The Brooklyn Nets Just Had an Epic Hebrew Fail
Image by Brooklyn Nets Twitter
By Lior Zaltzman December 10, 2015
Oy. The Brooklyn Nets may have had the best of intentions, but this is an epic #HebrewFail.
Image by Brooklyn Nets Twitter
The Nets wanted to print a shirt that says “Represent Brooklyn”, which even when spelled correctly, sounds weird when translated to Hebrew: ״מייצג את ברוקלין״ (Brooklyn, Meyatzeg). Any female fan would need a different shirt, since the third person in Hebrew is gendered: “מייצגת את ברוקלין״ (meyatzeget).
But, unfortunately, it seems no Israeli proofreader was available before the final printing of the shirt. While the word Brooklyn was perfectly printed, the word “represent” was completely inverted, something that often happens when you put Hebrew into Photoshop.
And so, the word represent turned into גציימ which isn’t even a word. (Translated roughly, it says “getzaim” which doesn’t mean anything, at least not in Hebrew.)
Let’s hope the Nets can get these shirts reprinted. And let this be a lesson to you to always have a Hebrew proofreader at hand.
At least it wasn’t a tattoo.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
