Champion of Sign Language

Mandela memorial interpreter asks forgiveness, calls himself champion

Johannesburg (CNN) -- 

The sign language interpreter widely ridiculed for his performance at the Nelson Mandela memorial stands by his work.

Thamsanqa Jantjie said Thursday that he is a fully qualified interpreter and has been trusted in the past with other big events.

"It has been many years I have been doing this job" he told CNN. "My portfolio shows that I have been a champion of what I have been doing."

Not so, says the head of the South Africa Translators' Institute.

There were complaints last year after Jantjie interpreted the proceedings at the ruling African National Congress elective conference, the institute's chairman, Johan Blaauw, told the South African Press Association.

But Jantjie stands by his work. "I have never in my life had anything that said I have interpreted wrong," he said.

Hard to hate this guy when he keeps saying all the right things. I've never heard anyone describe themselves as a champion of a language but that's not stopping Mr. Jantjie from fooling the world.

He also claimed to be having a schizo attack and that he was signing his hallucinations instead of whatever the speakers were saying. I wish I could read sign in order to giggle my ass off when I saw this dude saying "The walls are all moving and the talking lizard is telling me to jump rope naked."

If you look at the .GIF long enough you can clearly see that he's actually telling you to steal second.