When talking about cultural differences, there’s often a fear of saying the wrong thing or perpetuating stereotypes, and Liu’s graphics lighten up the discussion. What began as a visual diary is now meant as a playful guide for people who find themselves lost in translation.

There’s been a lot of talk these days that globalization is dead, even reversing — and for good reason. It seems that many of the factors that had been driving globalization have run out of steam. The growth of trade, which has long outpaced the expansion of the world economy, has slowed in recent years. Negotiations to forge a new global-trade agreement, the Doha Round through the World Trade Organization, have been stalled for years.