>Using my native tongue - which I love dearly for its precision, notably on grammar - I still long for English for the wide palette of wordings available.

>Whatever the issue, you have always a bunch of alternatives. A bit impressionistic sometimes... but always rich in flavour. Never an issue for me to produce an English version of my software. Should I miss the word, I certainly can tap google for synonyms. The French strings are always more difficult to find. I often miss the concise wording that would perfectly fit the form button or the dialog box!

That's the trouble with precise languages vs. English - you need a few more characters on the button, but OTOH you don't need to drop three good expressions to settle for fourth, which is weaker, not as close to the intended meaning, but is less ambiguous and will not cause maintenance calls.

Just look at the proposed word 'settlement'. The most common meaning is out, because this is currency, so not even I would ask "ah, an old Spanish settlement... or of some natives before?". But two other common meanings remain - settlement between two parties, reached after some negotiations, in or out of court, or, ah, I'd never guess, a consideration (!) ("a million dollars - you're so considerate"). Likewise the "negotiable instruments" - what, do I need to bring my negotiators and the white flag to get that violin?

[set rant off]