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AuslanWeb: A Scalable Web-Based Australian Sign Language Communication System for Deaf and Hearing Individuals

  • Xin Shen
  • , Heming Du
  • , Hongwei Sheng
  • , Lincheng Li
  • , Kaihao Zhang*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Effective communication between the deaf community and hearing individuals facilitates social inclusion, equal opportunities, and the dignity of vulnerable populations. However, existing region-specific sign language systems are constrained by limited training datasets and narrow topic domains, rendering them ineffective for bridging the linguistic gaps between sign languages and spoken languages. Auslan, as the sign language specific to Australia, still lacks a reliable bidirectional translation tool for effective communication. To address these challenges, we propose AuslanWeb, a web-based system for bidirectional translation of both isolated and successive sign language1. For the former, AuslanWeb achieves high-precision mapping between isolated signs (glosses) and spoken language words or phrases through a multimodal recognition system and a versatile Auslan dictionary. For the latter, it leverages the advanced contextual understanding and text generation capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) to support bidirectional translation between successive sign language videos and long-form spoken language. By integrating linguistic structure with advanced AI capabilities, AuslanWeb overcomes the limitations of dataset dependency and enhances the scalability of sign language translation systems. The effectiveness of the system is further validated through user feedback, receiving consistent praise from Auslan experts, Australian deaf individuals, and volunteers. The demo video of AuslanWeb is provided here .

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWWW 2025 - Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages5212-5223
Number of pages12
ISBN (Electronic)9798400712746
DOIs
StatePublished - 28 Apr 2025
Externally publishedYes
Event34th ACM Web Conference, WWW 2025 - Sydney, Australia
Duration: 28 Apr 20252 May 2025

Publication series

NameWWW 2025 - Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference

Conference

Conference34th ACM Web Conference, WWW 2025
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CitySydney
Period28/04/252/05/25

Keywords

  • Australian Sign Language (Auslan) Communication System
  • Large Language Model
  • Prompt Engineering

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