Mandela memorial’s ‘fake’ sign language interpreter casts a pall over community

A sign language interpreter employed at the Nelson Mandela memorial service on Tuesday has been accused of faking his way through the service, an accusation that shakes one's faith in humanity and begs the question: Did he really think he could get away with it?

The unidentified interpreter apparently made up motions that did not match either South Africa or American sign language during the service, according to several experts contacted by the Associated Press and the Deaf Federation of South Africa.

Director Bruno Druchen said the man "was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for."

[ Related: Man signing on stage for Mandela memorial was an imposter ] The incident was especially troubling considering how close the imposter impersonator was able to get to several world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama. South Africa's government has released a statement promising to look into the matter. "Government will report publicly on any information it may establish but wishes to assure South Africans that we are clear in defending the rights and dignity of people with disabilities," the statement reads. And that's the real issue at hand. How could a fake sign language interpreter find his way onto the largest stage of the year? The entire world was watching, and hundreds of world leaders were in attendance at the Mandela memorial. And yet the man tasked with interpreting for the deaf community was a phony? It didn’t help that some members of the media found the incident amusing. The “Today” show addressed the story on Wednesday, as a fake interpreter of their own gesticulated wildly.

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The Limping Chicken, a U.K. blog for the deaf community, said the South African interpreter "signed in a way I’ve never seen before, a strange repetitive rhythm to his movements – his signs appearing to come in threes or fours, occasionally swinging his shoulders, as if he was signing along with an intermittent beat."

Here is a video from the memorial, with the fake interpreter alongside a real sign language interpreter.

Canadian deaf groups that were contacted did not comment on the incident or the concerns it may raise for the international deaf community. But at least one Canadian sign language interpreter was furious over the incident.