Beginning signers' self-assessment of sign language skills

Students enrolled in introductory manual communication classes demonstrated limited ability to assess their own communication skills. Questionnaires completed on the third day of class revealed that 70% of the students surveyed would attempt to interpret in a court of law if asked to do so. Although a fifty-minute discussion concerning topics such as ASL, sign systems, and interpreter skills and ethics aided some students in putting their skills into perspective, 41% continued to overestimate their abilities at midterm. The reasons for the overestimation are not clear. Avenues for future research are suggested.