Detail of publication

Abstract

In this article we present the current state of our work on an on-line sign language dictionary. The aim is to create both an explanatory and a translation dictionary. It is primarily targeted (but not limited) to the Czech and Czech sign language. At first we describe technological aspects of the dictionary and then our data collection practices. The dictionary is an on-line application build with respect to the linguistic needs. We use written text to represent spoken languages and several representations are supported for sign languages: videos, images, HamNoSys, SignWriting and interactive 3D avatar. To decrease time required for data collection and publishing in the dictionary we use computer vision methods for video analysis to detect sign boundaries and analyze the manual component of performed sign for automatic categorization. The content will be created by linguists using both new and already existing data. Then, the dictionary will be opened to the public with possibility to add, modify and comment data. We expect that this possibility of on-line elicitation will increase the number of informants, cover more regions and makes the elicitation cheaper and the evaluation easier. Furthermore we prepare a mobile interface of the dictionary. The mobile interface will use different format of web pages and different video compression methods optimized for slower Internet connection. We also prepare an offline version of the dictionary which can be automatically generated from the online content and downloaded for offline usage.