8. Sign Language Interpreter At Nelson Mandela's Memorial
One of the saddest passings of 2013 had to be Nelson Mandela, who passed away at the age of 95 in early December. Nelson Mandela was known for being a non-violent activist who helped overturn apartheid, won a Nobel Peace Prize and later became president of South Africa. Needless to say, he is a modern icon; when he passed away, the entire world mourned. Millions tuned in to his memorial service to honor him. Like any big event, there was an interpreter for the deaf, translating the speakers' words into sign language. Only the interpreter, Thamsanqa Jantjie, wasn't actually doing real sign language. In what angered many, Thamsanqa's gestures were pure gibberish and made no sense to those who understand sign language. This meant that the deaf population who tuned in to Nelson Mandela's memorial had no idea what was going on.
He would later claim "I have never in my life had anything that said I have interpreted wrong", even as others have come out and claimed otherwise. We still do not have a whole lot of answers as to how this "fake" interpreter was allowed to work at the event (or any of his past events). At the very least, this occurrence has made this issue more noticeable, hopefully leading to better vetting for future interpreters.