is to simply say, “I am unable to replicate your thinking”.