Students make “sign language translator” app

The group's representative presented the Adley Project - an application that supports the conversion of spoken language into sign language. Photo: NVCC

This project was also selected to participate in the final round of the Creative Solutions for Sustainable Development Competition - a global competition organized by the Cintana Education Alliance in the United States next June.

Support deaf people in communication

The student group implementing the Adley Project includes: Vu Thi Kim Huong, Vi Hoai Thuong, Pham Bao Minh The and Hoang Gia Huy, under the guidance of lecturer Bui Xuan Canh. The project was researched and developed for more than 3 months, with the goal of creating an application to support sign language interpretation, removing communication barriers for the deaf community in Vietnam.

The application is designed with 3 main functions. The first function is to translate from voice or text into sign language in the form of animated videos to help deaf people easily grasp communication content in real time, especially in everyday situations such as: chatting, working or participating in community activities.

This is the 7th year that the EPICS Program has been held in Vietnam. This year, the program attracted 21 student groups consisting of 113 members from universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Can Tho, Hanoi and Dong Nai.

The second function is to recognize and translate sign language from hand gestures through the device's camera. The application will use image processing and machine learning technology to analyze the user's hand gestures, then translate them into text or voice, helping deaf people to communicate information to normal people more easily and directly, without the need for paper or pen or an intermediary interpreter.

The third function is to build a learning and connecting community. This is considered a social network for deaf people to communicate and share experiences, and at the same time, an environment for everyone - including normal hearing people - to learn and practice sign language. The application will have short courses, basic lectures, interactive games and community activities for users to communicate and learn. This contributes to raising social awareness, promoting integration and reducing the gap between deaf people and the community.

In particular, the application also integrates a separate section for job introduction and connection, helping deaf people access career opportunities that match their abilities and desires. Thereby, the project does not only stop at supporting communication, but also aims to improve the quality of life, enhance the confidence and position of deaf people in society.

Humanitarian project

EPICS is a social entrepreneurship program in which student teams collaborate with community organizations to design, build, and deploy solutions to real-world social problems. Over five months, students experience the entire innovation process, from idea generation to prototype testing, while honing project management and professional communication skills.

This is not the first time Lac Hong University students have participated in this playground. Previously, many student groups from the school have participated in EPICS and achieved many great achievements. Learning from the project experience of their predecessors, the Adley Project student group has assigned and coordinated smoothly to effectively implement the project.

According to Team Leader Gia Huy, when starting the project, the biggest difficulty the team encountered was approaching deaf people to ask for feedback and practical suggestions. Many of them were quite shy, self-conscious and did not want others to know about their condition, so the initial approach was not easy.

“However, thanks to the support and connections from teachers at the school, our group had the opportunity to meet, talk and listen to the sharing of some deaf people. Those conversations helped the group understand more about the real needs and added motivation to develop the project in a more meaningful and closer way to the community” - Gia Huy shared.

Ms. Hoai Thuong said that the special feature of the group's application lies not only in the ability to interpret and support communication in sign language, but also in the long-term orientation of building a cohesive community where deaf people can connect, share and support each other. In addition, the group also wants to create a bridge to job opportunities, contributing to helping deaf people improve their quality of life and become more confident in society.

Hai Yen

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202505/sinh-vien-lam-ung-dung-phien-dich-ngon-ngu-ky-hieu-51b1704/