Amy Cohen Efron shares her opinion about the rising popularity of “ASL Music” throughout the blog/vlogosphere. “ASL Music” is considered as an oxymoron itself! Ain’t that funny? I have been watching several people using ASL to translate lyrical songs sung by famous singers or lyrics from well known songs. The idea of translating lyrical songs with American Sign Language is a bit strange to me..
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I like your idea. I am tired of seeing ASL-1 students putting their Transliterated songs on youtube and the comments saying things like “ASL is such a pretty language”, “OMG you are so good at sign”, ” wow you should do this as a living”.
I recently heard that some of these same people are getting paid to go to ASL festivals around the country. this is a sad state of our community when this happens.
I would like to see true ASL used and have an ASL poem used in place of the english words.
Most songs on Youtube are PSE, not ASL… but when one comes across a true ASL “singer”… you can see the difference. I don’t think that music and ASL cannot come together and create something beautiful. If you do, I encourage you to watch Ewitteborg or tiffanythill here on youtube. They create beautiful poetry with their hands in true ASL. To some people ASL music is more than translating English words to easy-to-understand signs.
I agree. Taking their language and trying to make it more “English” is not right. It totally disrespects the deaf and their language, and culture. If you will make a music video take time to research ASL and do it right !
But English is a second language to a person born deaf, and ASL in English word order is confusing, and isn’t ASL, its signed English. If you are going to do it, then take the time to do it right, and do some research. Otherwise what is the point? If they don’t understand, its just another hearing music video.
Yes I agree, it can be done with SOME songs, but needs to be ASL order not English order. If it is in English order, then its not ASL anyway, and a deaf person will not understand it anyway, so whats the point? I am late-deafened, so I understand English, but it still confuses me when its in English word order, I am used to ASL being used correctly!
@crazykitten88 I am learning ASL right now (I can hear fine, I just want to learn so that I can be more helpful in my career field) and it’s actually easier for me to understand ASL music than to just watch someone sign. I understand it better and I can see the different variations! it’s amazing to me and helping me learn better, i love the idea and since it is gaining in popularity, then obviously so do a lot of others 🙂
from russian movie «The Dust» — KzEF36-z81k (add this before watch?v=, I don’t know, how to post links in comments)
@merrywannapizza WOW. This show how uneducated you are! I’m deaf but I CAN HEAR WELL ENOUGH TO ENJOY MUSIC! Wow wow wow wow wow! I’m appalled at your comment!
Interesting comment.
Some “ASL” songs may not be pure ASL, but they are sharing what is precious to them, and hope people watching will also be touched.
Every human, Deaf or Hearing, have an internal rhythm (=movement). That is why Hearing and Deaf people have favorite styles of music. One Deaf LOVES rap but another HATES rap but LOVES country music.
ASL is great! But don’t let ASL cut you off from experiencing what God’s world offers, like music.
IMHO.
Im a grandfather 500mi from my CODA granddaughter (not 2 yet), where is it again I’m suppose to practice my receptive skills at 11:30pm??? God bless all translating songs to ASL, and posting them for me to watch. And I watch…many different versions…over and over…to learn!! With all due respect to the purest (Im not worthy, and all that) please, everyone, ignore them and continue to post less-than-6sigma-percise translations of songs. Remember, it’s really all about communication.
@yoyomagic I agree with everything you said up to the part about ASL not just being for the Deaf. I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. ASL DOES belong to the Deaf! It’s their language, and their language defines them! It defines their culture, and defines their identity. As hearing people, we are guests in their world. That’s like me saying Japanese is not just for Japanese people. Lets learn ASL, yes, but lets remember that we are privilaged as hearing people to be students of this language.
Just for the record. I have been signing songs ever since i learned sign language. which i learned from immersion. From this i learned a lot about the Sign Language Community. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing people that I know LOVE to watch music that is signed. When i sign a song, yes I’ll admit it has a very English tone to it. But that is only because I want to take the concepts that are being portrayed by the artist and not influence it myself. This is just my thoughts.
I completely agree with you! We have a performance-art sort of sign-karaoke thing that my ITP does every semester where my classmates get on stage and perform ASL versions of popular songs. (usually country or religious music which makes it worse). I can’t help but feel there are better ways we could be spending our time than trying to translate crappy English poetry into ASL, when ASL is already poetry on it’s own.
I say slow your roll! Geez! The world is one big place and we all have to fit in it somehow. Don’t be so concerned with this whole ASL ASL ASL ASL language that you are ranting so heavily about. is it a language? yes! and so is english. it seems that you want everything for the Deaf to be screaming true ASL or else it is not accepted by YOU as such. Maybe you don’t get your kicks from “hearing” music but I sure do and know plenty of other Deaf ppl that do as well! Open your mind woman!
I think there is no right or wrong answer here – this issue is a cultural one more than anything else. Consequently, there is ample, even endless, room for debate on this topic. While the jury is still out, there will be proponents and naysayers. Meanwhile, signed music lives on as a popular medium of expression.
Excellent. Just excellent. It’s a pity not more people realize this.
Most of the videos titled “ASL” are in no way ASL. Pidgin Sign Language (or PSL) and SEE, etc. . . are not American Sign Language, yet manyhave “ASL” in the title or tags. Find the irony in my screen name? LOL. I certainly attempt to be true to the language of ASL and be true to the intent and content of the English songs. I do think they can coexist. I think Amy’s desire is to see “natural ASL” expressed in a cultural setting.
I think an often forgotten aspect of this discussion is the mere fact that ASL has been an oppressed language. It’s not just that the Deaf have been oppressed, but the very language that is theirs is often taken for use that does not include the Deaf community at all. That would fall into the category of “audism”. People can be so self-focused and not even give a thought to the actual people group to whom this language belongs. And it DOES belong to the Deaf. It’s not just a “cool” thing.
I think you might be a bit close minded. People that sign songs in ASL usually dont do it for the deaf community, but to it because they love the language and they love how they can express themselves with it. Remember, ASL is not just for the deaf, but for everyone and anyone who wishes to learn and use it. I think it would be best if you and other got use to that idea.
I’m hearing and learned ASL as an adult. As I learned ASL, I found myself signing songs because I cannot sing well, but signing along allows me to feel the emotion in the music and express it, even if it was just to my reflection in the mirror. I cannot sign English so I suppose I do more conceptual interpreting of songs. ASL lets me feel the music all through my body as well as hear it. I believe that the rush hearing people get from signing music.
I’m deaf. I am a film producer and inventor. I am also a music lover and I aim to make music accessible to ALL by choices by producing music videos.
It’s about having styles, visions and marketing to a bigger audiences as well as making them accessible to all.
Simple as that. It’s time we step out of a box, Ms. Efron.
to continue my 1st comment:
I’m hard of hearing myself and I enjoy it no matter what. No matter if the lyrics interpreted wrong to you and may not always be correct, you guys can help us to understand and improve our ASL a little better.
The purpose of why people are now doing the ASL music videos — I can see what you mean. We still can do ASL poetry, and more. Hearing people who are learning ASL are practicing and of course is trying to interpret the lyrics. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing — they enjoy music even if they can’t hear, it doesn’t stop them from enjoying the feeling of the music. People who try to interpret the lyrics are actually their opinions of what they think what lyrics meant to them.
If I change a Mexican song to fit my American culture, it loses its value as Mexican song. Why then should we change the structure of music to be “non-Hearing”… why not rather appreciate music for what it is – Glossed into ASL for accessibility (ie: English subtitles in Italian Operas), then also create what you suggest. It is possible to have one and not discriminate against the other. I know countless Deaf who find fulfillment in music. Is that wrong? Why can’t both be enjoyed?
You have a very good point. I never liked it when people transliterated songs and called it an ASL song, but I never had a logical argument why not. Now I do! I think it’s good to transliterate songs, as long as people realize that’s not “ASL music”.