Friday, April 1, 2011

Tel Aviv Duck Area ??

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This sign was the highlight of my day in Tel Aviv yesterday.
It's at the busy Dan bus terminal which is next to the Mercaz train station.
The numbers tell you which bus route to take to your destination.
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LOL! In translation Namal Tel Aviv came out "Tel Aviv Duck Area"!
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I have seen seagulls in that area, but no duck.
There are 14,000 square meters of wooden DECK there along the Mediterranean shore, but I'm pretty sure no ducks.
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Namal is the Hebrew word for port or harbor.
Oh I get it! The sign-maker's dictionary must have said "dock"!
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And as a bonus, beside the laugh, we get an urban reflection for James' Weekend Reflections.
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Namal Tel Aviv operated as an active sea port from 1936 until the 1960s.
In the 80s it was turned into the trendy Port Zone full of restaurants, bars, and shops.
Take a 3D virtual tour here.
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If you like translation bloopers and typos, you will enjoy "A Time of the Signs," Toby's blog about funny signs in Israel.
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And now I see that Lesley in Canada has a Wednesday meme called Signs, Signs.
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15 comments:

  1. ברווז!


    LOL


    Aloha from Waikiki


    Comfort Spiral

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  2. Yay Cloudia! Right you are. Barvaz = duck

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  3. How happy a sight.

    Please have you all a good weekend.


    daily athens

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  4. This is perfect for April Fool's Day!

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  5. That's a very funny mistake! Does nobody make the writer aware of his mistake? Great shot and humour.

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  6. Robert, it made ME happy. People probably wondered why I was smiling so while taking photos of a sign.

    Kay, oh right! April Fool's Day sign.

    'Tsuki, merci.

    Wil, I suppose signs are expensive to make and no one wants to pay to correct mistakes once the sign is up. I never understand why they don't get a proofreader before making signs (or menus, or street name signs, etc.).
    But it's good for a laugh.

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  7. I liked your deduction.

    the 'hair mall' is kinda funny, too.

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  8. Richie and VP, I'm glad to make you laugh. :D

    Lesley, deDUCtion, good one! Wish I had thought of that.
    You're right about a Hair Mall sounding funny, hehe. Ha-IR is a transliteration and is pronounced with 2 syllables. It means "the city."

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  9. A fun shot that puts a smile on the face of the viewer.

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  10. Nice one! I like reflections like this. The longer I look the clearer the reflection becomes.

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  11. Excellent find! And thanks for the link! I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to link back here :)

    I've also always been befuddled as to why Israelis don't get someone to proofread their signs and labels before spending so much money on production. But the longer I'm here, the more I get the feeling that they really are sure that their English is perfect. So why should they bother checking? Which, as Dina pointed out, it makes walking around here all the more entertaining :)

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  12. Ah, Dina, it could also have been linked to Monday's Odd Shots.

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