One bottle of molt paste please

I had an interesting run-in with my Chinese foreign exchange roommate the other day. She came into my room asking where she could buy molt paste. I repeated the phrase wondering if I heard her correctly. Molt paste? She said yes, either molt or moult. There spellings are used interchangeably with the same definition of—

To shed periodically part or all of a coat or an outer covering, such as feathers, cuticle, or skin, which is then replaced by a new growth.

Rubbing her arm, she tried to explain what molt paste was- “something to take it off.” I assumed she meant hair removal and she went to get her electronic translation device to verify. Yes, a hair removal was what she was looking for and asked if that was a paste/lotion or “the little knife” (razor). I told her it could be either and that she could find it at Target. So a few days later she demanded I take her to Target. We have a slight language barrier. She does not know enough grammar and vocabulary to ask things in a more polite way so comments and questions always sound demanding. It’s actually amusing at times because it is not her fault; though she is here to learn English better.

At Target I found Nair and showed it to her. She tried reading the directions and I had to explain most of them from what “apply an even layer” was to “rinse off thoroughly”. It was slightly awkward. She refused to touch the razors, and decided to try the Nair.

Translation from one language to another can be tricky at times, and though pocket electronic dictionaries can make it easier to look up the words you want, they can sometimes be unreliable. She must have tried to translate her normal hair removal lotion from Chinese to English. Molt makes sense in a way, especially if you happen to be a bird. The manufacturers coding the words in these dictionaries must throw in a few curveballs for giggles at the expense of their consumers.