October 11, 2025
When I was in Japan, I picked Sign Language. It's a skill I've been wanting to learn for some time now, and my interest was renewed after watching an interview with a Japanese ex-drug dealer (yes, stay with me…). The lady was talking about her time in prison and how the guards were called "zoo". To signalize they are coming close, instead of saying that out loud for which they might get caught, everyone used a sign for a letter "su" (ス).
That got me to check Japanese Sign Language and its differences compared to other languages, and that led me to desire to learn.
The versatility!
Aside from the obvious pro, which is being able to communicate with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, Sign Language is also great for hearing people. The reasons to learn might not seem huge, but they really add up.
- Sign language gives you the ability to communicate with people in loud places. I'd like to say "like clubs, or at concerts", but so many places now are polluted by noise...
- Similarly, that works in quiet places as well - like a library, a train or a museum
- Sore throat, headache? With sign language you can still talk without making your condition worse. You could be even chatting with your dentist during the visit, instead of making weird, chocked noises
- Alternative methods of communication can be great for neurodivergent people, allowing them to express themselves with more ease
And besides, it's just so fun to learn.
It's unlike any spoken language - something fresh and almost playful. One also doesn't need to memorize a new alphabet, sounds, or words, and instead relies on the already known vocabulary pool, which makes the studying way easier.
If that were up to me, I'd put Sign Language in schools instead of a second foreign language. When I was in high school, we were studying English (which I had already been learning for years then) and German, to which many kids were new. With only 2 hours worth of lessons a week and no real way to practice, I don't remember anything from it now. If it were Sign Language instead, things might have been different.
Why American Sign Language?
I picked American Sign Language. A bit weird choice given that I live in Poland, but I had my reasons.
First, there are just so, so, so many online resources for ASL. Apps, communities, lots of deaf content creators to watch. For PJM (Polski Język Migowy, Polish Sign Language)? Not so much. There is one app-dictionary available, but its disastrous User Experience makes it a pain to use.
Ideally, real-life practice with the deaf community would be perfect. But when I started learning, in the middle on Working Holidays, I knew that I wouldn't be back home for another 4-7 (who knows?) months. I was also meeting various people from all over the world, so it felt right.
ASL it is.
Resources
After testing a few different resources, I went with Lingvano app. It's like Duolingo, but for a Sign Language, and you can even pick between American, British and Austrian variants, which vary a lot.
It's a paid app, but honestly, it's just worth it. The quality of materials is amazing, and the lessons, aside from providing vocabulary and grammar materials, teach about deaf culture and community as well. The practice module, where you can review already known vocabulary, is available for free even after the subscription ends.
If you are not interested in paid options, Lifeprint (alternatively Bill Vicars YouTube channel) and Signasl are highly recommended.
When you keep in mind that learning SL is quicker than any spoken foreign language, just a few months of daily, 15-minute lessons, can get you far.
Fun fact
If you decide to try Lingvano and go as far as to learn how to sign "black cat", you'll see... a cat that is very dear to me!
Years ago, I uploaded some photos I made to Pixabay - a creative commons website - free to use for any project without credit. One particular photo of my grandparents' cat, Prezes, got quite popular, and I've spotted it in many places across the Internet since then.
Prezes is no longer with us, but it's great that he lives on in Lingvano. It was a nice surprise to see him there, and it's really heartwarming to see something I made in such a great learning tool. Creating really is amazing..
TL;DR Learning languages is really fun, so why not try Sign Language next? :)