Wernicke's area is a small part of the brain that helps us to understand language. It's usually, though not always, found on the back portion of the left temporal lobe. It's found on the left side of the temporal lobe in right-handed people about 90% of the time and in left-handed people about 70% of the time. This same area is found in the brain of deaf people who use sign language as well. This last finding hints that Wernicke's area may not be used just for spoken language.