The Strange Linguistic Marriage of Shakespeare and the Bible
By Or Kashti
A recent matriculation exam testing English knowledge asked students to write a short essay inviting a guest - a scientist, writer or actor - to lecture at their school. Alongside demonstrating the students' proficiency in English - or lack thereof - the results revealed that strange things happen when the language of Shakespeare meets the language of the Bible.
One student seemed not to realize that the Hebrew lesaper can mean both to tell and to cut hair, and that these are different words in English. "I want you to barber about your experience," the student wrote.
When asked to explain why anyone caught drunk driving should have his license suspended on the spot, another student wrote: "They should punish in a hard hand." It makes sense in Hebrew - but doesn't quite make the grade in English. Another student added, for good measure: "Drivers don't curfew in red light" - the Hebrew word otzer means both stop and curfew.
One student seemed not to realize that the Hebrew lesaper can mean both to tell and to cut hair, and that these are different words in English. "I want you to barber about your experience," the student wrote.
When asked to explain why anyone caught drunk driving should have his license suspended on the spot, another student wrote: "They should punish in a hard hand." It makes sense in Hebrew - but doesn't quite make the grade in English. Another student added, for good measure: "Drivers don't curfew in red light" - the Hebrew word otzer means both stop and curfew.
Another stated, "The reasons that support this law immigrant on the reasons that opponent the law" - since oleh can mean both "an immigrant" and "to surpass or outweigh."
English teachers said many of these errors could be explained by the misuse of electronic dictionaries.
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