4 ms·

Ask HN: Subtitles are not the same as sign language

I'm working on a new service that will let people add sign language to any video. It doesn't matter where the video is from. Who do you think would be interested in such a solution? Thanks for your help. Best regards, Will

gus_massa 4y ago
Are you going to add a real human, a deepfake human or a stick xkcd-like graphic? (is the last option possible?) Do you have some proof of concept video?
- Things4People 4y ago
  Thanks for your question. We're currently in the prototyping phase, trying to figure out if there's a real need for this product. We're able to simplify the process by using real human experts, which makes it easy and convenient for agencies or film makers. They just have to upload their video and we're taking care of the rest. What do you think is the biggest problem currently? Because I really want to learn more about this and see if it's a real problem for a broader audience so that we can help even more deaf people. Especially with new technology solutions.
  - Things4People 4y ago
    Status quo: https://www.signlvideo.xyz/ https://www.signlvideo.xyz/
    - gus_massa 4y ago
      What is the source of the 700 millions number? Is that the global total? It can be a problem because each country has a different sign language.
      - Things4People 4y ago
        Yes, that is the total number (World Health Organisation) of people who are deaf or have hearing problems worldwide. And yes there are lots of different languages, which can make it hard to translate things digitally.
ksaj 4y ago
A lot of deaf people have terrible grammar because ASL greatly simplifies and in some cases omits things that aren't really needed to get the idea across. There is Signed English, but that is primarily for English speaking people and basically meets hearing and non-hearing people part way. To a deaf person, SE is overly verbose and the word order is strange. (For example, SE has 'running,' which is the word 'run' followed by a sign for 'ing.' ASL does away with 'ing' because it is obvious in context.) Also, intent is a lot more clear in ASL than in written language, since expressions are part of the language, as is openness/closeness of the signs, etc. (To use a previous example, you can easily 'run quickly' or 'run awkwardly' or 'run with barely any energy left' in ASL using only the word for 'run,' and what type of running is pretty clear. Not so if the word 'run' is written or even spoke by itself!) So I would expect most deaf people to find ASL a whole lot easier to understand than spoken English in written format. The fact that live political presentations use a signer, and not the typical news floating matte banner along the bottom suggests pretty much the same. If text was preferable, they'd just feed off the teleprompter. So I do think ASL is preferable for many reasons. PS: If you ever wrote down what those signers are saying verbatim, a speaking/reading person might find it baffling because of just how different ASL grammar is, and the lack of expression and space in plain text.
- Things4People 4y ago
  Wow - thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts with us! There are a lot of good examples in your text which makes it really easy to understand that there is a real difference. Do you have an idea why people nobody is taking care of that problem? Because it’s simply too expensive so far? I’m really curious about this, because we identified how we could potentially fix this problem and help a lot of deaf people. But it’s always a problem if you think you solve a problem if there is no real need out there.
- gus_massa 4y ago
  > you can easily 'run quickly' Is it somewhat like typing RUN in allcaps? In Spanish, in informal messages, we also sometimes repeat vowels, like in a loooooooooong word. It makes more sense in Spanish because repeated vowels sound like a single vowel. But in English an "oo" sounds like a "uh" instead of "oh-oh" so it's difficult to use that trick.

gus_massa 4y ago

Are you going to add a real human, a deepfake human or a stick xkcd-like graphic? (is the last option possible?) Do you have some proof of concept video?

Things4People 4y ago
Thanks for your question. We're currently in the prototyping phase, trying to figure out if there's a real need for this product. We're able to simplify the process by using real human experts, which makes it easy and convenient for agencies or film makers. They just have to upload their video and we're taking care of the rest. What do you think is the biggest problem currently? Because I really want to learn more about this and see if it's a real problem for a broader audience so that we can help even more deaf people. Especially with new technology solutions.
- Things4People 4y ago
  Status quo: https://www.signlvideo.xyz/ https://www.signlvideo.xyz/
  - gus_massa 4y ago
    What is the source of the 700 millions number? Is that the global total? It can be a problem because each country has a different sign language.
    - Things4People 4y ago
      Yes, that is the total number (World Health Organisation) of people who are deaf or have hearing problems worldwide. And yes there are lots of different languages, which can make it hard to translate things digitally.

ksaj 4y ago

A lot of deaf people have terrible grammar because ASL greatly simplifies and in some cases omits things that aren't really needed to get the idea across. There is Signed English, but that is primarily for English speaking people and basically meets hearing and non-hearing people part way. To a deaf person, SE is overly verbose and the word order is strange. (For example, SE has 'running,' which is the word 'run' followed by a sign for 'ing.' ASL does away with 'ing' because it is obvious in context.) Also, intent is a lot more clear in ASL than in written language, since expressions are part of the language, as is openness/closeness of the signs, etc. (To use a previous example, you can easily 'run quickly' or 'run awkwardly' or 'run with barely any energy left' in ASL using only the word for 'run,' and what type of running is pretty clear. Not so if the word 'run' is written or even spoke by itself!) So I would expect most deaf people to find ASL a whole lot easier to understand than spoken English in written format. The fact that live political presentations use a signer, and not the typical news floating matte banner along the bottom suggests pretty much the same. If text was preferable, they'd just feed off the teleprompter. So I do think ASL is preferable for many reasons. PS: If you ever wrote down what those signers are saying verbatim, a speaking/reading person might find it baffling because of just how different ASL grammar is, and the lack of expression and space in plain text.

Things4People 4y ago
Wow - thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts with us! There are a lot of good examples in your text which makes it really easy to understand that there is a real difference. Do you have an idea why people nobody is taking care of that problem? Because it’s simply too expensive so far? I’m really curious about this, because we identified how we could potentially fix this problem and help a lot of deaf people. But it’s always a problem if you think you solve a problem if there is no real need out there.
gus_massa 4y ago
> you can easily 'run quickly' Is it somewhat like typing RUN in allcaps? In Spanish, in informal messages, we also sometimes repeat vowels, like in a loooooooooong word. It makes more sense in Spanish because repeated vowels sound like a single vowel. But in English an "oo" sounds like a "uh" instead of "oh-oh" so it's difficult to use that trick.