Tightening Security By Loosening Some Belts

(I work in a very popular tourist attraction that has very high security, with folks having to go through a screening process to enter. We often get large foreign tour groups that can sometimes slow the process down due to not understanding directions. The outside company guide for an elderly Chinese tour group have the idea to make things easier for me by giving the instructions himself, pantomiming and repeating in Mandarin if he isn’t understood.)

Me: “They know no food, no drink?”

Guide: “Right. No food, no drink! All on the bus?”

Group: *nods*

Guide: “We will now go through security. To go fast, listen to me! We take off our metal!” *takes off watch dramatically*

Group: *take off watches and large jewelry*

Guide: “Good. Now—” *undoes belt* “—we take off our pants!”

Me: *in a panic* “You do not take off your pants!”

Guide: “I meant belt! Take off belts! Because metal! Keep the pants!”

(We then spent a minute reassuring the mortified seniors that they could, indeed, keep their pants on to go through security. Thankfully, everything went fine after that.)