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EASIT: Easy Access
for Social Inclusion Training

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This is unit 1, Media Accessibility;

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element 5, 
Media accessibility services,

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video lecture
"Sign language interpreting".

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I am Anna Matamala, from
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

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and in this short lecture
I will be talking

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about sign language interpreting.

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When you don't understand
a language,

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interpreting can be
a useful access service.

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This interpreting can take place

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from an oral language
into another oral language.

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For instance, Swahili into Portuguese.

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But also from an oral language
into a sign language,

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for instance from Catalan
into Catalan Sign Language.

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In this case, it is an access service
for those who cannot hear the original,

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but communicate in sign language.

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Of course,
interpreting can also happen

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between two sign languages

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and from a sign language
into an oral language.

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Sign languages are the main means
of communication for Deaf people,

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and I write Deaf
with a capital letter in this case

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to point out
I am referring to a community.

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Sign languages
are natural languages

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as any spoken language.

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The difference is that sign languages
are visual-gestural languages:

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they use hands and arms,
facial expressions, eyebrow positions,

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mouthing, head tilts,
shoulder and torso positions.

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It is important to highlight

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that the same way
there are many spoken languages,

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there are also 
many sign languages, not just one.

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Interpreting into either spoken
or sign languages

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can be useful in many settings:

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radio programmes, television,
scenic arts, cinema, live events, etc.

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The interpreting can be simultaneous,

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that is happening at the same time

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the source content is delivered,
with a slight delay;

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can be consecutive,

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in which source content
and interpreting alternate;

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and liaison, in which
interpreting happens when needed,

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in a less structured way,
generally in social contexts.

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Interpreting can be live or recorded,
with or without preparation,

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and the interpreter
can actually be in the place

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where the event is taking place
or can be interpreting remotely.

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Focusing exclusively
on sign language interpreting on screen,

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the interpreter
can be shown differently.

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I will give you three examples.

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First example:
the image of the interpreter

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is inserted in the main image,

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what is called a picture-in-picture.

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Second example:
the image of the interpreter

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is integrated with the background
image using chroma.

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Third example:
the screen is split in two.

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You can find many more examples
on the website signlangtv.org.

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Apart from human interpreters,

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there is now research
on automatic interpreting

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in which avatars or virtual characters
are used, and speech recognition,

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machine translation
and sign language synthesis

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(or text-to-sign technologies)
are being used.

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This does not come
without controversy,

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but I would suggest you keep
an eye on these developments.

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In 2017, HBB4ALL,
a European project

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that researched
access services in HbbTV,

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produced some
very interesting guidelines

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on sign language interpreting

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which I invite you to read.

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The guidelines stress
some important factors

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you should be aware of

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for a successful
sign language interpreting:

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When filming, special attention
should be paid to aspects

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such as illumination, the size
of the signing space or the shot type.

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The interaction of the visuals
and the screen layout

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with the sign language interpreter
should also be considered.

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We are asking users
to split their attention

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and we should make it
as easy as possible for them

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to process
all the information on screen.

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The colour combination
is also important.

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Some colours may cause
eye fatigue and affect perception.

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The shape and size of the sign
language interpreter on screen

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is normally considered
one of the main features

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to be taken into account.

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If the signer is not visible enough,

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signing will not be accessible.

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Its position is also important.

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In this regard, user personalization
and customization

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may be the way to go:

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user content
is personalised to their needs,

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and users are also offered
the opportunity to customise it.

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I invite you to learn
more about sign languages

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through additional readings
and by paying attention

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to how sign language interpreters
are present

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on different types
of audiovisual content.

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This video lecture
has been prepared by Anna Matamala,

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from
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

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You can reach me
at anna.matamala@uab.cat.

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The project EASIT
has received funding

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from the European Commission

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under the Erasmus+
Strategic Partnerships

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for Higher Education programme,

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grant agreement
2018-1-ES01-KA203-05275.

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The European Commission support
for the production of this publication

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does not constitute
an endorsement of the contents,

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which reflect
the views only of the authors,

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and the Commission
cannot be held responsible

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for any use which may be made
of the information contained therein.

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This work is licensed
under a Creative Commons

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Attribution-ShareAlike
4.0 International License.

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Partners of the EASIT project:

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Universtitat Autònoma de Barcelona,

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Università degli Studi di Trieste,

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Universidade de Vigo,

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Stiftung Universität Hildesheim,

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SDI München,

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Dyslexiförbundet,

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Radiotelevisija Slovenija,

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Zavod Risa.

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EASIT: Easy Access
for Social Inclusion Training