Tag - sign-language

 
 

SIGN LANGUAGE

Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 11, 2021
City halls tap AI to interpret sign language in Japan
A system jointly developed by the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo and SoftBank Corp. converts sign-language gestures into written text.
Japan Times
PARALYMPICS / Summer Paralympics
Aug 31, 2021
'A huge step forward': NHK brings human touch to computer-generated sign-language commentary
The move is the national broadcasteru2019s most ambitious initiative yet to bring a variety of content to Japanu2019s deaf population.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2020
Sign of the times: Helping deaf people get by in Japan
Attempts are being made to enhance the visibility and availability of sign language across the nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2019
Japanese learners flock to International Sign language courses ahead of Tokyo Paralympics
As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics draw ever closer, more people in Japan are taking courses in a pidgin form of sign language called International Sign as a means of communicating with hearing-impaired visitors from overseas.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 18, 2019
Silent heroes: Sign language interpreters give voice to Japan's top government spokesman
Kohei Ehara sits quietly in the far corner of the spacious conference room in the Prime Minister's Office, largely unnoticed by a group of reporters waiting for Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga to start his daily briefing.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2019
Japan plans phone relay service for those with impaired hearing, catching up with rest of G7
The government plans to launch a telephone relay service to enable people with hearing disabilities to chat online via sign language, government officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2017
Japan's first public sign language phones installed at Haneda airport
The nation's first public phones allowing communication via sign language were set up Sunday at Tokyo's Haneda airport.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
May 8, 2017
Entrepreneur taps Skype, tablets to offer sign language service across Japan
Imagine you're a hearing impaired person who wants to hire a sign language interpreter. The process is antiquated and lengthy. You have to send a fax to a local municipal government to make a reservation two weeks in advance, and officials then look for an interpreter whose schedule matches yours. Once they find one, you'll get a reply by fax.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 13, 2016
Cafes employing staff with disabilities find taste trumps all
Walking into Sign with Me, a soup cafe in Tokyo, customers are greeted not by the typical irasshaimase shouts of welcome, but sign language and gestures from the courteous staff.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2015
Deaf community hopes 2020 Olympics a 'game-changer' for better social inclusion
Peggy Prosser was sitting in front of a travel agent in Japan when she was abruptly informed that she would not be able to fly back to the United States to visit her family because she is deaf.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 22, 2015
Ukraine's young actress in a coded world without sound
Yana Novikova is a 21-year-old Ukranian actress who was born deaf. She is one of the leads in "The Tribe," a near-silent film starring a cast of deaf actors who communicate only through sign and body language. There are no subtitles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 22, 2015
Violence speaks louder than words in Ukrainian film 'The Tribe'
Obscurantism; noun: The practice of being deliberately obscure or vague. If that represents a new genre in art cinema, then Ukrainian director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy may be its leading proponent. His film "The Tribe," which garnered some attention at Cannes last year, features deaf actors communicating in sign language — but without any subtitles to let the viewer in on their dialogue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2013
Deaf-mute wins one for sign language
Daigo Ishibashi, 40, got a lump in his throat when the Tottori Prefectural Assembly passed a groundbreaking sign language promotion ordinance in early October, the first of its kind in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2013
Tottori champions sign language
The Tottori Prefectural Assembly adopted an ordinance Tuesday recognizing sign language and requiring the prefectural and municipal governments to develop environments to promote its use.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2013
Sign-language service via iPads tested by JR East
East Japan Railway Co. began testing a sign-language interpretation service in Tokyo on Monday using a videophone application on an Apple iPad tablet for the hearing-impaired.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2013
Deaf bartender raises game to thrive in Ginza
Dai Igarashi is a bartender in Tokyo's glitzy Ginza entertainment district, attending to customers like any barkeep but with one difference — he is totally deaf.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2013
Online signing making life easier
An Internet-based sign language service launched by a university student a few years ago is finding its way into hotels, restaurants and other public places.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world