What Is It?

Somehow the problem of names for things isn't very high on the radar at the beginning of a science fiction novel. Things have names. everyone knows those names.
What's the problem?
Aliens don't know the names. Aliens have never seen these things before. Aliens need to name these things.
Now comes the disconnect.
I know the names of these things. Yet, as the author, I must pretend I do not know these names. I must pretend I am seeing these things for the very first time. Not only am I seeing them for the very first time, I must see them the way my Carduans see them.
Except my Carduans will no longer really be Carduans. They are not on nor will they, as far as anyone knows, ever return to Cardua. They are now residents of Earth. Except it isn't Earth. It's a new planet with a new name being explored for the very first time.
There is another side to this. Familiarity can make the observer sloppy, keep the observer from really seeing what is right in front of them.
Now I must forget my familiarity with these things. I must see them with new eyes and, perhaps, gain a new perspective and respect for the things I take for granted.