Sign Learn videos can also be shared on social media.
On the occasion of Sign Language Day, the government of India launched an Indian Sign Language (or ISL) dictionary app called ‘Sign Learn’ that contains 10,000 words.
According to Press Trust of India, the app, which is based on the Indian sign language dictionary of the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), is available for both Android and iOS users.
All the words in the ISL dictionary can be searched via two languages, i.e., Hindi and English and further Sign Learn videos can also be shared on social media. Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik launched the app.
According to the press release, the ISLRTC, an autonomous body under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, in October 2020 “signed an MoU with National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for converting NCERT textbooks from Class I to XII into Indian Sign Language (digital format) to make the textbooks accessible to children with hearing disabilities.” Further, this year ISL e-content of NCERT textbooks of class VI was launched, the release added.
“With the joint effort of ISLRTC and NCERT, a total of 500 academic words in Indian Sign Language were launched. These 500 academic words are words used at the secondary level, which are often used in history, science, political science, mathematics,” the release stated.
The United Nations declared September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages. It is celebrated annually across the world to raise awareness around sign languages along with sensitizing about and supporting the linguistic identity of people with hearing disabilities.
