The man giving a sign language interpretation to the world at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was a fake whose gestures meant nothing, it has been claimed.
Bruno Druchen, the national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, said the unnamed man seen on television next to leaders like US President Barack Obama “was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for.”
The claim is another indication of bad organisation of the historic memorial service at a huge soccer stadium. The event is already at risk of being remembered more for a ‘selfie’ photo by President Obama and David Cameron than as a fitting tribute to a giant of world affairs.
Ingrid Parkin, principal of the St Vincent School for the Deaf in Johannesburg, said she had received complaints from the deaf community from Canada to China about the man and that his movements look “like he’s signing gibberish.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cDuiww4zKK0%3Frel%3D0
He also used no facial expression to convey the emotions of the leaders, a key element of sign language interpretation.
“This man himself knows he cannot sign and he had the guts to stand on an international stage and do that,” Ms Parkin said.
Nicole Du Toit, an official sign language interpreter who also watched the broadcast, said the man was an embarrassment.
“It was horrible, an absolute circus, really, really bad,” she said. “Only he can understand those gestures.”
Collins Chabane, one of South Africa’s two presidency ministers, said the government is investigating the sign language translator but has been overwhelmed with work preparing for Mandela’s funeral on Sunday in his hometown of Qunu.
Four sign language experts, including Mr Druchen, said the man was not signing in South African or American sign languages and could not have been signing in any other known sign language because there was no structure to his arm and hand movements.
South African sign language covers all of the country’s 11 official languages, according to the federation.