# Anyone Understand Sign Language? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 3, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554 "2012-09-03T17:16:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/1 "2012-09-03T17:16:45Z")
…and want to have a go at translating this video? > **[These Jehovah's Witnesses Tell Deaf People To Stop Masturbating](https://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/jehovahs-witnesses-want-deaf-people-to-stop-mastu)** > > I recommend listening to your favorite jam, leaning back, and relaxing while you watch this masterpiece among public service announcements. It's kind of soothing after awhile. Video via @eventi. Updated with synced video! FTR, I don’t think it’s ASL. ---
**Author:** ![SubaRhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SubaRhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SubaRhubarb)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/2 "2012-09-03T18:36:26Z")
I know just enough ASL to tell you it is ASL and they used some of the crassest signs for a few words. \*Kind of like only knowing how to swear in Spanish, one learns the grossest terms first. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/3 "2012-09-03T19:01:07Z")
Transcription/translation, please… Waittaminnit … it’s ok if the non-hearing-impaired rub their parts? 😕 Just not the deaf? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/4 "2012-09-03T21:05:15Z")
> [@SubaRhubarb](#): > > I know just enough ASL to tell you it is ASL and they used some of the crassest signs for a few words. > > \*Kind of like only knowing how to swear in Spanish, one learns the grossest terms first. That must be it, because I know ASL for “masturbation” and they definitely did not use it. ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/5 "2012-09-04T10:25:06Z")
It’s definitely ASL… and they were going on and on about if men or women masturbate, (yep, the signs were there MANY times…), they’ll become weak, will become obsessed with sex and will do nothing but look at other people with lust… Once they got to the part about God looking down and being DISGUSTED, I got bored and turned it off… I can handle masturbation talk, but bible quotes bore me… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/6 "2012-09-04T10:40:38Z")
It might seem that it’s practical or even handy, but really it’s just crappy medical advice. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/7 "2012-09-04T13:40:12Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > or even handy I see what you did there. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/8 "2012-09-05T16:02:53Z")
The sign for “masturbate” seems redundant. Unless they’re distinguishing all the many types of things men think about while masturbating. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/9 "2012-09-05T16:38:10Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > That must be it, because I know ASL for “masturbation” and they definitely did not use it. They used a gesture for it that was pretty clear to me in its meaning. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/10 "2012-09-05T17:02:54Z")
The only ASL sign that I know for “masturbation” is neither obvious nor vulgar. IIRC, it’s two closed fists, smacking the wrists twice (palms forward). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/11 "2012-09-05T17:04:26Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > IIRC, it’s two closed fists, smacking the wrists twice (palms forward). Wow, I just tried that, and, uh… What’s ASL for “Ill be in my bunk”? ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/12 "2012-09-05T17:12:05Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > The only ASL sign that I know for “masturbation” is neither obvious nor vulgar. IIRC, it’s two closed fists, smacking the wrists twice (palms forward). similar to the sign for “work” except facing forward instead of down? The signs I saw used in the video (I didn’t watch it all) were a) universal gesture for “jackoff” b) vagina+rubbing that vagina ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-understand-sign-language/633554/13 "2012-09-05T22:46:44Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > similar to the sign for “work” except facing forward instead of down? Now that I think about it, I recall that “work” and “masturbation” are almost identical in ASL, but I don’t remember which is which. Hopefully I’ll get this sorted out before I have a reason to use on or the other (or both) again.