TL;DR: If you want to add a unique language skill to your resume or open up new methods of communication, you’ll want to learn American Sign Language with this bundle. Check out what I thought about it below!
Ever watched the State of the Union or practically any other live music event? I’ve seen both multiple times, and it’s hard not to notice one of, if not the most, important person in the room (aside from the speaker and singer, of course!): the sign language interpreter.
Sign language has always intrigued me, and I’ve found myself observing sign language interpreters during all sorts of events. Signing and opening a world of understanding for people who don’t rely on spoken language like I do is incredibly powerful, so I’ve always thought about learning more about sign language and its history.
Fortunately, a very well-timed opportunity came up that let me jump into learning sign language (ASL, specifically!). While I don’t personally have friends or family that rely on sign language for daily communication, I believe it’s an incredibly valuable skill to have, especially when you consider the fact that ASL is the third most spoken language in the U.S. after English and Spanish (crazy, right?).
Learning ASL, even just basic signing, could be incredibly helpful in so many different scenarios!
Learn ASL history, fundamentals, and more
Like any spoken language, sign language isn’t easy to master right away (I wish it was that simple!), so I set my goal to learn basic ASL, like signing numbers, colors, speaking simple sentences, etc. The method I used to set about my sign language learning? I chose the All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle, which is available through the New York post for only $20!
This ASL bundle really is all-in-one, too, which is easy to see just by going through its course offerings and lesson descriptions. I was pleasantly surprised at how many beginner-level courses there are, and I appreciated the context provided for the course, which is the history of deaf and hard of hearing education. I always find it helpful to know the context of something that I’m learning so I feel more engaged.
What I most appreciated about this all-inclusive bundle was its short, easy-to-watch lessons on signing the most basic elements, like the alphabet, numbers, and verbs.
They lasted no longer than 15 minutes, and as someone who’s got a full-time job and (somewhat) robust social life, it made it so much easier to squeeze in ASL learning even when I was busy. The short, bite-sized lessons were also super engaging, which helped me stay motivated to keep up with my ASL studies!
The instructor, Manny Martin, was extremely knowledgeable and thorough in his explanations, especially in the “American Sign Language – Beginner” course. Something that’s been on my mind since beginning this journey was the fact that Martin revealed that every ASL sign has a specific purpose behind it, whether it’s the form of a symbol or day of the week.
Martin’s additional explanations also made it easier to perfect (more like attempt!) signing form even when it was challenging for me to recall it. Let’s just say my signing is a very rough work in progress!
ASL skills that can help professionals
I didn’t realize that I’d have additional instructors for the other courses, so I was happy to see that there were others to engage with in the following lessons. Martin was a great introductory teacher, but I really appreciated that someone who regularly uses ASL for daily communication was teaching the next course, “American Sign Language for Business – Beginner.”
Charlie Rich led this this business-centered ASL course, and Rich’s signing was accompanied by a speaking interpreter, Betsy Rich. I originally was going to wait to take this course since I didn’t think it was super relevant for me (I work remotely!), but I’m glad I jumped in. Charlie was such an engaging instructor, too, and I got even more insight into how much your communication in ASL relies someone’s body language, too.
In the Facial Expressions lessons, I found that questions like “Who?” and “Can I help you?” are not only asked through actual signing but also from the position of the signer’s eyebrows. I truly didn’t realize the enormous physicality of ASL, though it makes so much sense since it’s present in any spoken language.
This ASL course taught me vocabulary and phrases that would be invaluable in almost any professional setting. I definitely recommend jumping into this course for anyone looking to learn ASL as part of their professional development!
Learning ASL can be easy and exciting with this bundle
While I’ve only gotten through two of the courses in this ASL bundle, I’m happy with my ASL learning progress. I feel comfortable with the basic signs I’ve learned already, and I feel that I have a solid foundation for learning more intermediate and (hopefully!) more advanced ASL conversational skills in the future.
Not only that, I received a certificate of completion for both courses (woohoo!). I might add them to my LinkedIn profile or resume if I’m ever back on the job market.
The only downside of learning ASL online is that there isn’t human interaction (which, of course, somewhat defeats the point of online learning!). I think the only thing I’d like out of this bundle is partial access to a live instructor for asking additional questions and practice. I don’t know anyone I could practice my ASL skills with, and it would be helpful to apply what I’m learning in this bundle IRL so my learning sticks!
Overall, I think these video lessons are an excellent way to dive into learning ASL, especially for anyone with little to no knowledge of it already. The courses and lessons are organized in a way that makes it easy to stay motivated to learn while still offering plenty of practical education.
Another pro? Since this bundle’s courses are available for life, you can learn ASL at your own pace and revisit lessons if you want to review them! Learning ASL can be tricky, so having unlimited time to grasp this new language is incredibly valuable.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn ASL (just like me!), you should get the All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle now, especially since it’s now on sale for just $19.99!
StackSocial prices subject to change.