Which language is more important to be learned in America? Spanish or Sign Language?

I think Spanish because there are more Spanish people in America than deaf people and it is better if you want to get a job in human services. My sister thinks Sign Language because she believes hand gestures will come more naturally to students, and it will be easier to learn. What do you think? Give your honest opinion to settle this family feud!
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3 Comments

  1. i would say spanish.
    being bilingual comes in handy alot.
    not alot of people are deaf but alot of people speak spanish.
    and you can get better jobs if you speak more than one language.

  2. Sadly, Spanish. I say sadly only because I know American Sign Language and not Spanish. You are more likely to come in contact with a Spanish person who doesn’t know a bit of English (written or spoken) than a Deaf person who doesn’t know written English. If you come in contact with a Deaf person and you don’t know sign language, you will most likely still be able to write back and forth with them. That is virtually impossible to do with a person who speaks Spanish and not a bit of English.

    I have also noticed that most jobs you look for, if they require you to be bilingual, it’s in English and Spanish, not in English and ASL. You have no idea how excited I would be if I saw a job listing (that wasn’t for an ASL teacher or interpreter) that required you to know English and ASL 🙂

    I do agree that sign language can be easier for students to learn. It was easier for me because I am a more visual learner than auditory learner. But to me, that has nothing to do with what language would be more useful to know.

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