By now you’ve probably heard about Thamsanqa Jantjie (standing on right), the less-than-stellar sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in Johannesburg. Mr. Jantjie, who interpreted for Barack Obama and other heads of state, has been accused of being a charlatan, and not actually having any professional sign language interpreting skills at all.
Thamsanqa’s bizarre “signs” for the deaf and hearing impaired had lots of folks scratching their heads in confusion. His clumsy efforts at signing quickly became satirical fodder for the late night television crowd, with comedy sketches from Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Kimmel poking fun at his rudimentary, nonsensical hand gestures, as well as his expressionless face and seemingly by the seat of his pants “fake interpreting.”
Mr. Jantjie’s saga has continued of late. The questionable sign language interpreter was admitted into a psychiatric hospital recently after a mental breakdown. It seems the unwanted attention has taken its toll on the man — apparently he really thought he should have been able to get away with his scam.
Jantjie has stated that he is a qualified interpreter, but that he suffered from an unexpected bout of schizophrenia during Nelson Mandela’s memorial service, thus causing his signing abilities to go wildly awry.
If you’re ever in the market for a sign language interpreter, make sure you find one through a reputable agency, check qualifications and reviews of the agency online, and verify bona fides before unleashing him or her onto the world stage.
