Conrad played with languages throughout his career. He knew Polish, French, and English well, German, Italian, Spanish, and Malay more superficially. Russian he ignored. 'Lord Jim' occupies a privileged position in his complex games. Spanish and Italian are present in other novels, French in many works. In 'Lord Jim', Stein appears as the most refined of several germanophones, and the robustly monoglot French lieutenant enables Conrad to display his mastery -- considerable though not unfailing -- of the arts of translation and linguistic mimicry. Polyglot wordplay is a significant part of his achievement in Lord Jim.