New software changes text to Arabic sign language for deaf in the UAE

A new software is helping the deaf community in the United Arab Emirates better understand online content. An animation figure pops up on a web page and translates text into sign language.

The program has been developed by a company in Jordan called Mind Rockets and is being used on websites that focus on telecommunication, restaurants, beauty, furniture and health care to guide the deaf in real time.

In the UAE, the application has recently been launched in Arabic sign language on the government websites. When a user clicks on the symbol that stands for hearing loss, a character appears at the bottom of the page. This character starts translating the text into sign language when the user puts the curser on the words they want translated.

For many in the deaf community, the internet is accessible. They do not go to mainstream schools and cannot read. This technology is trying to change that. The web interpreters will be available in American Sign Language as well as both Arabic and American forms of sign are popular in this region.

The aim is to build innovative technology to fully engage the hearing impaired.

Watch in Sign Language