Language Barriers

February 19, 2007 - 11:30 AM by Avi

For the past year, the fluorescent light in my living room has not worked properly. In order for it to work properly, I had to stand on a stool and twist the bulb every time I wanted light. This had been going on for some time, but after a recent visit by my landlord and another light that stopped working, I recently discovered that this problem could be fixed for only a few shekels. All I needed was a “start-ehr” (think heavy Israeli accent), informed my trusty landlord. Of course, I had never heard of a starter, not needing one on lights newer than 15 years old, and wasn’t sure if it was the same thing in Hebrew or English, as my landlord doesn’t speak English.

So, after weeks of putting off buying a “start-ehr” (whatever that was), I finally went to a hardware store near Mahane Yehuda after work last night.

Yesh l’cha starter? Do you have a starter?, I asked in my heavy American accent.

Mah atah rotzeh? Ani lo yodea ma zeh? What do you want, I don’t know what that is?” replied the man behind the counter, as he asked his co-worker what I was talking about.

Start-ehr, start-ehr, I replied in as heavy an Israeli accent I could muster. I’m always a bit embarrassed to say English words in Hebrew. Bishvil haMenorah. For the light. Start-ehr.”

Aha, achshav ani mevin. Start-ehr. Lama lo amarta kodem? Oh! Now I understand. A starter! Why didn’t you say so before?”

A few minutes later, a shekel and a half spent, I was out the door and after several years of having to stand on a stool and twist the bulb every time I wanted light, it finally worked properly – all for 35 cents and a new Hebrew word – start ehr.

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