National Interpreter Education Center (NIEC) Nelson Mandela’s Funeral Case Study 1. Describe the problem or case question students are to analyze: In 2013, an individual without credentials, training or competence was hired to interpret the funeral of Nelson Mandela. How can interpreter and Deaf communities work together to ensure that interpreting quality is not compromised in high profile or routine events? 2. Background & Context: The Funeral: Mandela’s stature as a leader, man of integrity and father figure of South Africa (SA) ensured that the funeral would be a global event. He was also greatly admired by the Deaf community in SA. Click here to view the testimonial: http://wfdeaf.org/news/tribute-­‐to-­‐nelson-­‐
mandela-­‐1918-­‐2013 Event planners arranged for signed language interpretation for the funeral including a platform interpreter at the venue and televised interpretation filmed at a separate location. The interpreting and Deaf communities knew the person selected as the platform interpreter, Thamsanqa Jantjie, as a “poser.” He had been the subject of complaint for some time. The interpreters selected for the televised work were qualified South African Sign Language interpreters. The company responsible for referring Mr. Jantjie for this assignment is rumored to have been operated by a senior member of the South African ruling political party. It disappeared after the funeral. The criteria for interpreter selection are not known. For more information about Mr. Jantjie and his presence at the funeral, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/world/africa/south-­‐africa-­‐
interpreter.html?_r=0 For a South African news perspective, click here: http://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/2013/12/11/outrage-­‐over-­‐sign-­‐language-­‐
interpreter-­‐at-­‐madiba-­‐memoria/ Typically in the US, events that include high-­‐ranking elected officials require that all participants undergo a background check. It is not known what, if any, background checks were performed in this instance. Deaf & Interpreting Communities: Within SA, there are four universities that research and teach South African Sign Language (SASL). Interpreter education programs are limited. DeafSA is a strong lobby and Deaf service organization and local interpreters work closely with the organization. The South African Translators Institute (SATI) is currently the only organization that has an interpreter accreditation system in place. There are South African Sign Language-­‐accredited interpreters (SASLI) who are SATI members. These interpreters have been vetted in the peer assessment process that the accreditation entails and that involves members of the Deaf community as well as currently accredited interpreters. SATI also has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA) for the accreditation of SASLI. There are currently less than 10 SASL interpreters accredited with SATI. SASLINC is a private entity that provides SASL interpreter services. SASLINC has three staff members that are accredited with SATI. In 2011, SA hosted the XIV World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf. This is a significant gathering of Deaf organizations and individuals from around the world. This successful event is a testament to the organizational effectiveness of DeafSA. Here is a quote from Braam Jordaan, a Deaf South African: “He (Mandela) was a champion for the rights of people with disabilities and was always inclusive when talking about human rights. The fake interpreter saga presented an opportunity for all of us to act as catalyst to promote and protect the rights of Deaf South Africans. The current ratio of SASL interpreter per Deaf citizens is 1:10,000. All relevant government departments, public entities and national representative organisations of Deaf persons need to work together to accelerate the agenda for full recognition of South African Sign Language (SASL) as a twelfth official language, a national accreditation system for South African Sign Language interpreters, and the development of South African Sign Language (SASL). If SA transforms itself to become fully accessible, with the adaptations in place to facilitate equal access and equal opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing in this country, then we can say that President Mandela’s dream of a Rainbow Nation has also been realised in our deaf and hard of hearing community – which at this point, we cannot.” The international Deaf and interpreter communities represented by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) decried the situation and urged policy makers around the world to embrace the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Click here to read the joint statement (this link seems to dislike Safari, try another browser if need be): http://wasli.org/wp-­‐content/uploads/2013/12/WFD-­‐and-­‐WASLI-­‐Press-­‐Release-­‐
FINAL-­‐12-­‐Dec-­‐2013.pdf Click here to see what other Deaf and interpreter organizations said: http://wasli.org/blog/cat_news/1429 Click here to read the convention: http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml SA Government Policies: Though a developing country, SA has demonstrated an openness to Deaf people and issues related to human rights. For example, SA has a Deaf elected official, Wilma Newhoudt-­‐Druchen, who is a member of Parliament. Chapter 2, Section 16(1) and (2) of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 guarantees freedom of expression and opinion. Section 5(a)(iii) of the Constitution places the responsibility to promote the development, usage and recognition of Sign Language as the first language of deaf South Africans, with the Pan South African Language Board (PANSALB). A 1997 White Paper on an Integrated National Disability Strategy included the following recommendation: “Facilitate a process for the development of a national strategy and programme of action for the establishment of a central pool of Sign Language interpreters nationally and provincially; national and provincial Sign Language Pilot Training and Development Units, and the inclusion of special language systems and Sign Language interpreters in the national guidelines and minimum norms and standards for language facilitation services, training courses (including qualifications and accreditation) for interpreters and communication facilitators”. In 2007, SA became an early signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). However, since the signing and ratification of the CRPD and its Optional Protocol without reservation, SA has not adequately incorporated the CRPD into its own legal framework and has been lacking in the execution of this Convention. SA still has much work to do in order to provide full access to information for deaf people and to be inclusive of deaf people in cultural and important public and national events. Recent public events involving government agencies such as the Department of Basic Education have occurred without SASL interpreters. On March 3, 2014, the SA Parliament passed legislation to regulate the “language practitioner industry” including accreditation and establishment of an advisory council. Click here to read about the new law: http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2014/03/07/sa-­‐gets-­‐new-­‐law-­‐to-­‐set-­‐standards-­‐
for-­‐interpreters-­‐translators Click here to see some Facebook coverage: https://www.facebook.com/fakeinterpreter 3. Course of Action: The result of what we have learned of the context described above, an inept and unstable individual was within striking distance of many world leaders. The interpretation provided was nonsensical leaving Deaf individuals uninformed and bewildered. The Twitter feed and Facebook posts started immediately in SA and around the world. The topic became the subject of world-­‐wide news coverage and the focus of parody. With this background in mind, consider the following: o Suppose your local RID affiliate chapter asked you to write an article for their newsletter on this situation, what are the key issues you’d include? o
What role do social media play in creating international attention? o
In what ways can social media be a hindrance in trying to respond (e.g., DeafSA was faced with thoughtfully responding to a real-­‐time situation with constant feeds and media inquiries)? o
Can you identify positive elements that occurred globally, nationally, and locally because of this unfortunate situation? Is publicity such as this a tool that can be used to further the policy agenda of Deaf people and interpreters? If so, how? o
How can the framework described in the article on Relational Autonomy be applied to this case? o
If you had an opportunity to interview a Deaf community leader in SA, what questions would you pose? o
If you had an opportunity to interview a qualified SA interpreter about this situation, what questions would you pose? o
Some countries lack the existence of a strong interpreting and/or Deaf community and may not have the equivalent of a Code of Professional Conduct to guide decision-­‐making. How can established communities stand in solidarity with them? o
How can an interpreter identify potential pitfalls to interpreting in a high-­‐
profile situation such as the one described above? What steps can be taken to mitigate those pitfalls? o
Read Brandon Arthur’s post on Street Leverage “Nelson Mandela: Have Sign Language Interpreters Disappointed the World” and comment on his suggested actions for the field to take. http://www.streetleverage.com/2013/12/nelson-­‐mandela-­‐have-­‐sign-­‐
language-­‐interpreters-­‐disappointed-­‐the-­‐world/ 4. Conclusion: The nature of this assignment and the extraordinary shortcomings of the imposter make it unique. However, some benefits have come from this unfortunate event. Interpreter competence is on the agenda of world governments. The visibility of this event may not be replicated in future. However, there are recurring situations close to home and across the globe of interpreter incompetence and/or of high-­‐
profile situations that magnify the role of the interpreter and may result in media scrutiny. Let’s hope that lessons learned here will minimize the frequency or severity of such events. 5. Acknowledgements: The NIEC would like to thank Dr. Debra Russell and Mr. Braam Jordaan for their contributions to the development of this case. Mr. Jordaan’s contributions as a Deaf South African are especially appreciated. Thanks, also, to Mr. Brandon Arthur for allowing us to link to his Street Leverage article on the funeral. Copyright © 2014 by the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC). This NCIEC product was developed by the National Interpreter Education Center (NIEC) at Northeastern University. Permission is granted to copy and disseminate these materials, in whole or in part, for educational, non-­‐commercial purposes, provided that NCIEC is credited as the source and referenced appropriately on any such copies.