"Lasha Tumbai": National selection 2024 interpreter shows how to say "Russia, goodbye!" in sign language

The star of the National Selection 2024, sign language interpreter Kateryna Zabotkina, who adapted the contest songs during the broadcast, told us how to translate the expression "Russia, goodbye". She shared the translation of Verka Serdyuchka's iconic song "Dancing Lasha Tumbai", revealing some of the secrets of the process.

This became known in an interview with Zabotkina for BBC News Ukraine. The translator also spoke about her meeting with Andrii Danylko backstage.

"You know, I realized my childhood dream. I met Andrii Danylko," Zabotkina said. He asked her to translate "Lasha Tumbai," "thank you," and "good afternoon" into sign language. According to her, the artist looked at her with interest and was genuinely surprised.

As for the translation of Serdyuchka's song, which Andrii performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, Kateryna Zabotkina noted that "creativity is at work here." The translator showed fragments of familiar words because "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" has many expressions that cannot be easily depicted. In order to translate the expression "Lasha Tumbai", she used dance moves from the show.

With the start of the full-scale invasion, Danylko officially announced that instead of "Lasha Tumbai", "Russia, goodbye" will now be sung.

As a reminder, Kateryna Zabotkina became the star of the National Selection for Eurovision 2024 after her emotional translation of songs into sign language. However, some Euro fans criticized the translator because, according to them, her adaptation of the songs was extremely inaccurate.

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