Como? What?
Mark Kroon, in particular, has been troubled by this problem on several occasions recently. In one such instance, a player under the gun tossed in a blue T5,000 chip and quietly said, "Cinco mil." Action came around to Kroon in the small blind, and he put out another 800 chips to complete the blind, thinking that the oversize chip was merely a call. The dealer informed him it was 5,000 to play and Kroon was confused for a moment, apologizing for not understanding the betting action.
A few minutes later, Kroon did the same thing himself. From the button, he tossed in a blue chip and said, "Five thousand." There was a single big blind, and he knocked the table, ready to see a free flop. He was informed that the bet was 5,000, and the floor had to be called over to make a ruling.
It is evident that the inherent difficulties of running a tournament are magnified when there is no common language between all parties involved.