The mind boggles.
We’re not sure what Thamsanqa Jantjie was thinking when he recorded this advert for a live video-sharing app, but we’re pretty sure that the company he’s advertising, Live Lens, knew what they were doing: causing a bit more controversy, at the expense of Deaf people, to help publicise their product.
This ad features Jantjie mocking the worldwide controversy he caused back in December, when he signed nonsense at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service (a story we broke on this site).
It features his head blowing up, Jantjie claiming he is a proper sign language interpreter (before signing “I speak sign language. Not”) and a strangely robotic voiceover (which isn’t subtitled for a deaf audience, ironically), as he signs sentences that don’t match his spoken lines – for comic effect.
We didn’t really think that the ‘fake’ interpreter, who, lets not forget, claimed he has a mental illness which made him see visions on stage at the Mandela service, could sink any lower.
But maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised. Watch it below.
By Charlie Swinbourne. Charlie is the editor of Limping Chicken, as well as being a journalist and award-winning scriptwriter. He broke the ‘fake’ interpreter story on this site, and writes for the Guardian and BBC Online. As a scriptwriter, he penned the films My Song, Departure Lounge and Coming Out, and has just written and directed short film The Kiss and the half-hour comedy Four Deaf Yorkshiremen go to Blackpool (which is out on the BSL Zone on the 19th May).
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Ramon Woolfe
May 7, 2014
Check out http://www.realinterpreter.com
Andy. Not him, me.
May 7, 2014
Well I always think that when faced with something unbelievable like this, it is probably mental illness in action. That has been my experience in the past. Therefore we shouldn’t attack him but rather find some way in which he is taken care of.
Editor
May 7, 2014
If he really has a mental illness, as he says, then should the company be using him for the advert?
Christof
May 7, 2014
He is a disgrace to society. End of.
Hartmut
May 7, 2014
The most appropriate outfit this fake can advertise for is a mental hospital … to advertise his mental illness!
Hartmut
Jean Hall
May 7, 2014
He may truly have a mental illness – I don’t have enough knowledge to make the call. But everyone at the company doing this does NOT. They are making the awful choice to mock sign language and possibly also to exploit a mentally ill man. They are accountable for their actions.
samedifference1
May 7, 2014
Is there a petition to remove this awful advert? If Limping Chicken was to start one, I’d sign it.
The Tree House - Sara
May 7, 2014
Media will do anything for money and this advert by them is getting them noticed… Its saddening and extremely frustrating as it’s a complete mockery and shows the extent or rather lack of, understanding and empathy the company and fake terp has whilst making money out of it all.
Lisa Egan (@lisybabe)
May 7, 2014
According to http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/07/nelson-mandela-sign-language-interpreter-thamsanqa-jantjie-ad-video-sharing-app_n_5279043.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
“Uncomfortably, a spokesman for LiveLens tells the New York Daily News the firm hired a South African journalist to pose as a relative in order to secure Jantjie’s release from a psychiatric institution for a day in order to film the ad in February.”
Angela
May 7, 2014
He should be banned from all medias – a disgrace and discrimination to us all!
Joyce LaHaye
May 7, 2014
That is disgust and disgrace for respect our real Deaf culture Sign Lnaguage! Stop inventing your own sign! Enough is Enough!!
Alex
May 7, 2014
I think that this is really sad. Firstly, if he does have a mental illness, the company are taking advantage of him and that isn’t fair. It is totally unacceptable to use someone in this way and to take advantage.
Secondly, if he is not mentally ill, there is no way on this planet that he should still be interpreting, never mind working on an advert. It really is disrespectful.
It is a real shame that there is so little respect out there, both for mental illness and the Deaf community. Shame on all involved!
Paul Daulby
May 7, 2014
Cock!!
Lou
May 7, 2014
Probably more troubling than his sign language antics are the claims in South African newspapers that he admits to being part of a mob who burnt two people to death ten years ago. The charges were dropped due to his mental instability. JUST the person you want standing next to the US president when he’s speechifying!
Shane Gilchrist
May 7, 2014
He may be a fake interpreter but he can dance!!!
David
May 7, 2014
Why don’t we have him converse with a couple of Deaf South Africans and film this conversation. He would be exposed as a fraud when he could not understand SASL!
Anton
May 7, 2014
Prosecute the damn company livelens!
Billy
May 8, 2014
I am not worry about …bec everyone know him NOW. What I can see… he is too lazy to learn. So what else ???
Carlosex Jackoff
May 8, 2014
No way! Go home!
The Tree House
May 8, 2014
I wrote this to show support to my SA friends regarding the fake interpreter…: http://viewsfromthetreehouse.com/2014/05/08/to-laugh-or-not-to-laugh/
Asanda
May 9, 2014
I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.
I have nothing to say about this so called interpreter, any professional in any profession would not have dared considering.
As for our South African Media house who did the add, SHAME on YOU, having fun at the expense of Deaf people and Humiliate our community when we are supposedly celebrating 20 years of Democracy.
The Tree House - sara
May 9, 2014
captioned version here: http://www.amara.org/en/videos/2aCdxclQl8wV/info/mandelas-sign-language-interpreters-return-to-fame-livelens/?tab=video
Fernanda
May 9, 2014
As a nurse who works in Mental Health field, there are Mental Health patients who are doctors, judges, teachers, and everything else inbetween. Having Mental Illness does not stop a person from being able to do anything else in life. I have also been very involved in Deaf ministry. Knowing the history that Deaf people had to fight to be accepted and not seen as handicapped that can’t do anything (and I also have friends who are Deaf and are architect, pastor with Masters degree, and highly educated, etc) let’s not repeat the cycle of discrimination against Mental Illness saying they can’t do something just because they have a mental illness….
Calvin
May 11, 2014
He does not have a mental health illness, He had faked interpeted at many events and if the media confronts him about those events hes going to say the same excuse over and over again ”mental health illness”. i’m a person that has a mental health illness but i’m a student that is learning sign language but I dont have skits attacks every time I sign infront of my class
Don’t beleive what this fake interp is saying… hes saying mental illness because hes trying to cover