A funny linguistic subway experience

From: "Christophe Grandsire"

> I first want to share with you an interesting experience I had in the
subway two
> days ago:
> I was coming back from work (it was already 9:30pm!) and was in the
Parisian
> subway. A man standing in front of me (who was quite sympathetic or
completely
> drunk, I'm not sure :) ) was trying to talk to another one sitting next to
me,
> but the first one didn't speak French, but only Spanish, while the second
one
> didn't understand Spanish. So I proposed myself to translate,
Reminds me of an old Lucille Ball routine. Lucy and Ricky are travelling in
Paris, and Lucy, zany gal that she is, somehow (I forget) gets into trouble
with the French authorities. Lucy is trying to communicate with the gendarme
in charge, but she only speaks English and he only speaks French. So a
translation line is formed: only-English speaking Lucy talks to husband
Ricky who speaks English and Spanish; he speaks to a guy picked up for
public drunkenness who speaks Spanish and German; he speaks to an inferior
officer who speaks German and French; and he speaks to the department chief
who speaks only French. Much mugging, schticking, and hilarity ensue...

Kou