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London: Researchers
are designing a software programme which instantly translates sign
language into type which can be read on a computer screen.
The new technology could be available by the year-end and change
the way the deaf communicate and brighten their prospects in the
job market, scientists said.
A normal camera is used to record the user's hand signals, which
are translated by the programme into written text for the benefit
of the person who may not grasp the sign language.
Researchers now hope to develop the basic programme, known as the
Portable Sign Language Translator (PSLT), into an "app" which
could be used on PCs, laptops, tablets, smart phones and other
portable devices, the Telegraph reports.
The programme is being developed by Aberdeen University scientists
through a spin-out company called Technabling, and could be used
with a range of different sign languages including British Sign
Language (BSL) which is used by up to 70,000 people in the UK.
James Christie, one of the researchers who is partially deaf and a
sign language user, added: "The PSLT lowers the communication
barrier between people born deaf, people who have lost their
hearing very early in life, especially in face-to-face situations
such as tutorials and group work."
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