The idea is the contexts in which such a statement is chosen to be uttered is important, and not just the possible interpretations of the statement given conten

The idea is the contexts in which such a statement is chosen to be uttered is important, and not just the possible interpretations of the statement given content: just as how the Iranian taxi driver says "death to traffic" offhandedly, so the US driver says "fuck this traffic" offhandedly, and just as the Iranian says "death to the US" offhandedly but not "death to traffic", so the US citizen says "fuck the government" offhandedly. In any case, neither mean to literally destroy or bugger the nation. So to the extent that "death to X" conveys a strong hatred with probable signification of action in English, it is a mistranslation, since "death to X" in Iranian conveys a frustration that has not been analyzed much or that belies an intention for planned action, which is more similar to "fuck X" in English.