The Deaf Ninja ASL video by Austin Andrews on YouTube, now at 56,000+ views in a mere three months, may become a classic in the annals of ASL videos. Last year Adam Stone posted three videos by the brilliant Wayne Betts, Jr. that had all of us cracking up. This time we’re treated to a dazzling display of ASL.
This video is pure eye-candy. I watched it at least five times to savor each facial expression and movement. Ever since, I’ve been thinking about the video, especially the scene near the end with the raindrop. I even practiced the “raindrop” several times.
It was refreshing to enjoy a video in what some may call “pure” ASL. Andrews rarely mouths words, does not sign in English language order, and is skilled at using ASL classifiers. Nary is there a futile attempt to imitate “pure” ASL. Adding to the magnificence of this video, Andrews scrupulously controls his movements and stays within his space, rather than bouncing all over the place. There was not one set of gibberish signs which often occurs during awkward transitions, another of my pet peeves.
Most importantly, Andrews places emphasis on his facial expressions, which is critical to the success or failure of an ASL video. All too often I have seen people make the wrong expression or even the slightest indication of uncertainty and then they flail to cover up their miscue. Many also reveal that their thought process works by translating English to ASL. Some may express themselves in “pure” ASL in a conversation, but a small fraction can make the leap to a “stage” presence — only a few remarkable people that have this talent.
The raindrop and Ninja jump “scenes” are two examples of ASL classifiers that make this video a gem. When the Ninja jumps, Austin simply shows a person jumping off the ground (the back of his hand), then immediately turns his palm up to give the effect of a new view in the montage. The raindrop is a simple, instantaneous movement of his outstretched arms and hands facing away from the camera over to the front, reminiscent of the freeze circular pan “bullet time” innovation in the Matrix films. That being said, the elements of cinematography often can apply to ASL. Simply overturning a palm or shifting a signed concept to a different location conveys tremendous meaning that cannot be captured in words.
A blogger attempted to interpret Andrews’ ASL story for the audience, coming up with the following content for the Ninja jump and second raindrop scenes:
01:44 jumps up in the air! whirling around kicking all of them! (lovely matrix effects!)
—
02:15 looks around and spots the waterdrop still falling!
02:20 it lands, splashing in a puddle, rippling out…
This is a problem that we are all too familiar with, much lost in translation. While I understand that this was supposed to be a supportive reference for non-signers in order to enjoy Deaf Ninja, and I commend her for that, it also helps us realize that any English rendition of an ASL story literally sucks the spirit out of the “content”. Emotion, nuance, and minutiae detail all are lost in any “transcript” of an ASL story. This leaves us with a disappointing imitation. Therefore, some may say that only those who understand ASL truly appreciate Deaf Ninja. But then again, even a person that knows almost nothing about art can derive meaning from a Monet. In any case, Deaf Ninja has set a standard that we can use as a basis of comparison for vlogs/ASL videos.
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I LOVE this video and have actually used it while teaching English class… not to teach English, but to show the use of transitions, which are definitely present in ASL as well as in English.
And he’s hearing?! Not that that says anything about Deaf or hearing people, but instead that some people truly have some serious skills, and they’re not always who we think they would be.
If a hearing guy can be that bad-ass in the language that’s supposed to be “for” Deaf people, then certainly we shouldn’t expect anything less of Deaf people’s potential abilities in a language that’s traditionally thought of as “for hearing people.”
That guy signs ASL better than I do! I love that video… Amazing! I wish more people like him were around where I am, so I could learn from them.
I’m confused where it says he’s hearing in Shane’s blog… I read it twice.. maybe I keep overlooking the paragraphs…please show me where it says he’s hearing?
That’s because Shane doesn’t say he’s hearing :-) I only say that because I know someone who knows Austin personally and SHE said he was hearing.
Austin’s hearing/deaf status isn’t as big a deal as his talent, I don’t think, but if I’m mistaken, my apologies in advance. And now, back to discussing the off-the-hook-ness of the video…
Brian,
Austin Andrews is hearing. I asked his “deaf brother”, Weston, about Austin’s Deaf Ninja ASL story and his response was:
“I’ve been aware of that video for quite some time now, and I have to admit that he’s way better than I am at ASL!!”
I know Weston, so I can personally attest to that. However, that doesn’t mean he is without some of that ‘Andrews’ merit; he’s extraordinarily talented in other areas.
ok thank you for the clarifcation, it does not matter whether he is hearing or deaf. I thought he was amazing…just Alison’s comment threw me off… thanks.
My brother’s ASL talents definitely do far exceed my own, as Shane has already indicated. I never grow tired of “Deaf Ninja”!
I have yet to personally congratulate him face-to-face. (Aus, if you’re reading this… you RULE! I’m still waiting for your next ASL storytelling video, if there is one in the works!) He makes me so proud, that guy!
These days I have to keep telling people that I’m not Austin, whenever they come up to tell me how awesome the story was - it seems that everybody in the Deaf Community has seen this video…
Kudos to you, little bro! (And sorry for goin’ “Deaf Ninja” on ya back when we were kids…)
You have every reason to be proud of the kid brother, Weston.
Am just a tad curious - do you and Austin look alike, since you comment on how you’ve had to explain that you’re NOT Austin? I guess I just wonder, since it would seem that if the two of you look differently, people would notice.
Or perhaps you just meant that when people see that the last name is the same, they start asking about Deaf Ninja and then telling you how awesome your brother is.
Hope you don’t end up getting a “Jan Brady Complex” - where she was always complaining about her sister… “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” heh heh.
By the way, I kinda wish I could invent a time machine and go back to my childhood - I had to wear one of those gawdawful box hearing aids myself when I was a kid, and I can think of a few taunting classmates I would have liked to “Deaf Ninja’ed”…
Virginia,
You hit the nail on the head there. Yes, Aus and I do look very much alike - that’s why people tend to mistake me for him, or vice-versa.
You can attribute that to the small gap of a three-year difference between us and a coincidental occurrence of the “twins-yet-not-twins” syndrome that only happens to a handful of siblings. It’s annoying for us both at times and flattering every now and then, depending on the circumstances. It seems that only the people close to us can tell the difference.
If you happen to meet one of us in passing - you can easily tell the difference between us by looking at the right eyebrow. I have a ring pierced in that area while he doesn’t! ;) Oh, not to forget to mention the fact he can hear and I can’t. (I’d stick to looking at the eyebrow instead of shouting behind one of us if I were you, though…)
As for the Jan Brady complex… thank goodness I don’t have that! Aus has his own achievements and talents while I have mine - so I don’t feel one bit shadowed by his wonderful achievements as an interpreter in high demand and his “Deaf Ninja” entry!
Hope that helps clear things up…
Allison, you said “If a hearing guy can be that bad-ass in the language that’s supposed to be ‘for’ Deaf people, then certainly we shouldn’t expect anything less of Deaf people’s potential abilities in a language that’s traditionally thought of as ‘for hearing people.’”
One of my favorite books is “The Eye” by Nabokov… who wrote it in English, his third language.
Deaf Ninja and The Eye share one thing: they’re gems for reasons deeper than their artistry, which we CAN and DO find elsewhere. They tell a good story. It’s a ride throughout and there’s that payoff at the end. As long as they create superb storytelling (past tense for Nabokov though), I will exult in their ASL or English play. : )
— The story is king, language its subordinate. —
Yes! I love Nabokov. Oddly enough, some say that these books written in the author’s native language are not as good.
In some certain circles, the translator is just as famous as his writing counterpart. And some translators also write on the side. Makes perfect sense to me — and the same applies to interpreters; those who demonstrate high proficiency in both languages are usually the most sought-after. Unfortunately, such interpreters are more likely to work with deaf adults rather than children who need them the most — during elementary school, when their language development takes place. Instead, those children end up with the “left-overs” (newbies straight out of interpreting programs). Not true for each instance, but happens too often for me to sit comfortably.
Heh. I did my best, but yes, there’s a tremendous amount of difficulty translating between any two languages in the first place, and I was constrained in the second place by two factors: not being fluent in ASL, and trying to help “place” the translation within the timing (the seconds given) of each sign.
It’s a marvelous video and I certainly never tire of watching it…
For someone who is still relatively new to ASL, I thought you did a great job! Sure, you could have extended the translation, but you are right - trying to fit all of that into the “timing frame” would be a challenge, indeed!
No need to apologize, you get two thumbs up from me (and yes, I’m demonstrating that even real girls use their thumbs!)
Eh, I showed it to my roommate (hearing, no ASL skills at all aside from what I occasionally blather at her), and she not only got the story, but laughed her ass off in the process. :-) That video ROCKS.
I am relieved to learn that I am not the only one who has watched “Deaf Ninja” maybe five times (I even emailed it to my friends when I first saw the video). Not only so masterful but also so artful in ASL I think that he may be either a CODA. This is such a rare talent!
Sorry I forgot to add “either a CODA or an interpreter.”
You have a strange dichotomy there.
He’s both, I’m told.
I completely agree with Shane’s pick!! I love his unique style although what he did is a classic ASL narration containing a lot of classifiers with chaining verbs and adverbs. It is often seen among ASL signing children between around age 5 to 10 when they are developing skills in expressing narration with complex grammar structures.
One more to add to what makes this ASL narration so unique is its use of 3-d space that brings out an “hologram” effect unlike any spoken language.
I commend Austin’s stoic look very fitting for Ninja’s impartial character.
I only thought how should Ninja cartoons appear during the time when these old heavy aids still exist? It is still a perfect story, I just downloaded it for my 7 year old son.
Oh, ninja characters have been around for a loooong time ;-)
We published it on deafjoke.tv couple month ago and it generated alot of comments. (over 100+)
It also leading highest rate at our site so far!
See link: http://deafjoke.tv/wp/blog/2007/02/21/deaf-ninja/
I am thinking again because of the word “benchmark” because of being an ASL assessor, this word means ranking of proficiency. I know it is a call for critique. This narration definitely has a place in one of many genres in “ASLlore”. I hope someone in ASL literature field can come up with a genre name for this?
Cheers!
[…] http://www.deafdc.com/blog/?p=868 […]
Yes, Austin is a CODA, the younger son of Wendy and Clifford Andrews of Rochester NY. Deaf parents, deaf older brother, and neighbors of mine since the boys were children. This is a very talented family that includes the editor of Deaf Rochester News as well. Austin, you rock! More stories, please!
I really enjoyed Wayne Betts. Jr’s vlog posting very much due to his extreme perfection of deaf mannerism and facial expression, etc.
I personally approved this vlog due to the fact of how the hearing assistance device could be real menancing to deaf youngsters and users themselves.
That’s what happened to me during the WVSD days, few students with hearing aid devices physically threatened other deaf signers like “ninjaing the ear molds along with strings” on playground.
We are better off without CI or hearing aid device. See that!!! Let’s ban digital hearing aids and CI devices altogether on deaf youngsters which could be used as real weapon.
I never, never, never and never forgot about handful of deaf students sucked on greasy ear molds. Yeech! I always waved to houseparents and teachers about their gross habits of sucking on ear molds and took their hearing aid devices for the rest of semester. Of course, hearing aid users always cried and cried and cried - “I can’t hear! I can’t hear!” I replied “Too bad! You are in the school of the deaf! Understand!!!”
Some pro-ASL deaf students managed to jump on hearing aid devices. I just stood there and done nothing to stop that kind of destruction. I just hand off because hearing aid users’ parents were real suckers for buying their offsprings expensive stuff out of their measly salaries.
Deaf France people usually have the annual tradition of collecting hearing aids from deaf people and put them together on the mound and bashed them with sledgehammer.
We really need that kind of tradition in the United States and send the strong message to the cochlear implant manfacturers and surgeons and audists that we don’t want to be messed with. Let’s organize the new tradition! Comprendo?
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog
rlmdeaf@hotmail.com
you need to get off this Cochlear implant obession of yours robert, you make yourself look intolerant.. OH WAIT…. you are.
seriously, this video was great. thanks Shane for posting it. =) I’m impressed.
Punky B, I’m 100% positive that this was yet another hilarious RLM imitation, an emerging sport here. The “real” RLM is probably furious.
Ick about the ear molds. While I understand people don’t like RLM, this kind of thing distracts from the blog. It needs to stop.
Thank you, Deaf Pundit! I agree that impresentations become serious problem. From now on, I sign with “real RLM” so you know it really from me. Thank you! *big smile*
Robert L. Mason (real RLM!)
We also need to remember that there are MANY deaf people who write much better than hearing people even though when English are their second language! Therefore in my humble opinion, our deaf children need to be exposed to both language ASL and English more than ever.
Joey, That’s a realistic statement and I do agree with you, but given the size of the deaf population, I fear far too many of them look like this…. http://aslisrisen.blogspot.com.....chive.html
I’m sure she’s smart, but jeez…….
Jeez, don’t put someone down like that. You are entitled to your own opinions, but that’s not cool, okay?
*sigh*
hey, i thought you were done talking to me? guess you can’t resist me. don’t worry i understand, it’s a common reaction from someone as simple as you are. =)
Thank you for your thoughts and comments, I’ll keep them in mind, please do not hesitate to inform me of any irritations or concerns you may have…. have a nice day (big smile.)
I now refer to you as…
“Punky_Pus_Spewster”
Joey Baer is absolutely right! TIME Magazine had a cover story in 1963: “Why Johnny Can’t Read.” The author was talking about hearing Americans. Thirty years later in 1993, TIME Magazine again ran another cover story, “Why Johnny Can’t Read.”
Several years ago, NEWSWEEK Magazine criticised the
U.S. Department of Education by revealing something
shocking: “Highest Literacy: 1. France, 2. Germany,
3. Japan, 15. Great Britian, 16. United States.
Then The New York Times ran an article: the largest percentage of Americans can read, but they cannot
comprehend! Was the author in reference to the deaf
Americans. No, he was referring to hearing Americans. The author furthered that hearing Americans currently read at the 5th grade level.
ditto, ditto, double ditto to what everybody said. it rocked.
I saved it on my faves list and I show it to my students occasionally.
I did write #8331. I want to be an activist to eradicate the invasive surgery on deaf youngsters. I am still determined to do the legislative passage to forbid the state Medicaid programs and private insurance industry from covering the real unnecessary CI surgery on our precious deaf youngsters.
Yes, I am real RLM, not someone impersonate me. Well, I do not give any hoots if some people do not like me or find me offensive. Let’s be it!
RLM
Enough spewing hate in my name! I always did try portray myself as jovial and rather camardardie person. I am rather joyous warm heart person. That how people know me to be. *smile*
I have oppose CI and hearing aids anyway. I picketed in Indiana and West Virginia against CI. But not in the manner you just spew! Deaf people with CI are unwitting victims.
Have a good day!
Robert L. Mason (real RLM!)
Deaf DC editors,
You have removed 2 of my posts since I gave Punkybrewster the finger, which is understandable. What I want to ask is why do you allow Punkybrewster’s comments to remain? They’re insults to specific people, and aren’t really that different when compared to my now removed comments.
I did not compose #83423 comment (Real RLM). At first, I was kinda amused by someone intimitated me with sacarastic tone.
I am still trying to figure out who write this comment in my name. I seems find some clues within the Real RLM comment box like picketed in Indiana and WV.
I never did any picketings in my entire life. Someone must know me personally. I could not figure out who the hell the real RLM writer.
Life is too short to worry about who impersonate me in my name.
RLM
Check this out. Its made by Jon Thompson who is known for his creativity in film editing. Note the visual cues and images that supplement the ASL signs. This is the same guy who created “An Idiot Boy and a Motorbike”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibIPaD6VVss