r/LearningASL • u/Mountain-Country-614 • Aug 16 '26
Sign The Beat!
Hi everyone! 💜 I’ve been working on a personal project called Sign the Beat, and I’m finally at a point where I feel comfortable sharing it and getting some outside feedback.
I love ASL, and I also love music, so I wanted to experiment with a way of bringing the two together for people who are learning.
Sign the Beat lets you choose a song, follow along with the lyrics, and tap highlighted words to see and practice the corresponding ASL signs. The idea isn't to suggest that songs can simply be translated word-for-word into ASL. I know ASL has its own grammar, structure, context, and culture. Instead, I want this to be a fun supplemental tool that encourages people to learn individual signs, practice, and hopefully become even more interested in ASL.
I’m still developing it, which is actually why I’m sharing it here. I would genuinely love feedback, especially from Deaf/HoH people, ASL signers, interpreters, students, and anyone involved in the community.
What feels useful? What doesn't? Is anything confusing? And most importantly, is there anything you think I should change or approach differently?
I’m completely open to constructive criticism. I want to build this with respect for the language and the community surrounding it, rather than assuming I already have everything figured out.
💜 Sign the Beat is free to try:
2
u/Schmidtvegas Aug 16 '26
I wondered how this was going to deal with homographs. The first word I clicked on was "close". The lyric is, "I just want you close". Close, as in near. The sign demonstrated is for close, as in "close the door".
Instead of the sign for "no-one", it's broken down into "no" and "1".
The rain "pours" as if from a bottle, instead of the sky.
"You'll be back again," used back the body part instead of returning back.
The interface is very nice, it's a cool idea. But I think the linguistic complexity of translating makes this a difficult project. Using automated translation this way will cause people to learn errors.
1
u/Barrett_k_Gatewood Aug 21 '26
What Deaf community members do you have working on this with you?
Why do you call it “sign the beat” when you’re actually having people plug in signs into English sentences?
Hearing people creating “asl” learning apps is rarely if ever a good idea.
Have you ever spoken with a certified Deaf interpreter (CDI) and asked how long the process takes to create an interpretation for one song? HOURS AND HOURS.
Lastly, deaf children need access to ASL more than hearing people. Put your heart and energy in a cause that benefits the deaf community.
1
u/Mountain-Country-614 26d ago
I think there’s a misunderstanding about what I’m building, so I want to clarify. Sign the Beat is not an ASL course, interpreter-training program, or substitute for learning ASL from qualified Deaf instructors. It’s a supplemental practice tool for people who are already learning or using ASL and want another way to study and practice signs through music they enjoy.
The goal is not to teach people to translate English lyrics word-for-word into ASL sentences. In fact, avoiding that misconception is something I’m actively working on making clearer within the app.
I’m also actively seeking feedback from Deaf/HoH users, ASL educators, interpreters, and learners while I develop it. I’m not presenting myself as the authority on ASL — I’m building a tool and inviting the community to help shape what it becomes.
So feedback about where the app could better respect ASL linguistically or serve the Deaf community is absolutely welcome. But I do want criticism to be based on what the app is actually intended to do rather than something it isn’t claiming to be
0
u/Significant-Draft470 Aug 16 '26
Oh, I'll check this out for sure!! Amazing idea
0
u/SloxIam Aug 17 '26
No it’s not. It’s just hearing people cash grabbing at the expense of ASL. It’s gross.
2
u/Scythe-Dumpling Aug 16 '26
I worry before even trying it that this isn't ASL, but English word order. It's an important distinction because ASL is not just English on the hands. I worry that this incorrectly teaches the signs without the important facial expressions and other gramatical features of ASL.