An Open Web Platform for Rule-Based Speech-to-Sign Translation

We present an open web platform for developing, compiling, and running rule-based speech to sign language translation applications. Speech recognition is performed using the Nuance Recognizer 10.2 toolkit, and signed output, including both manual and non-manual components, is rendered using the JASigning avatar system. The platform is designed to make the component technologies readily accessible to sign language experts who are not necessarily computer scientists. Translation grammars are written in a version of Synchronous Context-Free Grammar adapted to the peculiarities of sign language. All processing is carried out on a remote server, with content uploaded and accessed through a web interface. Initial experiences show that simple translation grammars can be implemented on a time-scale of a few hours to a few days and produce signed output readily comprehensible to Deaf informants. Overall, the platform drastically lowers the barrier to entry for researchers interested in building applications that generate high-quality signed language.