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Sign language interpreter Youla Nzale has defended her animated translation of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech during the opening of the 6th Annual Devolution Conference in Kirinyaga County.
Speaking to eDaily, the Citizen TV sign interpreter said that she wanted to convey President Uhuru’s speech clearly to the deaf who, apart from signs, also depend on facial expressions to decode messages.
Nzale reiterated that she did not intend to overshadow the president with her delivery and was overwhelmed by the response from Kenyans after her session went viral.
“My emotions went hand-in-hand with the president’s tone. I tried capturing every moment in his speech - when he was serious, sad… Deaf people do not read, they cannot hear; so, they read the facial expressions.
“So, an interpreter needs to be happy, when the speaker is happy; sad, when the speaker is sad; confused, when the speaker is confused. That explains my facial expressions during the president’s speech,” explained Nzale.
During the burial of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela in 2013, an interpreter - Thamsanqa Jantjie - caused outrage across the world over claims he was churning out fake signs.
Jantjie was accused of ‘flapping’ his hands around for hours as one dignitary after another including Former United States President Barack Obama eulogized the late Mandela.
In his defence, Jantjie claimed that he suffered a sudden attack of schizophrenia.
That week, his wife, Siziwe, took him to a psychiatric hospital in Johannesburg for check-up.
An official inquiry later disclosed that Jantjie was a qualified interpreter hired by the country's ruling party, African National Congress (ANC).
