Signa

Instantly translate text and speech into sign language, making communication accessible everywhere.

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Inspiration

I first felt the problem in a very personal way at church. I noticed Deaf and hard-of-hearing congregants were seated in a separate area so they could maintain a clear line of sight to the interpreter. It was not about preference, it was about access. That moment made me ask a simple question: why should inclusion require separation? If churches already use screens for lyrics and announcements, accessibility should live on those same screens, so everyone can sit together and participate equally. That experience became the motivation behind Word2Sign: a practical, real-time way to translate spoken words and displayed text into sign language so Deaf congregants can follow the service from anywhere in the sanctuary, with dignity and full participation.

What it does

Signa is an accessibility solution that converts spoken words or prepared text into sign-language output that can be shown on church screens, projectors, or livestream overlays.

In simple terms:

  1. People speak (or text is provided)
  2. Signa converts it into structured text
  3. The system generates sign-language output (sign visuals/animated signer panel)
  4. The signing is displayed on the same screens the whole church uses

The goal is to ensure Deaf and hard-of-hearing congregants can sit anywhere and still fully understand and participate.

How we built it

Word2Sign follows a lightweight pipeline designed for live environments:

  1. Input: Live audio (microphone/stream) or prepared text (lyrics/sermon notes).
  2. Speech-to-Text (if audio): Converts speech into text in near real time.
  3. Language Processing: Cleans and segments text into sign-friendly phrases (because sign language grammar differs from spoken language).
  4. Sign Generation: Maps phrases to sign-language representations using a curated sign vocabulary and a model that supports word-level signing, with a roadmap toward sentence-level signing.
  5. Display: Renders a signing panel that can be embedded onto church screens or livestream layouts.

Challenges we ran into

  1. Latency and smoothness: We designed the pipeline to stream short segments and cache repeated phrases common in services.
  2. Sign language structure: We used phrase segmentation and planned a move toward sentence-level signing to preserve meaning.
  3. Vocabulary coverage: Church contexts include unique terms; we planned “custom vocabulary packs” for fast expansion.
  4. Trust and usability: We focused on a simple output that is easy to validate in real time and improves with testing.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  1. Built a clear MVP concept that fits into existing church infrastructure (screens, projectors, livestreams).
  2. Designed an end-to-end flow from audio/text → processed language → sign output → display.
  3. Identified a strong real-world use case with immediate impact: inclusion without separating Deaf congregants.
  4. Defined a scalable approach that can extend beyond church to classrooms, clinics, and public services.
  5. Created a roadmap for vocabulary expansion and improved accuracy over time through user testing and iteration.

What we learned

Building Signa taught us that accessibility is not a “nice-to-have”; it is a core design requirement.

Key lessons:

  1. Inclusion is both technical and social: the real success metric is not only accuracy, but whether people feel they belong.
  2. Word-for-word translation is not enough: sign languages have different structure, so we must prioritize meaning through phrase segmentation and sentence-level improvements.
  3. Latency matters: in live settings, delays break understanding—so streaming small chunks and optimizing the pipeline is essential.
  4. Real-world adoption requires low friction: churches will only use solutions that integrate smoothly into existing screens and workflows.

Challenges We Faced (and How We Addressed Them)

  1. Latency and smoothness: We designed the pipeline to stream short segments and cache repeated phrases common in services.
  2. Sign language structure: We used phrase segmentation and planned a move toward sentence-level signing to preserve meaning.
  3. Vocabulary coverage: Church contexts include unique terms; we planned “custom vocabulary packs” for fast expansion.
  4. Trust and usability: We focused on a simple output that is easy to validate in real time and improves with testing.

What's next for Signa

In the next phase, we will:

  1. Test the MVP with Deaf users and professional interpreters to validate accuracy and usability.
  2. Expand vocabulary and improve sentence-level translation quality.
  3. Integrate seamlessly with livestream tools for online accessibility.
  4. Partner with churches and Deaf organizations to co-design and scale responsibly.

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