South African Sign Language interpreting extraordinaire Thuli Zikalala has launched a YouTube channel just in time to celebrate women’s month.
Thuli is known for being the first person in South Africa to do a Sign language interpreting podcast in collaboration with one of the country’s most popular digital radio platforms.
The channel which is called Good Vibes with Thuli premiered on the 23rd of July and was launched under her company Yellow Owl.
As one of only eleven (11) interpreters in South Africa who are accredited with the South African Translation Institute (SATI), Thuli is passionate about finding creative ways of making the language and skill accessible to a wider audience.
This is reflected in the channel, as Thuli creatively uses her skill to share her personal journey and speak about topics such as innovation and leadership.
“I’ve always wanted to share and tell my story with the aim of inspiring, empowering and hopefully showing audiences that anything is possible. For the first time, I am stepping out of my usual expected role of being a SASL interpreter; and rediscovering my true passion of being a role model,” says Thuli.
Good Vibes with Thuli has 10 episodes altogether that air every Thursday, 7pm on YouTube. Each episode runs for 20-25 minutes.
The channel is shaped by three key concepts including sharing topics she is passionate about, featuring content from leading podcasts and including subtitles and SASL interpreting to make it more accessible.
“This is an extension of me being a SASL podcast pioneer; and this platform is the perfect way of dominating the industry and being the leading go-to person for all types of content.
Podcasts also offer an immense wealth of knowledge that needs to get out there to the masses,” Thuli says.
Thuli is a recognised professional in her field who has interpreted for programs such as the
Presidential State of the Nation Address and the Afro-Punk Festival.
Her dream is to break barriers by showing young people that sign language interpreting is an
important skill and a rewarding career.
