New tool for the learning of Catalan sign language

Signem, guina en línia per aprendre la LSC

Members of the research group TransMedia Catalonia of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have created SIGNEM, the first online independent learning resource of Catalan sign language (LSC) where users can acquire the basics to communicate with deaf people. The guide was created thanks to the funding of the UAB Board of Trustees under the University-Society Programme.

27/10/2010

Available at www.signem.cat, the guide aims to be a gateway to the sign language used by deaf people in Catalonia, a language which received official recognition from the Parliament of Catalonia this past May. Offering versions in Catalan, Spanish and English, researchers created the website mainly for the university community, although its structure permits any user interested in sign language to use it as an introductory tool with which to learn LSC.

With the help of short videos, users can learn vocabulary and grammatical expressions in LSC. The guide is made up of six units and each unit includes a self-evaluation section. The first two units offer an introduction to the history and context of sign languages and explain differences among deaf people. The following three include useful vocabulary and short phrases needed to communicate in daily situations. The last unit is dedicated to subjects specifically related to university life.

The research group TransMedia Catalonia works on the study of various aspects of audiovisual translation and improving accessibility to media. Affiliated to the Centre of Accessibility and Ambient Intelligence of Catalonia (CAIAC) and to the UAB Department of Translation and Interpreting, TransMedia Catalonia is a consolidated research group recognised by the Government of Catalonia.

Following a phase focused on descriptive aspects and an initial experimentation stage, TransMedia Catalonia is now dedicating its efforts to experimentation with technologies such as "eye-tracking" and voice recognition applied to audiovisual translations and accessibility to media. For this the group currently works with the Laboratory of Technologies Applied to Audiovisual Translation (LAB-TTAV), recognised by UAB and in which researchers can work with "eye-tracking" and perception technologies.