Signage

May 8, 2009 - 8:38 AM by Jessica

The sign for Yael and Zemer's wedding, at Ramat Rachel

Israeli signage in English is the budding proofreader’s dream: It’s chock full of misspellings, mistranslations and unintended idioms, starting with the question of whether to translate a ‘kuf’ as a ‘q’ or a ‘k,’ and only perhaps succeeding in directing you where you want to go. When you’re driving on the highway, that can mean ending up in Gadera rather than Hadera. Once you get into cities, towns and neighborhoods and check out the local streets, stores and menus, it’s a veritable cornucopia of transliteration masquerading as the English language.

After 14 years here, I actually like the fact that there’s a difference in opinion over whether a ‘kuf’ should be a ‘k’ or a ‘q.’ But what I am wondering is whether the signage misspellings are more about culture and less about language. That is, Israelis seem to like signs, certainly more than they like giving directions. (When asked for directions, most Israelis will tell you to go straight for a while, and then ask the next person for more directions.) And so, signs of all kinds tend to proliferate. There are now electronic signs letting passengers know how long they will have to wait for their bus to arrive. In Jerusalem, there are signs at each neighborhood offering the name of said neighborhood. For instance, many Kiryat Shmuel residents may have thought they were living in Rechavia (should it be ‘ch’ or ‘h’?) You can be sitting at the intersection of Baram and Hebron Road in Talpiot, and there’s a sign pointing toward Tel Aviv, which is sort of confusing given that you’re nowhere near Tel Aviv at that junction.

And there are the temporary handwritten signs, letting you know where Itzik and Dalia’s wedding is being held, with an arrow pointing in the general direction. It’s sort of the local equivalent of the New York Times Celebrations section, letting us know who’s getting married this week and where. You won’t necessarily end up at Ramat Rachel (one particular wedding hall locale) if you were to follow said signs (I like the one pictured here; they used the Ramat Rachel part of someone else’s wedding sign as part of theirs), but it’s a fun way to start the celebration. And who knows? Maybe that sign will help you get to where you’re going.

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