World News Korner

Final image (gif) of the day.

For those who are not aware, this is the man that stood up during the Mandela Memorial the other day, that was attended by dignitaries from around the world, including our current and two former Presidents, and provided sign language interpretation.

Except that he was apparently NOT a sign language interpreter, and clearly did NOT know sign language.

This from CNN:

To those outside the deaf community, the sign language interpreter for Nelson Mandela's memorial may have looked like he was working hard, translating the spoken words into gestures for four hours.

But he has been dubbed "a fake," and his actions outraged deaf people, according to an association for the deaf community in South Africa.

The service to commemorate the revered statesman, who died last week at the age of 95, was broadcast to millions of viewers around the world.

While dignitaries addressed the crowd Tuesday at Johannesburg's FNB stadium, the unidentified suited man with a security pass produced a series of hand signals that experts say meant nothing.

The Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA) said the "interpreter" was not a recognized professional, nor was he known by the deaf community in the country.

"The so-called 'interpreter' who interpreted at the official memorial service for late former president Nelson Mandela at FNB stadium has been dubbed the 'fake interpreter' and the deaf community is in outrage," Bruno Druchen, national director of DeafSA, said in a statement.

"He is not known by the Deaf Community in South Africa nor by the South African Sign Language interpreters working in the field."

The man did not use facial expressions, which in South African sign language are an important part of communication, and the hand signals he used were meaningless, Druchen said.

"The signs (self-invented signs) the interpreter used are not used in South African Sign Language and it is a total mockery of the language," he said.

Okay at this point I am torn between very impressed that anybody had the balls to pull off such a daring prank, at such a highly publicized event, and horrified that anybody could get that close to dignitaries without a background check and screening.

If this guy had been a terrorist this could have been a very bad situation indeed.

But as a prank, this guy has really set the bar to a new high.

However he had better steer well clear of the deaf community for awhile, because if they see his ass he might get a completely silent beat down, with an actual deaf interpreter standing nearby signing curses and insults in his direction.

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