Language is a political hot potato in Brussels. Many people insist on the right to communicate in their own language, which makes for some wonderful misunderstandings. There are so many notions, nostrums, maxims, and cast-iron beliefs about language rights (credit: Lee Childs) that no one in their right mind has ever dared to challenge the system of interpretation and translation into 24 languages in EU Brussels.

English is the primary after-hours language, and French is spoken only when everyone present speaks it. Very few non-Belgians, like few French-speaking Belgians, try to speak Dutch, the native tongue of 60% of the country.