People wish to learn Auslan for a number of differing reasons. They may have a friend or family member who is deaf; they may work with a deaf person; they may wish to become an Auslan/English interpreter; or they may just be interested to learn, as are people interested in learning other languages such as Italian or Japanese.
People often ask how long it will take them to learn Auslan and how difficult it will be to do so. It is important to realise that Auslan is just a complex of language as is any spoken language. How long does it take to learn French? It varies from person to person; however, like learning any language, learning Auslan will take time and patience in order to become a fluent user. But, you’ll have fun whilst you do it!
It is important to identify the reasons for wishing to learn Auslan as this will influence where you will go to learn. If you wish to learn a few basics in order to greet people and chitchat, then you have several options that include:
- Vicdeaf short course
- Kangan Institute of TAFE, Auslan Studies Department (part time study)
- La Trobe University, National Institute of Deaf Studies (part time study)
- CAE short course
If you are interested to learn Auslan fluently, whether you aim to work as an interpreter or for other reasons, then the only full time language acquisition course that is available is at Kangan Institute of TAFE (Richmond campus) through the Auslan Studies Department. This course is two years, full time.
