Yasushi Ishihara

Visual communication with dual video transmissions for remote sign language interpretation services

In this paper, we discuss the number of images and their contents required for a good remote sign language interpretation service. Our approach uses dual-video transmission which gives interpreters full view of the remote place. For example, the interpreter can see the face of a hearing speaker giving a presentation and the faces of the deaf audience at the same time. Evaluation experiments were conducted for two kinds of scenes, a conversation scene and a lecture scene. The experimental system of remote sign language interpretation service and subjective evaluations are described. A questionnaire survey has shown dual-video transmission to be highly practical for remote sign language interpretation services.

The User Interface Design for the Sign Language Translator in a Remote Sign Language Interpretation System

In recent years, broadband networks have spread quickly and sufficient communication bandwidth for sign language video communication is now available. Because of this, remote sign language interpretation carried out in real time through networks, from distant locations, is being realized in Japan.

Visualization Support of Remote Sign Language Interpreting System on Lecture

Recently it has become possible for persons with hearing impairments in remote locations to communicate via sign language using video phones and videoconferencing systems. Video interpreting makes use of videoconferencing technology to allow remote sign language interpreting services to occur without an interpreter on site. In this paper, we describe our experimental system for the remote sign language interpreting services of lecture. And we discuss that a sign language interpreter, in a remote sign language interpreting services, can realize more effective interpretation by visualization support in lecture.

Real-time Japanese captioning system for the hearing impaired

The authors have succeeded in developing a real-time Japanese captioning system (RSV system) as a new means of transmitting voice information to the hearing impaired, in which the speech in a talk or a lecture is converted into characters and displayed correctly and faithfully in real time. Up to the present, the only means of transmitting voice information to the hearing impaired have been lip-reading, sign language and summary descriptions, all of which have fundamental problems. Recently, there have been efforts to develop real-time captioning systems using computers, but many problems remain. In the RSV system the Stenoword keyboard, developed by one of the authors (Shibata) in 1991 for high-speed input, is greatly improved and is connected to a microcomputer. The high-speed input and high-speed kana-kanji conversion are applied to the speech of the speaker, and the result is sent to a high-speed captioning unit. The caption is used as script to be synthesized with a video image of the speaker and the superimposed picture is displayed in real time. A remarkable feature of this system is that all readings are displayed first and then the kana-kanji sentence is displayed. This helps information transmission to the hearing impaired, especially to those with limited language abilities. The effectiveness of this reading display is verified by audiovisual experiments.