Category: International Sign Languages

Welcome to our list of Start ASL international sign language articles! Here you will find general information about sign languages from all over the world.

Start here with our main article: Sign Languages of the World


BAFTA Winners’ Dance Routine Makes a Great Statement on Behalf of Sign Language

For their appearance on the UK television show Strictly Come Dancing, Deaf TV star Rose Ayling-Ellis and her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice won the Must-See Moment BAFTA, an award category that’s voted for by members of the viewing public. During their ballroom dance to the band Clean Bandit’s song “Symphony,” the music was switched […]

American Sign Language Increases Deaf Awareness and Touches Hearts

More and more people are learning American Sign Language to be able to communicate with their loved ones or friendly strangers to make someone’s day. There are many great stories to tell. Check out how these stories have an impact on the Deaf community and make a difference in people’s lives. Meteorologist Goes Viral After […]

DeafNation World Expo in Las Vegas August 2022

Joel Barish hosted the 4th DeafNation World Expo & Conference at the Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 1-4, 2022. About 15,000 Deaf people from around the world, including Deaf celebrities such as Daniel Durant, Troy Kotsur, Renca Dunn, and Wawa attended the event. There were fourteen sponsors and three partners. […]

Deaf Travel

There are a lot of Deaf people who love to travel. People may wonder how Deaf people communicate with other people in different states/countries, are able to get around, and go through checking in/TSA without any problems. Well, D/deaf people find ways they can be successful in traveling – it is all about experience and […]

Deaflympics 2022

Deaflympics 2022 Deaflympics occurred between May 1 – May 15, 2022. It occurred in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. There were 73 nations who joined Deaflympics and list of medals each countries got. There were a total of 2,408 athletes: 1,644 were men and 764 were women. USA won 20 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and […]

Deaf Communities Across the World

My fiancé Vlad and I are Deaf. We recently took a trip to Italy and Israel. We visited Milan, Dolomites Mountain, and Venice while in Italy. In Israel, we explored Be’er Sheva, Dead Sea, and other cities in Israel. I will share my experiences when traveling as a Deaf traveler with my Deaf fiancé. At […]

Deaf Travel Part 2

Deaf people can do anything except hear. Anything includes traveling. Did you know that there are a lot of Deaf travelers. Most people wonder, “How do Deaf people travel if they cannot hear their surroundings, or communicate with other people/foreigners?” That is a great question and honestly, Deaf people are visually alert. It is true […]

Do You Speak American Sign Language?

Have you ever been fascinated when people say, “Do you speak sign language?” Sign language isn’t a spoken language, so it does not really make sense to say “speak” as oppose to “know”. American Sign Language is a developed language that is made of hand movements, body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Many foreign languages […]

A Beginner’s Guide to Learning American Sign Language

It can be fun, but it can also be scary to learn a new language. You have always wanted to learn American Sign Language (ASL) but have always wondered how and where to get started. The article below will have tons of tips and tricks on what you need to know to get you started […]

Deaf People’s Experiences at the Airport

With COVID under control, airports are re-opening and especially with spring break and summer is right around the corner, people are booking their vacations and getaways. With that being said, there are pros and cons Deaf people experience at the airport. The pros include the ability to cut to the front of the line or […]

Irish Sign Language and St. Patrick’s Day in American Sign Language

St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday that occurs on March 17th. During this holiday, people tend to wear green so leprechauns will not see and pinch them. The real reason why people get pinched when they do not wear green is because it is sign of dishonor and disrespect to St. Patrick. The history […]

Did You Know the Facts About American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Deaf Community?

American Sign Language is its own language that is used by the Deaf community. American Sign Language has its own history of where it derived from and the Deaf community has it own culture.  Here are some facts that make American Sign Language (ASL) unique as its own language: ASL is not universal as it […]

American Sign Language vs Israeli Sign Language

Did you know American Sign Language is not universal? In the article, “Is American Sign Language Universal”, it talked about whether or not American Sign Language is universal, in other words, ASL is used in all countries all over the world. The answer is no. American Sign Language is only unique to the US whereas […]

Deaf People Can Do Anything Except Hear

Deaf people are able to function just like normal hearing people. Hearing people graduate from universities with a Bachelor’s degree and some further their education to getting a Masters or pHD. Well, Deaf people can do the same. In fact, there are a lot of well-known Deaf people who obtain successful careers such as doctors, […]

Is American Sign Language Universal?

  Many people ask, “Is American Sign Language (ASL) universal?” Well, the answer is no, it is not universal. American Sign Language is unique and is commonly used within the United States and Canada. Canada actually has two official sign languages known as American Sign Language and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ). However, people from outside […]

Auslan (Australian Sign Language)

Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is a beautiful language. It is the sign language used in Australia and is related to British Sign Language (BSL) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). These three signed languages descended from the same parent language and are part of the BANZSL language family. Australian Sign Language has also been influenced by […]

British Sign Language (BSL)

British Sign Language  is the sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK). One of the most notable features of BSL is their two-handed manual alphabet. BSL is related to Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). These three signed languages descended from the same parent language and are part of the […]

Chinese Sign Language (CSL)

Chinese Sign Language (CSL) has been developing mostly since the late 1950’s and its signs are like written Chinese characters. CSL has several dialects with Shanghai being the most common. Even though the first deaf school using CSL was founded in 1887 by C.R. Mills, an American missionary, and his wife, CSL was not influenced […]

Irish Sign Language (ISL)

Irish Sign Language (ISL) is the sign language used in Ireland (primarily in the Republic of Ireland). ISL is also used in Northern Ireland, but British Sign Language (BSL) is used there as well. ISL is more similar to American Sign Language and French Sign Language than British Sign Language and is not related to […]

Japanese Sign Language (JSL)

Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is the sign language used in Japan. Just like how Japanese is completely different from English, JSL is completely different from ASL. For one, JSL uses mouthing to distinguish between various signs. ASL uses mouth movements a little bit, but not mouthing to this extent. Fingerspelling is also used more in […]

Sign Languages of the World – ASL is NOT Universal

American Sign Language is NOT a universal language. This is a very common myth that needs to be debunked. Just like the thousands of different languages of the world–there are several different signed languages. We think this fact makes things more exciting because we absolutely love American Sign Language. We love learning it, we love […]

Spanish Sign Language (SSL)

Spanish Sign Language is  the sign language used in Spain. Just like how Spanish is completely different from English, SSL is completely different from ASL. SSL is the same across Spain, except for Catalonia and Valencia, which have their own signed languages (Catalan Sign Language and Valencian Sign Language). SSL was influenced by American, Mexican, […]

Swedish Sign Language (TSP)

Swedish Sign Language (TSP) is the sign language used in Sweden. TSP did not stem from any other sign languages, but it did influence Finnish Sign Language (FSL) and Portuguese Sign Language (PSR). It has been in use since 1800 and in 1809, the first deaf school in Sweden was established. Swedish Sign Language was […]