Can anyone tell me if there's a good way to learn ASL online/DVD? There is no interest in college credits, just a good way to learn basic signing. All suggestions appreciated.
The only "good" way to learn is to befriend deaf people and rough it. My source: experience. There are several resources online that can get you started. I don't know the URLs but you can search for "ASL browser" and "ASL Pro." Those are decent options for helping you start acquiring a vocabulary, but there are a few caveats I hav to impart to you. For one thing, most anything you get online or in sign language classes will be taught by hearing people from a hearing perspective. It is nearly impossible to become fluent this way because hearing people are notorious in the community for thinking that either ASL and English are the same thing or that there is a single magic formula for to get a gramatically correct sentence in ASL. Neither of which are true. Ironically, when you ask a Deaf person for help, they will often make the same errors! More than anything I have ever encountered, to become a good signer requires that you do as they do rather than what they say. I would also like to warn you that there are many Deaf who are quite protective of their own ideas of what ASL is supposed to be, whose regional signs are more correct, what signing system is best, etc. Now, I know that I just did a great job of making it seem overwhealming, but I promise you that it is only as difficult as you make yourself believe. If you convince yourself that every bit of difficulty is just a small step in your process rather than outright failure, then you will do well and very quickly. If you are outgoing and adventurous, learning from mistakes rather than sulking about them, and allow yourself to be vulnerable, then you will put yourself in the best position to suceed. Overall, Deaf people get so excited when a hearing person decides to learn that they are eager and willing to help you along. You may fins them, literally, making a game out of teaching you new things becomming excited and proud of your sucess. Lastly, what I have done with all of my languages, I suggest that you keep it on your mind every waking moment. Whatevwr you are doing, ask yourself if you know the sign for everything you are looking at. Try to mentally sign what you see people doing. Go over the conversations you plan on having with people in sign rathwr than english. Try to think about it when you are in bed so that you better your chance of getting what I call "dream practice." Eat, sleep and breathe it and it will come in no time. You can do it! *Please forgive my spelling and punctuation. I'll never get used to typing on this phone, and it could take an hour for me to scroll back and fix everything.
My local public school system offers evening ASL courses through the adult education program at one of the high schools. No college credit, but very inexpensive cost that includes the textbook. Once the kids are old enough to be on their own at home, my wife wants to start taking the courses with goal of becoming an ASL interpreter (very much in demand for courts, police, etc.). That (adult education) might be a good starting point.
FYI, every interpreter that I have worked with who learned sign language from college courses has severe deficiencies in ASL grammar. That is not to say that you can't use those courses as a starting point, but it is to say that it is nothing more than a starting point. It is also to say that yes, it is possible to become a Sign Language interpreter with severe deficiencies in grammar. As you mentioned, it is very much in demand. However, there is a bit of an asterix to that as well. Most jobs come by individual appointment. Whenever you hear someone say that there is large demand for interpreters of any sort, what they fail to mention is that 20 interpreters are needed between the Monday evening hours of 5-7 but 0 interpreters are needed on Tuesday and only 3 are needed between 8-12 on Wednesday. It is always possible to get a few hours of work here and there but it is often difficult to piece together enough hours to get by on, unless you are willing to take the most insane schedules (working 14 hours one day and traveling an hour to work a two hour job on another day) and potentially permanently hurt yourself by Repetitive Motion Injury. A good way to get around this (which very few interpreters actually do) is by playing the Maniac roulette and learning more than one language. That way, you have more options for what appointments to take, what locations to work in and give your arms some rest from hours and hours of signing. Another Maniac tactic is to learn how to sign ambidextrously. When one side is fatigued, switch to the other. Or, do all of your work half-and-half on each side. I know make the world of interpreting seem pretty harsh. It can be. I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it, rather, just the opposite! It is a great profession, but there are certain things that nobody bothers to warn you about until you are already in over your head with it. It takes a certain kind of personality to both be adequate for it and enjoy it. I'm proud to be a terp, as anyone should be :banana:
Oh, she knows that....I should have said "eventual goal", as she knows it's not going to be a quick or easy road, but she's totally motivated for it. On the infrequent occasions when we arrest someone who is deaf and requires an ASL interpreter, it costs us a holy fortune, as we obviously can't use the AT&T Language Line; they have to physically come to the police station at some Godawful hour.
I'd like to echo what Maniac Craniac said, and add a word of encouragement. Many years ago, my employer offered a six-week lunchtime Intro to ASL. I picked up just enough to be dangerous, and never really had a chance to practice. Then, one afternoon, I was walking from the bus stop to my house. A new family had moved in on our street. Their son, around 12 years old, had set up a ramp in their driveway and was practicing with a skateboard. As I walked by, he gestured at me to watch him... and I realized from his gestures and the sounds he was making that he was deaf. I watched him jump the board over the ramp, and made the sign for "good!" I will never forget the look in his eyes when he realized that I knew sign language! I had to sign for him to "slow down," but we proceeded to have a nice conversation. He was so excited to find someone he could talk to, that he was very patient with my mistakes. I learned more about ASL in the next half hour than I had in six weeks of classes, and I made a new friend.
You guys are all great and so maybe I'm being just a little bitchy by saying that no one has really answered my question. I'm looking for a product to buy. I'd like to buy the best version I can afford. Any reviews out there?
None that actually work. I am aware of a couple products, however. The Joy of Signing, Instant Immersion, Signing Naturally. You can also buy dictionaries at your local book store. I know this isn't what you are asking nor what you want to hear, but there is not a single well-made course out there that I am aware of, and I am in a good position to know what is out there. Not even college courses do a good job of teaching sign language. The internet can help you a lot however. There are limitless numbers of YouTube videos, and there are sites like deafnewspaper.com where you can hone your receptive skills by watching. The leads I gave you earlier will help you start up your vocabulary.
Thanks MC. I'm sorry that their aren't better products available. It would seem to be a skill that could be taught, even if it was just the basics.
If you combine several sources, especially the ones I pointed to you on the internet, you can start laying a foundation. I'm hoping that with the increase in education levels in the Deaf community and lowering production expense through new technological innovation, something better will come along. Maybe one day Rosetta Stone will jump into the mix.
