In English and Hebrew, there are some phrases and words that literal translations cause misunderstandings.
For instance, ריבת חלב (milk jam). ריבת means jam, and חלב means milk. So, technically ריבת חלב is milk jam. That is incorrect, it is not milk jam (which to me sounds like moldy milk that has been curdled), it is dulce de leche.
Also, the word טייץ (which sounds like tights) doesn’t mean tights, but rather, leggings. This is particularly confusing for me.
The word for stepfather in Hebrew, is אבא חורג (step dad/father). If you were to translate the word dad and step, you would get אבא מדרגה (stair dad/father). That is really funny if you understand Hebrew, because it sounds like step, as in a step in a staircase and if you say this, you will get laughed at. Luckily, Alexandra and I already know the correct way to say stepfather.
Another example of a misinterpretation is cotton candy. If you translate cotton and candy to Hebrew, you get ממתק כותנה. But, how you correctly say cotton candy in Hebrew is שערות סבתא, which means grandma’s hair.
A few days ago, in English class, the English teacher (she is British and is the teacher for English speakers) told the class a funny story about a misinterpretation.
She told us how when she was a new immigrant (עולה חדשה), there was a problem with the toilet in her apartment, and she had to have a plumber come. The plumber told her that there was something wrong with the septic tank. The Hebrew word for septic tank is ניאגרה. You say ניאגרה (neagara) because it is like Niagara Falls because water flows in the septic tank and water flows in Niagara Falls.
She thought that the plumber was saying נייר גרה (which means where the toilet paper lives), and she kept her toilet paper on top of the septic tank like many people do, so later, when the plumber asked where to put his mug (she had offered him a drink), she answered קפה גרה (which means where the coffee lives).
The Hebrew word for ladybug is quite random. Ladybug in Hebrew is פרת משה רבנו which means Moshe Rabeinu’s cow.
If you want to say that you are hot, anyone who knows basic Hebrew would say אני חם (which means I am hot). This is not actually correct, because it means ‘I am horny’, even though חם means hot. So, to correctly say that you are hot, you say חם לי (which means hot to/for me).
Similarly, if you were to say אני קר, you would mean I am cold, but really you would be saying ‘I am frigid’. The correct way to say that you are cold is קר לי (cold to/for me).
-Naomi