HURSLEY, UK - 12 Sep 2007: IBM (NYSE: IBM) has developed an ingenious system called SiSi (Say It Sign It) that automatically converts the spoken word into British Sign Language (BSL) which is then signed by an animated digital character or avatar.
SiSi brings together a number of computer technologies. A speech recognition module converts the spoken word into text, which SiSi then interprets into gestures, that are used to animate an avatar which signs in BSL. Upon development this system would see a signing avatar ‘pop up’ in the corner of the display screen in use — whether that be a laptop, personal computer, TV, meeting-room display or auditorium screen. Users would be able select the size and appearance of the avatar.
This type of solution has the potential in the future to enable a person giving a presentation in business or education to have a digital character projected behind them signing what they are saying. This would complement the existing provision, allowing for situations where a sign language interpreter is not available in person.
CART stands for Communication Access Real-Time Translation and is a method of interpreting. Deaf and hard of hearing people who do not sign (and therefore cannot use a sign interpreter) can use CART to keep up with speakers at conferences, multiple speakers in meetings, videocasts, and so on.
A trained stenographer works either on-site or remotely and uses a stenotype to convert spoken words into text. If done on-site, the captions are either displayed on a laptop or computer screen, on an overhead projector. Remote CART is done with the stenographer working at a remote location; a microphone is placed on the speaker, (a telephone works as well) and the speech is heard by the remote CART reporter, who captions the speech, and the text is transmitted back in real time via a modem or Internet connection to deaf viewers.
Voicewriting is an emerging interpreting technology. A transcriptionist uses a stenomask to repeat spoken words without being heard by others. The stenomask is connected to a laptop computer which has speech recognition software installed in it, and a text transcript of the conversation is automatically created. Since the stenomask allows full focus of only the transcriptionist’s voice, the speech recognition software program is able to provide more accurate results.
DeafGadgets is a technology blog that covers deaf technology, assistive technology, and tech-related accessibility issues faced by the deaf and hard of hearing.
