The word Abogado (pronounced similarly to ‘avocado’ in Hebrew) is the Spanish word for a lawyer. The fruit of the avocado tree in Spanish is actually called ‘Aguacate’. A law firm in Spanish is a ‘bufete de abogados’, but if you ask for it in Israel, you will probably result in a generous selection of dishes made from one of the most beloved and wide-spread fruits in Israel. A smart Latin-American businessman active in Israel will quickly figure-up the misunderstandings. A savvy Latin-American businessman would understand that it was not just language differences, but cultural differences, and certainly in international distribution or franchise agreements (in which special rules apply), but not only in such agreements, it is vital to work with a lawyer who understands the business culture in both countries and therefore would work in Israel only with a law firm that specializes in the business interface between Latin-America and Israel.
At first glance, it seems that Israeli and Latin American culture are very similar, and Israelis who grew up on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea with the sketches of the comedians "Hagashsh Hachiver" (active in Israeli for 37 years between 1963 and 2000) probably remember the skit "Offside Story", which deals with a Court proceeding following a violent soccer game (and yes, Israelis don't know how to play soccer, but love the game no less than Latin Americans), from which a number of expressions of modern Hebrew slang emerged including "You will give me the respect I deserve," "You'll keep your mouth shut, or I'll bust open your head," but also "Mediterranean Indian" (or in the full original form: "You see? Even in Court, he behaves like a Mediterranean Indian!").
But the culture in general, and the business culture in particular, Israeli and Latin-American, are not identical, and a South American businessman, even with perfect English (and the Israeli business world understands English well) or Hebrew language proficiency, will discover that not only when negotiating but also when working together with Israelis (whether in Latin America or in Israel) it is important to have someone by his side who (in addition to his regular law firm) has an Israeli accompanying firm that specializes in this type of business.
One important aspect of culture and language can be a name of a product. For example, in Spanish speaking countries Mitsubishi branded their famous terrain vehicle “Pajero” as “Montero” because of the sexual meaning of the word “Pajero” in Spanish. A more subtle example is the “Jif” brand of household cleaning products owned by Unilever, which in many countries (including Israel) is sold under the name “Cif.” A cleaning solvent brand by the name of “Jif” cannot succeed in Israel as the words “Jifa” and “Jif” in Hebrew are slang for dirty and disgusting.
Legal implications of language subtleties can also be found in cases that reached the Courts in Israel (when the Court sometimes interprets the intention of the parties differently to what they intended, especially when the parties speak different languages). such as an agency agreement in Spanish that was allegedly signed in Valencia, Spain (allegedly, because the Israeli side contended that he had never been to Valencia and did not understand that the text at the top of the agreement meant that the agreement was signed in Valencia) and in which it was stated that the Courts in Valencia would have jurisdiction, but the Israeli Supreme Court held that the wording of the agreement did not create exclusivity for the Courts in Valencia and therefore jurisdiction exists in Israel (despite what the Spanish side probably intended). Another case that was heard in the Israeli Supreme Court several years earlier also spoke of a jurisdiction clause that the Court disregarded - there the case was of a promissory note with a clause that granted jurisdiction to the Courts in Mexico City and New York, without implying the denial of the jurisdiction of other jurisdictions.
A law firm with experience in Israeli-Latin American business can act as a cultural mediator and ensure that business strategies are properly adapted to the local context, but can also properly draft the documents to fit the parties’ real intent. In this manner, risks of misunderstandings is minimized and the possibility of success in the market is enhanced.