Have you ever sat and thought about what you’re reading this on?

You’re reading an article on the internet on a machine, whether a smart phone, tablet or a computer, through which you can harness almost all of the knowledge that humanity has ever learned with the click of a button. Or a Google search.

So, with that in mind, take a minute and tell me what language is spoken in Pakistan?

That wasn’t too tough, was it? Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult for somebody (an “editor”) at DC Comics when putting together Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #2 which hit shelves December 30, 2015.

Part of the issue takes place in Shimshal, Pakistan, a village located in the northern region of the country. In the issue the dialogue appears in English with an * to denote an editor note where it says the language being spoken is “Pakistanian.” The actual language used in that area (according to Wikipedia) is Wakhi. The country’s national language is Urdu and over sixty languages are spoken including Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Kashmiri, Brahui, Shina, Balti, Khowar, Burushaski Yidgha, Dameli, Kalasha, Gawar-Bati, Domaak. Missing from that list, Pakistanian.

It may seem a simple thing to you and I, adding two letters to a word that’s used to describe a native of a country and then assume that’s the language. But think about what it shows to those who are impacted by that lack of research. Speaking to Fusion.net, Khaver Siddiqi  said that “Think of it this way, for some people who read this comic this may or may not be their only exposure to Pakistan. It is offensive (to me) to think that you can’t respect a culture or nation not to do some basic research about its people or language when you are about to use it in your story.”

When Buzzfeed reached out to Siddiqi, he also said that “it makes it all the more funny that they decided to set the scene in a place even I, as a Pakistani, had to look up on Google. But they couldn’t perform a simple Google search for the language. I’m not offended at being called Pakistanian — I’m just offended that nobody had the time to do one Google search. That’s all. Spoiled the story for me.”

The solution is, in this case, extremely simple – either spending the thirty or forty seconds to hit up Google, or talking to an actual Pakistani person – Twitter is a great resource for this. 

Performing due diligence and research for a story you are writing, or drawing, is always important. When a brief look at Wikipedia can answer a question, especially when you’re not fully certain of the answer, then you avoid a situation where you’re being called out for a simple two letter mistake that can quite easily cause more offense than you ever dreamed.