Are you a native English speaker? If so, are you aware that you're still learning your native tongue? You might not have to diagram sentences or study grammar rules. However, intentionally or otherwise, you learn new things about your language all the time. For instance, you might pick up new vocabulary related to your job or favourite pastime. Or you might discover a commonly-used word has a different meaning when used in certain contexts.
All of this proves that language learning is a lifelong process. Why should Australian Sign Language - Auslan be any different? As new concepts and technologies emerge, people who use sign language to communicate will develop new signs to represent them. Australia's sign language communities constantly pick up signs from other sign languages. Some from American sign language (ASL), others from Italian sign language (ISL), proving that they too are continuously learning their language.
So maybe the question isn't how long it takes to learn Auslan but how long before you become proficient in the language. Which begs the question: to what end do you seek proficiency? Let's explore the various levels of proficiency you might attain and what purpose they might serve.
General Purpose Sign Language Lessons
You may have any number of reasons for learning Auslan. A family member may be deaf or you might have friends who are deaf. You might have trouble hearing or perhaps were rendered deaf through illness, like the American singer Mandy Harvey. You might be a new parent or someone interested in working with children. In that case, you would focus your studies on baby sign language so you can communicate with these pre-verbal humans.
Note that baby sign, though derived from Auslan, is distinct from it. It is necessarily limited to matters concerning infants and toddlers, such as 'bath', 'play' and 'cry'. You likely won't string full sentences together in baby sign but learning baby sign gives you a fine introduction to signing. You will learn to use your hands, body and facial expressions to understand the young humans you care for.
Fingerspelling gives you another inroad to sign language learning. The Australian sign language alphabet is elegant, logical and easy to learn. You may master it in a matter of hours. However, we don't spell the words we want to say. Likewise, people who express themselves primarily in Auslan don't spell their words, either. So while learning this alphabet gives you a toehold and permits basic communication with Auslan speakers, you'll have to go farther to learn this language.
DeafNav is an online portal that provides an overview of and access to the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in Australia. They aver that language learners can take community-based short courses to pick up Auslan basics. However, they emphasise that those courses are not enough to become proficient in this language. For that, you must take formal lessons.
How Long Does it Take to Learn Auslan in an Accredited Course?
Becoming fluent in Auslan typically requires around two years of dedicated effort. Achieving professional-level certifications and competence generally takes between three to six years.
It's no secret that there's a dearth of Auslan interpreters. Just ask your fav internet search engine about the shortage of Auslan interpreters to read a bevy or reports attesting to that fact. Estimates of the deaf population's size vary depending on whether you include the hard of hearing among the signing deaf - those who communicate with Auslan. Regardless of which statistics you consider, the number of qualified Auslan interpreters is abysmally low.
Unfortunately, that leaves deaf people, who rely on Auslan to engage in society, feeling perpetually shut out. Australia recognised Auslan as a legitimate language in 1987. However, many government offices, schools and universities, and businesses have yet to install anyone who can interpret for the deaf and hard of hearing. Imagine not being able to make yourself understood as you try to settle official matters or gain an education!
So if you're interested in sign language lessons to fulfil a desperately needed function, good on you. You should turn to your local Technical and Further Education (TAFE) office to find out when the next course starts. Should your local TAFE not offer sign language lessons, ask if they can direct you to a Registered Training Organisation that does. Or you could search for 'Auslan courses near me'.
Beware that those results will include a mix of commercial outlets offering sign language lessons. Their tuition might be steeper but, more importantly, they might not be accredited courses. To truly get your money's worth, be sure that the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) has approved any Auslan course you sign up for.
Such a course entails two years of full-time study. Once you've completed the course and demonstrated your knowledge of Auslan, you will be awarded a Diploma of Auslan. But don't rest on your laurels just yet. To increase your fluency and proficiency, you must continue practising. Just like learning any language, if you don't use those skills, you'll lose them. And you'll want to maintain your proficiency levels to qualify for entry into the Diploma of Interpreting program.
Sign Language Lessons to Become an Interpreter
You can learn Auslan online to master conversational Auslan. That would be appropriate if one of your friends or relatives were deaf. As you communicate with members of the deaf community, you will pick up more of the language while increasing your fluency and ability to use the Auslan you know. For instance, if you don't know the sign for something, fingerspelling it would prompt your conversation partner to teach you the sign.
Such a scenario plays out well in informal settings but won't work at all if you're an Auslan to English interpreter. We only need to point to the interpreter who signed at Nelson Mandela's memorial ceremony in 2013. Standing on a podium with the likes of US President Obama and other dignitaries, he made hand gestures accompanied by grimaces and other expressions. Deaf people were incensed. He made no sense in any of the world's sign languages - and there are quite a few.
This outrageous example underscores the fact that sign language interpreters have a responsibility to their audiences and/or clients. They have a Code of Ethics to uphold, something that the fake interpreter was obviously not acquainted with. And who hired him, anyway?
That's why the Australian government has a stringent certification process in place. The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) has set up six certification tiers Auslan interpreters may aspire to. If you've just completed your TAFE course, you may be sufficiently fluent in sign language interpretation. That being the case, you may apply for a Recognised Practising Interpreter certificate. This will qualify you to interpret in regions where testing and certification are not available.
Elsewhere, interpreters may strive for Certified Provisional Interpreter credentials. Note that provisional, in this sense, does not mean your credentials are contingent on anything. It represents the range of skills tested to attain certification, not the complexity of the communications. As your language skills develop, you may further test to earn your Certified Interpreter certification. Certified Interpreters have experience interpreting professionally.
If you wanted to specialise, you might aim for either a Certified Specialist Legal or Health Interpreter credential. As their names imply, these interpreters must have mastered the vocabulary and signs for either the medical or legal fields. They will have vast experience interpreting and have undergone additional training to make themselves proficient in their areas of speciality.
Certified Conference Interpreter is the highest level of certification an Auslan interpreter may aspire to. They will have vast experience interpreting in various situations, perhaps even including medical or legal matters. The texts and speeches they interpret may cover international conferences and negotiations. You may be most familiar with this level of interpretation certification. Every time you see a sign language interpreter at any type of political summit, they hold this credential.
Sign Language Lessons: Takeaways
Gaining fluency in Auslan usually takes about two years of focused study. To reach a professional level of certification and skill, it often requires three to six years. This duration can differ based on individual exposure to the language and natural language-learning aptitudes.
We leave you with this final thought: sign languages are not standard even across English-speaking nations. Auslan most closely resembles British Sign Language (BSL). In fact, the Auslan alphabet was wholly cribbed from the BSL. You may be able to make yourself understood in the UK - probably with a lot of fingerspelling. But you wouldn't be able to communicate well with ASL signers even with fingerspelling.
So, considering how limited a range Auslan presents, coupled with the fact that you will spend the rest of your life studying Auslan formally and informally... Wouldn't it make sense to pursue the highest level certification you could attain? Doing so would certainly advance your professional opportunities. And just think of how much you could help the deaf community!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
