LILLE, France—"Does anyone know who fought the American Civil War?" asked my U.S. civilization professor. "Anyone?" The class of predominately French students offered up an assortment of tentative responses. "It was a war between black and white people," said one girl. "No, that one hasn't happened yet," replied the professor, shooting me an amused glance.

"It was a war between North America and South America," suggested another, who actually got it right once she worked out the grammatical nuances of what she was trying to say. "It was like the film 'Cold Mountain,' with Jude Law," someone said. "Yes," replied the professor, "and when was Jude Law fighting in the Civil War?"

I was reminded of a conversation I'd had at dinner one night with a tall young man from the Netherlands, in which I joked that he fit the stereotype of tall Dutch men. "I think we are among the tallest people in the world," he said. "But I also think Negro men in the United States are very tall." From the expressions of mild shock that registered on the faces of the Americans present, he quickly corrected himself. "I am sorry, African-Americans," he said, explaining that the Dutch term does not have the same negative connotation as the English equivalent.

Ethnically sensitive expressions aren't the only ones that make a less-than-perfect transition between languages. In my French language class, my professor, trying to explain the limits of what classroom French could do for us, said something that amounted to, "I am not Harry Potter. I do not have a magic baguette." My civilization professor had a hard time explaining the implications of the First Amendment. He was trying to describe how people can't stop stores from selling unpopular or controversial books and films, but I believe several French students walked away from the class with the impression that the U.S. government has the power to make stores sell them.

Cultural and linguistic barriers notwithstanding, both the French and international students here have been relatively well-informed about the United States. The students in my civilization class eventually figured out that the Civil War had been fought between the North and the South, and that slavery had been one of the issues at hand. My geography professor, being hounded by one student for details on how tourism statistics are compiled, cheekily replied, "George Bush listens on the phone and finds out where you're going." But I don't think that's true. I think he's listening to see if he can catch any hints about when South America is planning to attack.

After all, someone has to alert Jude Law.

Eccher, a College of Communication sophomore and former Tribune staff member, is studying abroad in France this semester. He talks about his experiences in a column that runs every other Tuesday.