Ok I got stuck translating once at 14 and...

FireTiger

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Ok I got 'stuck' translating once at 14 and... (27 now)
[only 'stuck' because I didn't know ANYTHING useful yet and I'm a horrible speller]

A real nice lady who turned out to be deaf came in MOSH and needed help.

So they use the intercom and call me to the front as they saw me sing the alphabet song in manual/ASL to the 3-5 year olds to keep them visually/auditory/ and manually stimulated w/o killing each other.

"Are you good?" "I'm (manual first name, (I have no sign name) )" "Will we need paper to write?" "Sorry, need I go HoH 'stuff' (headphones)?"

She decided she wasn't going to write for me and sign at 100 words per minute, *sigh* and she also told me then she is deaf, her sign name was brightthink... (I think).

So I asked her "Please slower."

the real nice lady laughed her ... off at me because I missigned (<-that even a word?) 'slower/slowly' apperently I did a dirty sign! she wouldn't tell me what though. As I was speaking w/sign she knew for sure I wasn't cussing, she lip read just fine.

AND

she said (ASL only) "You wrong hand rude others see 'rude', ok me"

(trans guess) You use the wrong hand to sign and it may be considered rude to others.

I went "What?"

but she really needed the bathroom - that's why she came in, so she left for the bathroom which we had arrived at.

My best guess is that in manual I sign with my left hand, but write with my right- I cannot get my right hand to correctly or even passably do all of the letters correctly due to an injury...

So is everybody going to think I'm rude or should I just learn all my ASL left handed so I'm consistent?
 
It's not rude. But it's norm for one to use one's dominant hand to fingerspell. But I don't think it's big deal or rude for you to use non-dominant hand especially if you are ambidexterity, cross-dominant (like I am), or unable to use your dominant hand for whatever reason.

I switch mine all the time, even during middle of a conversation without knowing it! Most people seems to be okay with it, they would say it take a bit getting used to, but eventually they did.
 
Ok, thanks, I write and usually cut with my right but can do everything else 'southpaw'.
 
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