The French colony of Pondicherry was thrust into a state of turmoil as the Indian city's most senior native employee, an interpreter and commercial broker in the service of the French trading company, was imprisoned and found guilty of treason and sedition. The man's trial, subsequent appeals and the ultimate reversal of his sentence were the occasion for extensive French discussions on the difficulties of communicating effectively in a colony. Tamil interpreters played a central role in these discussions. Speaker Danna Agmon is a doctorate degree candidate in the Program in Anthropology and History. Last year she was the Mary Ives Hunting and David D. Hunting, Sr., Graduate Student Fellow in the Institute.