People

Translator Sends Mourners into Laughter at Late Tanzanian President's Funerals after Misinterpreting Speech

Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 9:27 PM by Rahaman Abiola Khadijah Thabit

- Cyril Ramaphosa was in Tanzania to give a last tribute to the country's late president John Pombe Magufuli

- The funeral service was highlighted by the South African president's eulogy on Magufuli's lack of interest in traveling which the translator misinterpreted

- A section of mourners at the state funeral broke into laughter having understood the wrong interpretation which led to an apology

- The South African president had to repeat the exact part of his speech and the translator finally got it right leading to applause from many in the stadium

PAY ATTENTION: Legit.ng is on a mission to support vulnerable children of Calabar – join the initiative on Patreon, let’s change more lives together!

The translator at the state funeral service of late Tanzanian president, John Pombe Magufuli, which took place on Monday, March 22, had a moment to remember.

The light moment occurred during South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa's speech at the Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma. His words were wrongly translated, leading to laughter from those who understood the difference.

Read also

Ganduje sends engineers to different world capitals, set to build best road in Africa

At some point in his tribute to the late, Ramaphosa noted Magufuli was not a great traveller and did not like flying as much and preferred staying at home.

Swahili Translator Sends Wrong Message during SA's President's Speech at Magufuli's Funeral Service — Uhuru Kenyatta pays his last respects at the coffin of late Tanzanian President John Magufuli during his national funeral at the Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma. Photo: AFP via Getty.
Source: Getty Images

Immediately, the translator interpreted that Magufuli was a firm person filled with love and listened a lot to be able to deliver advice.

A section of mourners could be heard laughing in low tones as they found the interpretation hilarious, which led him to apologise, claiming he had not gotten the South African leader's words correctly.

President Ramaphosa repeated that part of the speech and this time around, the translator passed the right information which led to applause from the crowd.

He even apologised for failing to capture what the president said in the first place.

During the same event, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta stole the show after his show of respect, where he paused his speech to honour the Muslim prayer call.

Read also

Nigerian man runs for political office in Canada, shares poster as he seeks support, social media reacts

The prayer call, also known as Adhan, was made from a mosque outside the Jamhuri Stadium where the state funeral service in honour of late Magufuli was ongoing.

Halfway through his speech, the prayer began, resorting to silence, which many mistook for a one-minute silence honour.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app

Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari sent a condolence message to the people of Tanzania over the death of President Magufuli.

Buhari said Magufuli’s legacy of patriotism and dedication to the African course will continue to resonate across the continent, according to a statement issued by a presidential aide, Garba Shehu on Thursday, March 18.

He recalled how the late Tanzanian president inspired various reforms with clear priorities on education and health and consistently fighting profligacy and frivolities in public expenditures.