The challenges of intercultural communication are an integral part of many undergraduate business communication courses. Marketing gaffes clearly illustrate the pitfalls of translation and underscore the importance of a knowledge of the culture with which one is attempting to communicate. A good way to approach the topic of translation pitfalls in international business communication is to start with the challenge of English idioms. This article discusses a multilayered assignment that demonstrates the hazards and challenges of idioms in the translation process. By making students active decoders and translators, this assignment allows students to experience the potential for misunderstanding when communicators lack a common culture and to realize the rationale for prescriptive warnings about figurative idioms in intercultural communication. (Contains 4 tables.)