Writing for a Global Audience? Be Careful How You Say It
http://www.iabc.com/cwb/archive/2006/0706/workingwords.htm

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz
Communication World Bulletin
2006

Abstract:

Basic miscommunication can litter the path to understanding—and worse. You may recall that a few years ago the Mars Climate Orbiter failed to achieve the correct altitude for its orbit of Mars, and was destroyed by atmospheric pressure—all due to a little misunderstanding. It seems that some crucial data had been calculated in English units, while the navigation team had expected to receive metric units and used the data that way.