Lost In Translation

This is what happens when you send the Husband out on an errand.

I asked Stephen to buy 15 sticks of satay from our favourite roadside hawker on his way back from work. Here in Jakarta, most roadside hawkers do not understand a word of English so we usually communicate with a mixture of broken Bahasa Indonesia and sign language.

Just before Stephen stepped out of the car to place his order, Stephen had the following conversation with Jamhuri, our driver:

Stephen: What's 15 in Bahasa Indonesia?
Jamhuri: Lima puluh (which is 50 in Bahasa. I suppose you can imagine the mayhem that's about to follow.)
Stephen: Ok. Thanks!

Stephen told the hawker that he wanted "lima puluh" sticks of satay ayam and 2 lontong (ketupats). He was feeling so proud of himself for ordering in Bahasa. The hawker was very happy to take his order and proceeded to pile on sticks after sticks of satay on the grill.

Stephen: Stop stop stop (gesticulating wildly)! I only want lima puluh (when he actually meant lima belas).
Hawker: Ya ya (points to grill). Lima puluh!

Stephen, sensing something was amiss, decided to get Jamhuri.

Stephen: Jamhuri, I only want FIFTEEN sticks of satay.
Jamhuri: Yes. Fifteen. Lima puluh.
Stephen: No No that's too much!
Jamhuri: Ya! I think too much also. I think better for you FIFTY sticks. Lima belas. Lima puluh too many sticks for you!
Stephen: But but but...
Jamhuri: Oh! Sorry sir! I thought you wanted FIFTEEN sticks. FIFTEEN is LIMA PULUH. FIFTY is LIMA BELAS.
Stephen: *LOST*

And for those of you who are, like the Husband, equally lost, 15 is lima belas while 50 is lima puluh. Jamhuri thought it was the other way around in English (Fifty = 15 and Fifteen = 50). The clueless Husband didn't know any better ended up ordering 50 sticks when all he wanted was 15. We eventually wound up with 50 sticks of satay and had to share them with Jamhuri and the guards.