The Deaf Community Reclaims Their Language with TikTok Campaign Challenging Fake Sign Language

In a first of its kind, Signature (the UK’s leading awarding body for British Sign Language and a major charity for deaf communication and language qualifications) launches RE/SIGN - a TikTok campaign aimed at challenging fake sign language, in partnership with Recipe and The Sweetshop.

Increasingly, TikTok is being used for educational purposes; in fact 63% of gen Z state they have used the platform to learn something new. So naturally, it has become the go-to platform for learning British Sign Language - the official language used by deaf people in the UK.

With over half a billion views across #deaftok, TikTok is a thriving and inclusive community for young deaf people. However authentic content is being crowded out by people teaching ‘Fake Sign’ - Sign language that is inaccurate and misrepresents the deaf community. In fact, a staggering 89% of people fluent in sign language have experienced fake sign.

The danger is that this content is spreading faster than accurate BSL. And the more it trends the more it's shared, compounding the problem.

RE/SIGN is a social first idea created by full-service independent agency Recipe. It attempts to redress the balance of authentic BSL on TikTok, by out-trending Fake sign using the language of young people - dance.

The objective of this campaign is to spread awareness of the problem and get young people interested in learning BSL, to learn from authentic voices like deaf creators or qualified teachers at Signature.

The lyrics to three trending music tracks (‘Hotter Now’ by Lu Kala, ‘This Is Me’ by Kullah featuring Jessy Covets and ‘Get A Load of Me’ by Kyla Krush) were translated into BSL by BSL Consultant Cherie Gordon. They were then turned into dance challenges choreographed by deaf performers Raffie Julien, Chris Fonseca and Sarah Adedeji. The films were directed by deaf filmmaker, Sam Arnold.

Along with the dances, three tutorials show viewers a step-by-step breakdown of the BSL incorporated into the dance. 

Created by Recipe and produced by The Sweetshop, this campaign was brought to life by a predominantly deaf team and the outcome is an authentic voice from the UK's deaf community to the hearing community.

The pro-active initiative was sparked when Recipe creative, Youmna Hazzaa, witnessed a deaf person in A&E trying to communicate through sign language to a doctor and not getting anywhere. Seeing first-hand the frustration and experiencing the helplessness made her realise how critical it is for people to have some knowledge of BSL. However, when looking on TikTok to learn, she discovered a proliferation of incorrect sign videos, which inspired the idea of RE/SIGN.

Lindsay Foster, executive director at Signature said, “Signature is proud to partner with Recipe on this purpose-led campaign to educate people about BSL and the impact fake sign is having on young deaf people. TikTok as a platform has huge potential to reach a younger audience and make them feel part of a community; something which can be difficult to find for deaf young people in particular. Using dance as a conduit for our campaign objective will hopefully help to spread awareness of fake sign in a way that is relatable and impactful.”

Vanessa Robinson, creative director at Recipe said, “‘Fake sign’ is an invisible problem to the hearing community. When we discovered people were misappropriating sign language on social media, it was shocking so we wanted to help. Creating this campaign has been a truly rewarding experience — from working with our incredible deaf talent on a deaf-friendly set, to finding a creative way to fight back, re-educate and re-claim sign language for the deaf community. At the end of the day it’s about learning sign from authentic sources, and having fun (or embarrassing yourself) whilst you do it.”

Morgan Whitlock, managing director at The Sweetshop said, “Building the right team and creating the platform for them to realise this message in an authentic and impactful way was an exercise in empathy and true creative collaboration. Ed and James (D.A.R.Y.L) brought an understanding of the issues and a connection to a deaf filmmaking community that cannot be developed by experience alone. Their generosity in helping shape a campaign only to find the right director, step aside and support Sam as he stepped into Directing was incredible. By creating a welcoming and inclusive environment on set our team allowed everyone involved to shine, and make the best possible films for Signature.”

Sam Arnold, director at Re/Sign said, “Sign language has become a pop culture trend in music and social media, but it is often overshadowed by incorrect teaching and cultural appropriation.

The collaboration with Signature, Recipe, and The Sweetshop has been instrumental in bringing awareness to our mission: to provide an accurate platform for teaching BSL, educate TikTok users about cultural appropriation and incorrect or fake sign language being taught across social media, and reshape the representation of BSL in social media to respect our deaf culture and beautiful BSL. We also aim to spotlight the deserving talents of deaf dancers in the music industry, celebrating the richness of sign language.”