Invited Talk: Computational Sign Linguistics: A Sign Language Perspective on Language Technologies and Resources

Abstract

Signed languages are fascinating. They are visual-gestural, they are three-dimensional, and they have multiple simultaneous channels of production (left hand, right hand, face, mouth, posture…). They show us that natural languages are not limited to speech and writing. When it comes to addressing them computationally, we have barely scratched the surface. In my talk I will give an introduction to the current state of computational sign linguistics. What language technologies for sign languages look like and the challenges they face. What goes into creating sign language datasets. Why deaf involvement is so essential and what happens when it is missing. And why German Sign Language has sixteen signs for the month of May.