Sign language is visual communication that uses hand shapes, facial expression, gestures and body language. Sign languages have their own vocabulary, syntax, and grammar - and are used by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to communicate with each other and with those who can understand and use sign language.
The gestures or symbols in sign language are organized in a linguistic way. Each individual gesture is called a sign. Each sign has three distinct parts: the handshape, the position of the hands, and the movement of the hands.
There are around 300 sign languages in the world. Like spoken languages, sign languages are natural, which means that they're developed over the years by the people who use them. Examples include: American Sign Language (ASL) is widely used in the United States and Canada, while British Sign Language (BSL) is used in the United Kingdom. Other examples include Auslan (Australian Sign Language), LSF (French Sign Language), and JSL (Japanese Sign Language).
There are many benefits to offering sign language, including: Facilitating communication for the deaf and hard-of-hearing; Increasing accessibility; Supporting language development; and Promoting inclusivity and diversity.
There are also cons to sign language, including: Limited understanding among those who do not know sign language; Requires dedicated effort and time to learn and become proficient; Lack of standardized sign language across different regions; Limited availability of qualified sign language interpreters in some areas; Can be expensive and logistically hard to set up and manage.
Wordly offers live captioning and subtitling which provides a high quality and affordable alternative to sign language solutions.
Wordly is powered by AI and converts audio into live captions in real time. An event attendee can access live captioning on their mobile phone by scanning a QR code or computer by visiting a website.
Wordly also offers real-time translation into over 30 languages, enabling attendees to read translated captions. Each event attendee can select their own language.
The AI Translation solution is available 24/7 and sessions can be set up and live in minutes - enabling you to add both captions and translated subtitles to events with minimal planning.
Wordly enables organizations to unlock the potential of their multilingual teams and global markets by removing language barriers, increasing inclusivity, engagement, productivity, and attendance.
Wordly is used by over 800 organizations and 2 million users for a wide range of use cases, including industry conferences, customer webinars, sales kickoff meetings, partner training, employee onboarding, and much more.
Customers include small and large businesses, universities, nonprofit organizations, industry associations, and local governments.
