Come back to me

Veteran olim are aware that with a little bit of luck, you can find Heblish wherever you look.

For instance, not too long ago, I called a certain office - only to discover that they were closed.

But not to worry.

They had voice mail.

With a message in two (2) languages, no less.

And that’s not all.

Because to my delight – but to the detriment of the office’s professional reputation – the employee who recorded the message was not QUITE as proficient in English as s/he may have thought.

In fact, I would classify him/her as one of those Israelis who mistakenly believe that they’re speaking English when they’re actually speaking Heblish instead.

Here’s why:

The Hebrew part of the message came first, and then the English instructed:

“Please leave a message, and we will come back to you.”

And, thus, the nameless employee behind the voice earned his/her 15 minutes of fame as the unwitting neologist who coined the newest Our Shiputzim Heblish-English Dictionary entry:

Come back to you: Hebrew source – נחזור אליך. English definition – Get back to you. Sample usage – See above.

Well done, Nameless Employee!