Practical Adventure

“I loved learning ASL, but found interpreting to be quite daunting!”

How I did it:
I started learning American Sign Language when I was five. We started with the usual kid vocabulary, “I’m hungry. I’m thirsty. I’m bored. Are we done yet?” And we learned “mom” words, too, “Later. Pay attention. No. Obey now. Sit still. Where’s your brother?” My mom, sister, and I signed together quite a bit and it amused us that males always assumed we were talking about them, even when we were simply trying to carry on a conversation without interrupting.

At seventeen, I was still signing but my ASL grammar was terrible, so I took a beginning ASL class at the local college and it helped. When I was nineteen, the college finally offered an advanced class and I jumped at the chance to practice and improve. Surprisingly, my most difficult ASL test that semester was not in class.

They needed an ASL interpreter for a funeral at my church and the normal interpreter was going to be out of town! Terrified as I was, I agreed to sign but made the minister provide all his notes so that I could brush up on the necessary vocabulary. I practiced constantly, talking to myself in ASL non-stop. (Have you ever seen someone walking down the sidewalk, signing to themselves? That was me and don’t worry, I wasn’t having a seizure.)

During the service, everything went smoothly until the deaf man and his girlfriend looked confused and asked what a certain sign meant. I spelled c-o-m-f-o-r-t and they demonstrated a different sign than I had learned. A little later, the man signed something that I didn’t understand and I looked at him quizzically. He looked at me quizzically and repeated the sign, then I realized that he was scratching his head, not signing!

I accompanied the family to the graveside and realized that I had no notes for the few words and prayer, so I had to wing it. I have never been more grateful for all of the “church” vocabulary that Mom taught us!

Everything went smoothly, but I was exhausted by the time I went to the advanced ASL class that night. We were taking the mid-term and I knew, but didn’t study. I passed anyway.

Lessons & tips:
Find a class or tutor! You need to see the signs and receive feedback in person and not merely from a book.

Resources:
Night classes at the local college.

It took me 14 years.

It made me More brave