This man could not speak a word of French, so he secured the services of
a so-called "interpreter guide." It was proposed to select a
representative for the company from among a number of firms in a certain
large French seaport. The firm chosen was to receive and pay for
consignments through a local bank and act generally for the American
company.

Friend "interpreter guide" said he knew all the big business houses in
the city, so he selected a firm which the American accepted without
making the slightest investigation. A bank agreed to take care of the
shipments and the whole transaction was quickly concluded. The American
grabbed the papers in the case (and I might add without the formality of
having them examined by a third party) and left France immensely
impressed with the ease and swiftness with which business could be
transacted with that country.

But there was an unexpected and unfortunate sequel to this performance.
A few months later another officer of this American company came
post-haste to France to straighten out an ugly tangle. It developed that
the French firm chosen by the "interpreter guide" was not of the highest
standing: that the interpreter, for reasons and profits best known to
himself, had entirely misrepresented the conversation, that instead of
paying four per cent for services, the American firm was really paying
about ten. The whole transaction had to be called off and a new one
instituted at considerable expense of time and money.

Another American came to Paris without knowing the language, used an
interpreter every day for nine weeks, and was unable to place a single
order. Yet in this time he spent enough money on his language
intermediary to pay the rent of a suitable office in Paris for a whole