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What Will It Take? There are many possible reasons why you decided you want to learn to sign. Maybe you know a Deaf person and want to be able to communicate. Or, perhaps you think it will enhance your employability or help you in your job. Maybe you're just intrigued by the grace, energy, and beauty of the language and want to share in it. Whatever your reasons are for wanting to learn to sign, it is important to remember something. This book will give you reliable and sound information about ASL and related topics, and teach you many signs you'll need to know when using ASL. It will give you an excellent start on your journey into sign language, and the ability to communicate in sign to a certain extent. You will not, however, be an expert in sign language when you finish the last chapter of this book. Those of you who have studied a foreign language like Spanish or German probably can remember the frustration you felt during the process. You learned all you could from the books, teacher or tapes. You felt like you were making good progress as you completed grammar drills and recited sentences. And then, you tried to use the language with somebody who really knew it and fell flat on your face. Sound familiar? It will be the same way with ASL. And, just as with Spanish or German, if you keep practicing and working, you'll eventually wonder why you thought it was so hard. Just like with any language, learning ASL will be work. It will take commitment, motivation, and practice. Although basic communication skills can be learned in just a few months, it generally takes between five and seven years from the time learning starts for a person to be fluent in sign language. This is the general timetable for attaining fluency in spoken languages, as well. The learning process is accelerated, of course, if the student spends a lot of time communicating with native signers. Someone hoping to become a good interpreter for the Deaf should count on a couple more years of learning time, preferably spent in a formal training program. Deaf people are extremely (and understandably) irritated by people who learn a little ASL and claim to be very knowledgeable or even an expert on the subject. It's a little like somebody who has completed a first-aid course trying to pass himself off as a physician. A Deaf woman consulted during the writing of this book expressed her frustration and annoyance by these instant experts. “Why is it that hearing people think they take one or two sign language classes and they are qualified to be interpreters?” wrote Kim Horn, who is Deaf and has taught sign language for many years. “Do you take two courses of French and become an interpreter? Of course not! A person may like sign language and like to sign, but that doesn't make them an interpreter. It is akin to me saying I am a singer. Sure, I like music. I like to sing. But that does not mean I am a singer.” Page 43