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Merged Nelson Mandela Ceremony Sign Language Interpreter a 'Fake'

Stacko

Penultimate Amazing
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From why, just why files if true.

A man who provided sign language interpretation on stage for Nelson Mandela's memorial service, attended by scores of heads of state, was a "fake," the national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa said on Tuesday.

<snip>

Nicole Du Toit, an official sign language interpreter who also watched the broadcast, said in a telephone interview that the man on stage purporting to sign was an embarrassment.

"It was horrible, an absolute circus, really, really bad," she said. "Only he can understand those gestures."
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Story.
 
It was the chicken herder from Nkandla.

The ANC say he was signing in Zulu.
 
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Randi wrote something about faking deafness in 2004. His post seems to be gone, but some of my comments about it remain. Randi's commentary did not pertain to fake sign language per se, as I recall; but he did show fingerspelling in which he intended to write "F-A-K-E," but he linked to some sloppy fingerspelling graphics and ended up writing something else.

There are quite a few movies in which fake sign language appears, some of it ridiculously awful gibberish (such as "The Towering Inferno").
 
Bob001 said:
I have never heard of fake sign language before except as a parody (like Garrett Morris shouting on Saturday Night Live), but apparently this guy got away with it on stage with all the leaders of the world:
http://news.yahoo.com/outrage-over-sign-language-interpreter-madiba-memorial-082056835.html
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mandela-memorial-sign-language-interpreter-2914344
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With the update to the above article it's not even the first time they've hired him to do this.

The man also did sign interpretation at an event last year that was attended by South African President Jacob Zuma, Druchen said. At that appearance, a deaf person in the audience videotaped the event and gave it to the federation for the deaf, which analyzed the video, prepared a report about it and a submitted a formal complaint to the ANC, Druchen said.

In their complaint, the federation suggested that the man should take the five years of training needed to become a qualified sign language interpreter in South Africa.
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Squeegee Beckenheim said:
The big news on some of the tabloids here in the UK today is Obama, Cameron and Denmak's PM Thorning-Schmidt taking a somewhat-less-than-respectful selfie during the proceedings. Look at those "I'm at a funeral" faces...
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It wasn't a funeral, it was a memorial and the whole stadium was singing and dancing. I see no reason why when another head of state asks you to be in a picture with them at a historic celebration you shouldn't oblige.

Even less interesting was President Obama's shaking Raul Castro's hand.

That's a rather extreme security breach to let someone on to the podium who is not meant to be there but I'll be damned if that guy didn't try and sell his "sign language" as best he could.:D
 
Biscuit said:
It wasn't a funeral, it was a memorial and the whole stadium was singing and dancing. I see no reason why when another head of state asks you to be in a picture with them at a historic celebration you shouldn't oblige.
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You mean the tabloids are misrepresenting something in order to manufacture controversy? I'm shocked, I tell you.
 
Biscuit said:
That's a rather extreme security breach to let someone on to the podium who is not meant to be there but I'll be damned if that guy didn't try and sell his "sign language" as best he could.:D
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It seems to me he actually was meant to be there. An article I read on the incident points out that this guy has done signing at events before. He actually is a hired interpreter; his employers cannot sign, so they don't realize he's a fraud.
 
Who even thinks they can get away with this?

I have to wonder if the guy was crapping bricks over the idea of signing in front of news cameras from around the world knowing full well his scam was going to be revealed.
 
What if anything has any signer said about what that guy is doing?
I see an active group of signers at the Mall, who understand each other.
Does anyone quote the signer's words?
 
Upcoming trial

Clerk: Yes, m'lud, on the 28th of May, you published this phrasebook.
Yahlt: I did.
Clerk: I quote an example. The Hungarian phrase meaning 'Can you direct me to the station?' is translated by the English phrase, 'Please fondle my bum'.
Yahlt: I wish to plead incompetence.
 
Here he is flipping Obama the bird.
 

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It is quite amusing to watch him, knowing that he's fake.

Although in retrospect it appears that his repertoire of hand motions is rather limited.
 
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