As I write this, we are 10 days into the new year. Did you make a New Year's resolution? Was it something standard, along the lines of getting in shape or doing better in school? Or if you're out of school, maybe you've decided to go back so you can learn new skills? What about learning a new language? Being able to communicate in more than one language has proven cognitive benefits.
How about learning Australian Sign Language - Auslan? Doing so will deliver the same benefits as speaking any other language would and then some. You'll learn how to express yourself visually rather than in a spoken language. You will gain entrance to the world of the deaf and hard-of-hearing. You may even decide to parlay your sign language skills into a satisfying, lucrative career.
Auslan TAFE Courses
Let's start things off by admitting we're aware you could simply type 'Auslan courses near me' into your search engine. But then, you'd have to sort through indiscriminate results. Some commercial outlets offer Auslan courses for what might be a fairly steep fee. Others may or may not be accredited. How can you tell without reading through the entire sales pitch? This article means to relieve you of that burden.
About accreditation: if you're searching for Auslan courses because you intend to put your new skills to work, you need an accredited course. The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) certifies courses taught at Technical and Further Education (TAFE) facilities. They've also accredited certain deaf support organisations' Auslan courses. Purely commercial courses may or may not have accreditation. The ones we checked did not but then, we didn't check every single outlet across the country.
Conversely, if you want to take an Auslan course because you know someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, you don't necessarily need an accredited course. You may sign up for courses taught by a volunteer group in your area. These lessons generally last about six weeks. You will likely learn the Auslan alphabet, fingerspelling and basic signs. Such classes generally serve as an introduction to Auslan to prepare interested learners for an Auslan TAFE course.
Accredited Auslan TAFE courses take up to two years of full-time study to complete. You will earn your Diploma of Auslan upon satisfactory completion of all coursework and exams. You may then apply for a Recognised Practising Interpreter certificate. That will allow you to function as an Auslan to English interpreter in non-specific, non-complex matters. For instance, you might help your deaf friend navigate an official transaction in a government office.
And that's just the start of your language-learning journey. As with any other language, learning Auslan is a lifelong endeavour. However, unlike other language studies, you can fulfil a genuine need by learning Auslan. We are desperately short on Auslan interpreters. So let's not tarry any longer. Here are Auslan TAFE and other accredited courses.
Auslan Courses Queensland
You know how, in every country, each region has its own dialect and language quirks? The same is true with Auslan. Queensland Auslan has signs that an Auslan signer from Perth might not know. Or worse, perhaps a particular sign, inoffensive in Queensland, might be a profound insult to someone in Perth. And just as there are regional dialects, there are regional deaf community networks.
In Queensland, you'll find Deaf Connect. They are located in Moorooka, at 915 Ipswich Road. They offer short-duration courses to get acquainted with Auslan. Should you find this language even more interesting than you initially thought, you may sign up for their accredited course. Deaf Connect offers Deaf Awareness Training for employers catering to the deaf public, too. And if you have a family member who is deaf, check out Auslan for Families.
Victoria Auslan Courses
One aspect of Auslan that makes it so unique is its word order. In English, we typically follow the subject-verb-object (SVO) order, reversing the subject and verb to ask a question. You won't typically follow this word order when signing because Auslan is not a word-for-word translation of English. Auslan sentence structure depends more on how the signs flow into one another and the conversational context.
In Victoria and Tasmania, you can learn Auslan's time-topic-comment (TTC) format with Expression Australia's help. They offer a three-tier learning program, aptly named Auslan 101, 102 and 103. As with courses offered through Deaf Connect in Queensland, Expression Australia offers Deaf Awareness training for anyone having any dealings with people who are deaf. They've expanded their reach throughout the territory by offering all of their Auslan courses online.
However, Deaf Expressions does not teach any accredited Auslan courses. For those, you must direct yourself to Melbourne Polytechnic. Their course catalog offers a TAFE Diploma of Auslan course as well as higher-level certification courses. Tuition is free for the TAFE course; you'll only pay a $250 student amenity fee per year.
Auslan TAFE Courses New South Wales
In English, 'be' is one of the most oft-used verbs. We use it to describe ourselves and conditions that afflict us - I am hungry or he is tired, for instance. Auslan, by contrast, does not use 'to be' because it is a zero-copula language. This linguistic phenomenon manifests in many languages. For example, Mandarin speakers say "I hungry", while Polish speakers might ask "Whether fact?" for "Is that a fact?".
It won't take you long to learn that, in Auslan, the only use of 'to be' appears when quoting something from English. In such cases, signers rely on fingerspelling to render the correct form of the verb. Deaf Connect's NSW chapter, in Parramatta, will teach you all of these fascinating Auslan language facts as well as how to sign. Like the Queensland branch, they also teach accredited Auslan courses, courses for families and anyone who interacts with deaf persons.
Auslan Courses South Australia
South Australia has a long history of support for its deaf residents. Starting in 1891, the Royal South Australian Deaf Society provided services and education for deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing people. Later, that agency, with its overly formal name, adopted a far more fun moniker - Deaf Can:Do (note the 'big smile' emoticon built into the name). And then, in March 2022, Deaf Can:Do joined with Deaf Connect to provide more uniform services and learning opportunities.
It's a brilliant idea when you think about it. Let's touch again on the fact that practically every region of every country has its own dialect. A country's people may not use the same words or speak with the same accent across an entire nation. But shouldn't every citizen have access to the same services? That's the idea behind Deaf Connect now being accessible in three territories. And there's no doubt they will further standardise services and education for the deaf across our country.
Deaf Connect offers the same range of Auslan certification courses found in other territories but South Australians also have access to TAFE courses. Their three-tier program (Certificates II, III, and IV) consists of 12-month, part-time, hybrid lessons, with Cert IV being in-person sessions only. Each course sets the stage for further learning, ultimately preparing you for certification. They also pave the way to a career as an Auslan interpreter or any other profession that calls for these language skills.
Western Australia Auslan Courses
Having just said that practically every country is divided into dialectical regions, we now have to point out that Oz is the exception. Our country has no accent particular to any region; someone from Perth will likely sound like anyone from Sydney. That's not the case from one deaf community to the next. Auslan is broadly categorised as having two dialects, southern and northern. Furthermore, signers can tell where someone is from simply by the way they sign. For instance, 'Brisbane sign' is distinct from 'Melbourne Sign'.
That doesn't really matter to Auslan speakers. They're well practised at adapting to a world with few concessions for their communication style. So it takes them no time to adjust to signing variations. However, those for whom Auslan is a second language might need a slight refresher course to get up to speed. In WA, Access Plus WA Deaf delivers the lessons you need.
Whether you've lived in Perth all your life or have just relocated there and wish to get familiar with Perth Sign, Access Plus can take you through Basic Auslan all the way to the advanced level. Unfortunately, they do not offer any certification courses but North Metropolitan TAFE does. You may even enrol there to earn your Diploma of Auslan or the more coveted Diploma of Interpreting.
As you learn Auslan, you'll also learn about the history and struggles deaf people endured (and still endure). You'll learn about deaf culture and gain practical skills. These skills and knowledge will allow you to understand and work with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. You may choose to work with deaf children or help with deaf community outreach efforts. Whichever path you take, your help is desperately needed.
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