encfs fails in creating a virtual encrypted filesystem, in a system configured with locale it_IT.UTF-8

I do the following steps:

1) installed encfs package
2) added my user to "fuse" group
3) restarted the session
4) verified that ~/.crypt ~/crypt do not exist
5) tried the simple command:
        encfs ~/.crypt ~/crypt

at this point the application write the following string to the terminal:

    La directory "/home/enzotib/.crypt/" non esiste. Deve essere creata? (s, n)

As you can see the string is in italian, and so are the proposed answers: s = Sì = Yes, n = No.
If a answer "s" <enter>, che application fails with the following error:

    Directory non creata.
    10:07:27 (main.cpp:408) Impossibile localizzare la cartella di root, annullato.

I have found a work-around: if I answer "y" <enter> to this first question, and the same to the second question regarding the creation of the mount-point, all goes well.

So it is a localization problem, and I think should be resolved.

Some further information:

$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 8.10
Release: 8.10
Codename: intrepid

$ uname -a
Linux ubuntu 2.6.27-11-generic #1 SMP Thu Jan 29 19:24:39 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

$ apt-cache policy encfs
encfs:
  Installato: 1.4.2-2
  Candidato: 1.4.2-2
  Tabella versione:
 *** 1.4.2-2 0
        500 http://it.archive.ubuntu.com intrepid/universe Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Bye