Sign Language Translation Approach to Sinhalese Language

Pumudu Fernando,Prasad Wimalaratne

doi:10.7603/s40601-016-0009-8

Pumudu Fernando, Prasad Wimalaratne

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7603/s40601-016-0009-8

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Abstract

AbstractSign language is used for communication between deaf persons while Sinhalese language is used by normal hearing persons whose first language is Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. This research focuses on an approach for a real-time translation from Sri Lankan sign language to Sinhalese language which will bridge the communication gap between deaf and ordinary communities. This study further focuses on a novel methodology of enabling distance communication between deaf and ordinary persons. Once the sign based gestures captured by depth sensing camera, series of feature extraction techniques will be used to identify essential attributes in gesture frame. Identified feature frame will be compared with pre-trained gesture dictionary based on classification techniques, in order to identify gesture based word. Detected word will be displayed for ordinary user or could be used for communication between two individuals in two different geographic locations. Proposed prototype has provided an overall recognition rate of 94.2% for a dictionary of fifteen signs in Sri Lankan sign language.

Highlights

Spoken language has become the most popular and useful communication media among humans regardless of the country or the society
Fifteen selected sign based words from Sri Lankan sign language were used, where each word consists of five training samples in gesture dictionary
Initial goal of the research was to design and implement an approach which is capable of translating Sign Language into Sinhalese language

Summary

Introduction

Spoken language has become the most popular and useful communication media among humans regardless of the country or the society. There are nearly 360 million people among the world population who are reported as hearing impaired, and this is 5% of the total population [1]. Such persons use Sign language as their main communication media. Communication becomes a huge barrier between deaf and ordinary persons, unless there is an interpreter available in these places Due to this problem, persons who use sign language, become isolated within the society and may feel overwhelmed about their lives. Sri Lankan Sign Language was fully built on the foundation of British Sign Language (BSL). As per the latest census carried out, there are nearly 70,000 persons who use Sri Lankan Sign language [4]

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