Mandela memorial sign language guy was a fake, simply 'made childish hand gestures for hours' - Polidicks

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpPvGP_GUXs[/media] Title quote from [url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/10510455/Nelson-Mandela-memorial-interpreter-was-a-fake.html]the Telegraph[/url] [url]http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nelson-mandela-memorial-sign-language-interpreter-was-a-fake-8997486.html[/url] [quote]The sign language interpreter used by the African National Congress during Nelson Mandela’s memorial service at Johannesburg FNB football stadium yesterday was a fake, it has been claimed today. Bruno Druchen, the national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa said the unnamed man seen on television next to leaders such as US President Barack Obama "was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for." Three sign language experts said the man was not signing in South African or American sign languages. South African sign language covers all of the country's 11 official languages, according to the federation. It is not yet known if the unidentified man was using a different method to communicate.[/quote]

its like something from the onion

how the fuck did nobody notice this for the entire service

I love this photo from the Telegraph too, it looks like a dumb Photoshop Contest entry [img]http://imgkk.com/i/c-fh.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=smurfy;43148568]I love this photo from the Telegraph too, it looks like a dumb Photoshop Contest entry [img]http://imgkk.com/i/c-fh.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] it just turns out obama is really bad at marionettes

[QUOTE=postmanX3;43148544]how the fuck did nobody notice this for the entire service[/QUOTE] Ive taken BSL and learnt a bit of ASL and it didn't look like apart of any sign language ive seen, and the things that did really didn't make sense. Its not that hard to see if you've taken sign language that the guy was pretty much spouting gibberish.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;43148584]it just turns out obama is really bad at marionettes[/QUOTE] [img]http://files.1337upload.net/AndYouDanceLikeAMarionette.jpg[/img]

did he just walk up there and start moving his hands or was he actually hired for the event.

[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;43148835]did he just walk up there and start moving his hands or was he actually hired for the event.[/QUOTE] who here can sign *jazz hands* you're hired

Seems to be pretty easy to get next to the world leaders.

hahaha thats awesome Wonder how much he got paid for it

I have to wonder if he was just some random guy who got lost looking for a bathroom, found his way backstage, then when someone asked him what he was doing he said the first thing that he could think of. It would make more sense than him being a professional sign language translator.

Them: "Can you do sign language?" Him: [IMG]http://disruptmedicine.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/thumbs-up-small-left.jpg[/IMG] Them: "You're hired!"

thought this was humorous [quote]Rebecca Coleman1 hour ago He isn't signing any known signed language. The Deaf Federation of South Africa announced that their experts have deemed him a fraud. There is no international sign langauge. He is simply flailing his arms around. I myself am an American Sign Language interpreter.[b] He's basically saying "Mention arrive soup" the whole time...[/b][/quote]

He uses a blunt hold gesture as "peace" :v:

Best job ever. Getting paid to wave your hands around like a dingus.

[QUOTE=postmanX3;43148544]how the fuck did nobody notice this for the entire service[/QUOTE] Apparently it took people watching with over signers overlayed to notice it. I thought it looked weird, I mean I don't know sign language and I know each country has its own "version" of it but it just looked [B]really[/B] weird. [editline]11th December 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;43148835]did he just walk up there and start moving his hands or was he actually hired for the event.[/QUOTE] He does (did) loads of different things in SA when a signer is needed apparently.. Kind of like the governments go to guy for sign language translation.

It's so fucking embarrassing. Says a lot about South African Quality Control.

It makes me wonder, if this guy was a suicide bomber, and all these world leaders whe couldve taken out. :tinfoil: Pretty doubtful though.

Just think of all the people who legitimately missed out on the funeral because they couldn't understand. Thanks to this guy. Pretty sad.

[QUOTE=G3rman;43149386]Just think of all the people who legitimately missed out on the funeral because they couldn't understand. Thanks to this guy. Pretty sad.[/QUOTE] They must have thought it was a strange ceremony.

[QUOTE=postmanX3;43148544]how the fuck did nobody notice this for the entire service[/QUOTE] People noticed during the ceremony - just for some reason didn't/couldn't contact people who could remove him. Tweets from a deaf member of the South African Parliament: [img]http://i.imgur.com/uE1PFWS.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/lRDNl7y.png[/img] And the director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa: [img]http://i.imgur.com/RIWhmKc.png[/img] [QUOTE=Jsm;43149314] He does (did) loads of different things in SA when a signer is needed apparently.. Kind of like the governments go to guy for sign language translation.[/QUOTE] That would be awesome if this guy legitimately thought sign language was just moving your hands around to try to convey some meaning - no formal structure or anything

[QUOTE=SexualShark;43149346]It makes me wonder, if this guy was a suicide bomber, and all these world leaders whe couldve taken out. :tinfoil: Pretty doubtful though.[/QUOTE] So basically The Manchurian Candidate? Still that guy doing the sign language does look familiar... [video=youtube;zWAvHnfJsOQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWAvHnfJsOQ[/video]

[QUOTE=G3rman;43149386]Just think of all the people who legitimately missed out on the funeral because they couldn't understand. Thanks to this guy. Pretty sad.[/QUOTE] The really worrying / sad thing is that if he has done many events before then this isn't the first thing deaf people have missed out on because of this fraud (which is what he is).

This is so rediculous that it is actually funny.

I know only very basic sign language (Yes/No/Please/Thankyou etc) because after a few times serving deaf customers I find it slightly awkward trying to decipher their signs and trying to communicate back so I'm no expert on any signed language but even I could tell he wasn't signing anything genuine. He literally looked like a puppet on strings!

This isn't the first time he's done this, apparently: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fzRSE_p1Ys[/media]

[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;43148835]did he just walk up there and start moving his hands or was he actually hired for the event.[/QUOTE] apparently he's done this quite often in south africa, apparently not being well organised they forgot he was a fake when they hired him, probably just quickly hired him on without checking his credentials out

[QUOTE=Sableye;43151159]apparently he's done this quite often in south africa, apparently not being well organised they forgot he was a fake when they hired him, probably just quickly hired him on without checking his credentials out[/QUOTE] It's that kind of problem that caused a group of people in charge of one of our provinces to pay someone around $3.8m to do the province's website, and the person ended up buying a $100 wordpress theme, and changed it up the colours a bit. People are fucking stupid and don't do any sort of background checks, the guy who did the website didn't have a portfolio or any sort of indication about what kind of work they can do, so he made off with a ridiculous profit.

[QUOTE=Duckie;43151224]It's that kind of problem that caused a group of people in charge of one of our provinces to pay someone around $3.8m to do the province's website, and the person ended up buying a $100 wordpress theme, and changed it up a bit. People are fucking stupid and don't do any sort of background checks, the guy who did the website didn't have a portfolio or any sort of indication about what kind of work they can do, so he made off with a ridiculous profit.[/QUOTE] Did he at least get them a website? Because this guy didn't say anything meaningful, but if that guy got them a website at least he actually did what he said he was going to.