Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • The Guardian

    'Like juggling and doing gym': life as Ardern's sign language interpreter

    Alan Wendt is the first interpreter to be regularly employed by a New Zealand prime minister – and he has had a busy year
    by Eleanor Ainge Roy in Dunedin Jun 07, 2019 3 minutes
    Alan Wendt poses after a post-cabinet press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. Photograph: Hagen Hopkins

    When Alan Wendt was a child, watching the Miss Universe pageant with his mother was an annual highlight. While she oohed and ahhed over the dresses, young Wendt was captivated by the interpreter who translated for the Spanish-speaking contestants.

    “I thought it was complete magic, that he could render it so fast for a live TV audience. It was amazing,” says Wendt.

    Thirty years on, Wendt, 40, has himself become a staple on New Zealand television screens as prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s sign language interpreter – the first

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from The Guardian

    The Guardian4 min read
    Lawn And Order: The Evergreen Appeal Of Grass-cutting In Video Games
    Jessica used to come for tea on Tuesdays, and all she wanted to do was cut grass. Every week, we’d click The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s miniature disc into my GameCube and she’d ready her sword. Because she was a couple of years younger than m
    The Guardian4 min read
    Khaled Khalifa obituary
    The writings of the Syrian author Khaled Khalifa, who has died aged 59 of a heart attack, depict a world of bloody conflict, but one where flowers still bloom. In his books, which are often read as eulogies for Syria, and especially his beloved city
    The Guardian4 min read
    Critics Of Napoleon Epic Have Fallen For Emperor’s Fibs, Says Film’s Military Expert
    Critics of the “damaging” and “inaccurate” portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte in Ridley Scott’s new cinematic epic Napoleon are just victims of the French emperor’s enduring propaganda, according to the military adviser behind the film’s vast battle sce

    Related Books & Audiobooks