Translation - Indonesies-Engels - indonesia......

Did I write *Have you been to ...* ??? Or did someone change it into that? Anyway, that is not exactly what *kamu tahu ..* means.
On second thoughts, the better translation is *Hello, beautiful. You speak Indonesian, don't you? Do you know Indonesia?*
[*Have you been to...* would be *Kamu pernah ke...*]
I am sorry for the trouble.

Hi Guido,
I made the edit. In English you don't usually ask "Do you know...?" referring to a place. The most usual wording is "Have you (ever) been to...? even if that has a different structure in other languages.

thank you both

Sorry for the long wait. I am afraid I can't agree with the edit. "Have you been to..." is far too restricted an interpretation of the source text. "Tahu Indonesia kan?" is primarily asking if a person has any knowledge ABOUT the country. In other words: it is a question to which one can very well answer "yes", even if one has never been to Indonesia. To be quite sure I have checked this with a Scotsman (a boyhood chum of mine) and with my British neighbour, who has lived in Malaysia for a while.

In that case, I think that in order to be clear, it should read:
"Do you know (anything) about/of Indonesia?"

Hello Lilian,
I may not have been clear enough myself, sorry for that.
I do not want my translation to be clear, not in that sense, not unequivocal.
If you go for either *Have you been to Indonesia?* or *Do you know anything about Indonesia?* you are making a definite choice between two possible interpretations of the question.

Of three translations presented so far, only *Do you know Indonesia?* leaves room for ambiguity. It is the only one that primarily asks for *knowledge of*, then leaves some room for the other interpretation that came to your mind (*Have you been there*), and that is exactly what *kamu tahu indonesia kan?* does. Therefore, I think that it is the only translation that adequately conveys the meaning of the source text.
Guido

It's too bad we don't have any expert for Indonesian to help us here.
For what you posted above your intention (or the intention in the original) is leaving a doubt about the meaning of the line by using "Do you know Indonesia"?

Too bad indeed. I have checked with my partner (not a member of Cucumis), who is a native speaker, if that is any help :-)
However, I speak Indonesian Malay well enough myself to be sure about this: *kamu tahu indonesia kan?* can be interpreted both ways. Just which way any person will interpret it will depend on what has been said earlier in the conversation, or the circumstances leading up to it. Therefore, without such context, the meaning IS BOUND TO leave some doubt. I do want to preserve that ambiguity, for it is inherent to the wording of the Indonesian text. Any English text that lacks this ambiguity cannot claim to be an adequate translation.
"Do you know…" functions exactly the same way as "Kamu tahu Indonesia kan". Standing by itself, it does not give you a clue. It leaves some doubt, as it SHOULD do.
If you google for "Do you know Germany?" or "Do you know France?" you will find that the context may make its meaning clear:
Do You Know Germany? is a brochure for students of all ages.
Do you know Germany, eh? Watch our video clips . Read the info texts on Germany. Then you'll be ready to tackle our QUIZ.
Do you know Germany? Capital, Major Cities, and Tourist Attractions. Geography.
Do you know Germany? Do you have some suggestions for other visitors?
Do you know France? Any particular favourite parts?
Do you know France? If so, which region?
How well do you know France? Test your knowledge of France in this short quiz.
I saw that you went to England and Canada. Do you know France?