Paradoxes of International Sign: between calibration and regimentation

International Sign (IS) emerged through interaction among deaf people from different countries. Incorporating signs from various sign languages and drawing on shared visual-grammatical strategies, IS is widely used in transnational contexts, such as conferences, trainings, and online platforms. IS involves ‘calibration’: adjusting to diverse interlocutors and settings. Yet IS is also increasingly regimented by frequent use, dictionaries, teaching practices, and interpreting provision. This article identifies six paradoxes emerging from its regimentation: ‘visual signing’ strategies are both highly valued and a last resort in calibration; IS is both innate and learned in courses; IS thrives on flexibility, yet requires boundaries; in IS, understandability is a central goal, yet it is only partially achieved; IS interpreting provisions improve but also restrict access; and IS not only bridges languages but also changes them. These paradoxes culminate in a central paradox: IS thrives on calibration, yet is increasingly sustained through regimentation.