Ever been so excited to share some big news that you wish you could just tell your best friend from across the room? Or that you could warn a coworker about a business move not feeling right without making a scene? You actually can if you learn how to sign. We actually use simple sign language in our everyday lives from pointing out what we want to eat at a restaurant to shaking our heads. But learning to sign formally can help you and the people around you more than you think. Of course, using sign language as a novelty shouldn’t be your main focus when trying to learn it. You should think about all the people who can’t hear and who can only communicate via sign language. It can facilitate your interaction with Deaf individuals and it can also make any space where you communicate with them into a safe space.
You can change someone’s life.
Deaf children and young adults have a higher risk of being bullied than hearing people. This can cause a lot of problems in the academic aspect as well as the person’s personal life. Taking the time to learn how to sign to be able to communicate with someone could make more of an impact than you think. More so, in cases of emergencies, you should definitely know how to sing. If there is someone who is Deaf and/or someone who can’t speak audibly, this may be the only way to communicate with them, and you might just prevent a tragedy.
You can read more information about the bullying that the deaf community encounters and how to prevent it here.
It helps spread awareness.
Just by starting to learn how to sign you are spreading awareness that not everyone is able to communicate with spoken words. You can educate your friends and family, every little action helps. If you want to go the extra mile you can serve as a volunteer interpreter or educator in your area or even online.
It’s not only for the Deaf.
People think only the deaf community needs to learn how to sign. However, hearing loss is a common problem everywhere. As we age, our hearing gets affected and there’s not stopping it. The elderly tend to have a hard time trying to communicate with their families which can affect their relationships with them. Not to mention how it can affect them economically, considering how much hearing aids and surgery costs. If we learn how to sign from an early age we can communicate effectively with our older relatives and vice versa. This way, we can spare the trouble and emotional side effects hearing loss cause.
Expands the people you can communicate with. (More friends!)
Your next best friend or soul mate could be deaf, being able to communicate with more people can expand your social circle and who you can connect with. Plus they will give you a different perspective of the world.
Spices up your resume: more volunteer, internships and jobs opportunities.
Knowing and mastering multiple languages always looks good on the resume, no matter what you are majoring in or what job you are applying to. You can also work as a freelancer and have an extra income, which is always welcome. There’s even a plus to sign language: you don’t have to learn how to pronounce any word. Again, your main focus with learning sign language should be to expand your knowledge and your ability to interact with others.
You can learn more about working as an interpreter here.
What are you waiting for? Next time you have a few hours to kill you can take the time to learn how to sign or take a few minutes to learn more about the sign language history and impact.