Integrating different branches of computer science to develop sign language translation systems

The need for communication aids for people who are deaf or hard of hearing encouraged us to develop a two-directional Sign Language Translation System through our area of expertise: Computer Science. Many challenges must be solved because the sign language domain is highly complex. Indonesia has two officially recognized sign languages: SIBI (System for Indonesian Language) and Bisindo (Indonesia Sign Language). These two languages have distinct characteristics. SIBI follows the structure and grammar of the Indonesian Language, while Bisindo, which was developed by deaf communities, uses a natural language approach to signing. The complexity of sign language, combined with the distinct characteristics of both languages, makes research in this domain fascinating and challenging. In this presentation, we would like to share our research experience, from 2013 to today, addressing the challenges of building a sign language-to-text/speech translation system, and vice versa.