Parents who raise bilingual children must select words carefully. Those words must represent specific issues in a consistent manner.

This may be difficult, because some concepts or words cannot be expressed easily in both languages. For example, religious terms or holidays may be expressed better in one language, while buildings and structures may seem to be assembled differently in different languages.

However, that's not a valid excuse for mixing languages.

It is better and wiser to think about the different concepts, and to find or develop a proper term in advance. You will then be able to use the words in a way that the child can understand and accept. Even an arbitrary term is better than a term in another language.

For example, Israel uses plastic window strips that can be rolled up and down. They were designed to black out the light inside the house during a time of war. There are no similar products in other regions.

Parents should select and then agree on a term for this device (they are called "trissim" in Hebrew). Many families opt for "blinds," while others use "shutters". Either term is acceptable, if both parents agree on it in advance. The parents may choose to discuss their options with other parents of bilinguals.

Only one option is clearly wrong - and that is "trissim".

Similarly, square stone floor tiles are different from those used abroad. Nonetheless, it is possible to use the term "tile" instead of the local Arabic term, "balata."

Whether this term is ideal is not the issue. At worst, it is a poor term. It is more important to have an English word to represent the concept, and in order to prevent confusion.

Does this mean that any random word can be used for a concept that does not exist in both languages? Of course not. It must be a reasonable term.

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