On the Web Communication Assist Aide based on the Bilingual Sign Language Dictionary

We discuss the basic ideas behind a Japanese to American Sign Language Translation System for the Japanese users, which assists Japanese Deaf people to communicate. Our discussion covers two main points. The first describes the necessity of a Sign Language Translation System. Since there is no “universal sign language” or real “international sign language,” if Deaf people should learn at least three languages: they want to talk to people whose mother tongue is different from their owns, the mother sign language, the mother spoken language as an intermediate language, and the sign language in which they want to communicate. The second describes the use of computer, especially WWW which is very popular today. As the use of computers becomes widespread, it is increasingly convenient to study through computer software or Internet facilities. Our translation system provides Deaf people with an easy means of access using their mother-spoken language. It also provides a way for people who are going to learn American sign language to look up new vocabulary. We are further planning to examine how our system could be used to educate and assist Deaf people.