Seamstress or Tailor?

At a top hotel in Colombo, we inquired if they had an inhouse seamstress. Looking pained, they said, “No sir, we don’t.” A day later, wondering about this, I explained what we wanted done, having a pair of trousers taken up. “Oh, no problem, we have a tailor!” Two learnings. Keep describing what you’re after, it may be described differently in different environments or cultures. And from the service provider perspective, remember to find out what the person is really asking for. You may call it something else but may well be able to oblige. Oh, and do keep learning new words!