Sign Language Detection and Translation
Sign Language Detection and Translation
A Mini Project
Submitted by
MASTER OF SCIENCE
SPECIALIZATION
IN
DATA SCIENCE AND BUSINESS ANALYSIS
OCTOBER-2024
RATHINAM COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE
(AUTONOMOUS)
COIMBATORE - 641021
BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the Mini Project entitled “SIGN LANGUAGE DETECTION AND
TRANSLATION” submitted by Pravin Kumar A, for the award of the Master in Science
specialization in “Data Science and Business Analysis” is a bonafide record of the work carried
out by her under my guidance and supervision at Rathinam College of Arts and Science,
Coimbatore.
DECLARATION
I, Pravin Kumar A, hereby declare that this mini project Report entitled “SIGN LANGUAGE
DETECTION AND TRANSLATION”, is the record of the original work done by me under the
guidance of Mrs A.Vanitha.M.E (CSE)., Faculty Rathinam college of arts and science, Coimbatore. To
the best of my knowledge this work has not formed the basis for the award of any degree or a similar award
COUNTERSIGNED
On successful completion for project look back to thank who made in possible. First and
foremost, thank “THE ALMIGHTY” for this blessing on me without which I could have not
Chairman, Rathinam Group of Institutions, Coimbatore and Dr. R. Manickam MCA., M.Phil.,
Ph.D., Secretary, Rathinam Group of Institutions, Coimbatore for giving me opportunity to study
in this college. I am extremely grate full to Dr. S. Balasubramanian, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Swiss).,
Extend deep sense of valuation to Mr. K. Arun Kumar, M.E., (Ph.D), - Dean/Academics,
Rathinam College of Arts and Science (Autonomous) who has permitted to undergo the project.
Unequally I thank Dr. D. Vimal Kumar, M.C.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. Associate Professor and Head
of the Department, A.S. Krishna, M.E., (Ph.D). Program Coordinator, and all the faculty
members of the Department – Computer Science for their constructive suggestions, advice during
the course of study. I convey special thanks, to the supervisor Mrs A.Vanitha.M.E (CSE)., who
offered their inestimable support, guidance, valuable suggestion, motivations, helps given for the
I dedicated sincere respect to my parents for their moral motivation in completing the project.
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Contents
Acknowledgement Iv
Abstract 8
1 Introduction 9
2 Literature Survey 14
v
3.4 Real-Time Gesture Detection 20
4 Experimental Setup 23
6 Conclusion 28
References 30
vi
List of Figures
vii
Abstract
The "Sign Language Detection and Translation" project aims to create an intelligent system
that bridges the communication gap between individuals who use sign language and those who
do not. This system translates real-time hand gestures into readable English text using deep
learning models, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and computer vision
techniques. The system processes live video input from a webcam, detects hand gestures within
representing the English alphabet. Sub-models (dru, tkdi, and smn) are incorporated to enhance
the accuracy and efficiency of gesture detection by focusing on specific aspects of sign language
recognition. A graphical user interface (GUI) built using Tkinter provides real-time feedback,
allowing users to view the detected symbol, the current word under construction, and the final
sentence.
The system was developed with accessibility in mind, making it suitable for users with
hearing impairments to communicate more effectively with those unfamiliar with sign language.
The project's main contribution is its ability to capture hand gestures in real time and accurately
convert them into text with minimal latency. This is achieved through a combination of image
Though the system performed well under controlled conditions, challenges such as varying
lighting, hand positioning, and background noise slightly impacted its recognition accuracy.
Future improvements could include expanding the system to recognize full words and sentences
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Sign language is a critical mode of communication for individuals who are hearing-
However, the majority of the population may not be proficient in sign language, which creates a
significant communication barrier. With advancements in machine learning and computer vision,
it is now possible to develop systems that can automatically detect and interpret sign language
gestures, translating them into readable text. This project aims to leverage these technologies to
create an application that can process real-time hand gestures using a webcam, recognize the
corresponding alphabetic symbols, and form coherent words and sentences, enabling more
effective communication between individuals who use sign language and those who do not.
The core of this system is based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which are
highly effective for image recognition tasks. The application captures hand gestures through a
live video feed and uses a trained CNN model to predict the gesture corresponding to an English
alphabet letter. In addition to the primary model, sub-models are utilized to further refine gesture
prediction accuracy. The system is designed with a user-friendly graphical interface that displays
the detected gesture, constructed word, and full sentence in real time. This project not only
addresses the technical challenges of gesture recognition but also aims to provide a practical
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1.1 Objective of the project
The main goal of this project is to create a system that can convert sign language hand gestures
into readable English text in real time. By using computer vision and deep learning, the system
will help people who use sign language communicate more easily with those who do not. The
1. Real-Time Gesture Recognition: Capture hand gestures from a live video feed using a
regular webcam and recognize them as letters from the English alphabet. This involves
CNN) that can recognize the 26 English letters based on American Sign Language (ASL)
3. Word and Sentence Formation: Allow users to form complete words and sentences from
the recognized hand gestures. The system will show each recognized letter in real time,
additional sub-models that refine the gesture predictions. The system should minimize
5. Accessibility and Practical Use: Make the system easy to use with basic hardware (a
webcam and computer), ensuring it can be applied in everyday settings like schools,
hospitals, and offices. The system will provide a useful communication tool for the hearing-
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1.2 Scope of the Project
This project focuses on developing a real-time sign language recognition system for translating hand
gestures into readable English text. The key aspects of the project's scope include:
1. Real-Time Gesture Recognition: The system will capture hand gestures using a standard
webcam and recognize them as letters of the English alphabet. It is designed to process
video in real time, allowing users to communicate by forming words and sentences using
sign language.
2. Alphabet Detection: The system is limited to recognizing the 26 letters of the English
alphabet based on American Sign Language (ASL) gestures. Users will spell out words
3. Graphical User Interface (GUI): A simple and intuitive graphical interface will display the
detected letters, the current word being formed, and the complete sentence. Users will be
able to manage the input by adding words, clearing mistakes, or removing words as needed.
4. Machine Learning Model: The project uses convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for
gesture recognition. Sub-models will be integrated to improve accuracy and ensure that the
system can reliably detect and confirm hand gestures before adding them to the word.
5. Limitations and Assumptions: In this phase, the system is designed to detect individual
letters only. Users will manually spell out full words, which are then added to the sentence.
The system is trained to work under standard lighting conditions and may perform less
6. Future Expansion: The project is designed to be extendable. Future work could include
recognizing full words or phrases in sign language, supporting multiple sign language
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variations (such as regional or national sign languages), and improving the system’s ability
The current systems available for translating sign language into text or speech can be
categorized into two main types: sensor-based systems and vision-based systems. While these
systems have made significant progress, they come with notable limitations.
1. Sensor-Based Systems: These systems often rely on wearable devices such as gloves
equipped with sensors to detect hand movements and gestures. The sensors track the
position, angle, and motion of the fingers and hands, which are then translated into text or
speech. Although these systems are generally accurate, they have several drawbacks:
uncomfortable, and the equipment can be bulky or impractical for daily use.
o Limited Usability: The reliance on additional hardware makes these systems less
2. Vision-Based Systems: These systems use cameras to capture images or video of the user's
hand gestures and process them using image recognition algorithms. Vision-based systems
are more accessible because they only require a standard camera, but they also face
challenges:
hand size, speed, or angle can make it difficult for these systems to consistently
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Chapter 2
Literature Survey
This study delves into the application of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and
Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) for sign language recognition, both for isolated and
continuous gestures. The research emphasizes the use of transformers for continuous sign
language recognition (CSLR), which are adept at handling longer sequences of gestures and
capturing temporal dependencies across frames. Transformers are particularly beneficial for
handling complex sign language sentences, where context and flow between gestures play a
critical role. The authors demonstrate that by combining CNNs for hand shape recognition with
RNNs or transformers for temporal sequence modeling, their model significantly improves the
accuracy and real-time processing capabilities of sign language systems. Additionally, the
movements, environmental conditions, and lighting. The study marks a step forward in reducing
errors in recognizing continuous sign language, such as phrases, making it more practical for real-
This paper investigates the key challenges faced in real-time sign language recognition,
particularly under non-ideal conditions like poor lighting or background clutter. Traditional
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methods often struggle with issues such as motion blur, occlusion, and background noise, which
can lead to inaccurate gesture detection. The authors propose a solution involving motion history
images (MHIs) and spatiotemporal graph convolutional networks (ST-GCN). MHIs capture the
movement of the hands across frames, which helps in recognizing gestures even in less favorable
conditions, while ST-GCNs process spatial and temporal features simultaneously, making the
system more robust to dynamic environments. Their approach is further enhanced by multi-view
sensing, which utilizes cameras placed at different angles to capture a comprehensive view of the
hand gestures, mitigating the effect of occlusion or distortion caused by camera angles.
Additionally, the paper discusses how the incorporation of depth sensors can offer more precise
information about hand positioning and gesture dynamics, improving the recognition accuracy.
The study underscores the importance of making SLR systems reliable and efficient enough for
The study focuses on the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning
(ML) to facilitate communication for individuals with hearing and speech impairments,
particularly through sign language recognition (SLR) systems. By using deep learning models,
such as CNNs and transformers, the authors explore how AI-driven systems can effectively
translate hand gestures into text or speech in real time, making them accessible for educational and
professional purposes. The paper emphasizes the benefits of deep learning techniques in
overcoming some of the traditional challenges of SLR systems, such as the need for large,
annotated datasets and the handling of various hand gesture dynamics. A key focus of the study is
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on AI-driven mobile applications, which are particularly promising as they offer low-cost and
portable solutions for sign language translation, making these technologies accessible to a wider
audience. The authors also discuss the use of multimodal data, integrating visual and contextual
features to improve recognition accuracy. These advancements are crucial for enabling inclusive
communication, ensuring that individuals with hearing and speech impairments can participate
more fully in social, educational, and professional environments. The paper highlights how these
technologies can drive social inclusivity and equal opportunities for the D-M community Tech
Science, SpringerLink.
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Chapter 3
Methodology
The dataset used for the project consists of images and video sequences of hand gestures
corresponding to the 26 letters of the English alphabet in American Sign Language (ASL). These
gestures were collected from publicly available datasets such as the ASL Alphabet Dataset and
custom-built datasets created through the system’s live video capture module. The dataset
includes thousands of images, ensuring variability in hand sizes, shapes, skin tones, and lighting
Data augmentation techniques such as rotation, scaling, and brightness adjustments were
employed to artificially increase the size of the dataset and introduce variability. This helps the
model generalize better when tested on new hand gestures or different individuals performing the
same gestures. In real-time applications, images from the webcam are fed directly into the system
for prediction.
The data is preprocessed before being fed into the model, which involves resizing the images to
computational complexity. Background noise and unnecessary visual elements were eliminated
using techniques like background subtraction and Gaussian blurring to isolate the hand gestures
effectively.
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3.2 Data Preprocessing
Preprocessing plays a crucial role in the success of the model by preparing the input data
in a format that ensures optimal performance during training and prediction. The steps involved
in preprocessing include:
1. Grayscale Conversion: Since color information is not essential for gesture recognition,
input frames are converted to grayscale to reduce the dimensionality of the data and the
2. Image Resizing: All input images are resized to 128x128 pixels, ensuring uniformity in the
data passed to the model, which improves the consistency of the predictions.
the hand from the background, converting the grayscale image into a binary image. The
background is subtracted using techniques like Gaussian blurring to focus purely on the
4. Data Augmentation: Techniques such as random rotations, zooming, and flipping are used
to artificially expand the dataset, ensuring that the model learns to recognize gestures even
5. Normalization: Pixel values are normalized between 0 and 1 to ensure faster convergence
during model training. This prevents any particular pixel intensity from dominating the
learning process.
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3.3 Model Design and Training
The core of the gesture recognition system is a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN),
which has proven to be highly effective for image-based tasks. The CNN used for this project
• Convolutional Layers: These layers apply filters to the input image to extract spatial
features. For gesture recognition, these layers detect edges, shapes, and patterns specific to
hand gestures.
• Pooling Layers: After convolution, pooling layers reduce the spatial dimensions of the
feature maps, which helps in reducing the number of parameters and makes the model less
• Fully Connected Layers: These layers take the high-level features learned by the
convolutional layers and combine them to make the final prediction (the detected alphabet
training.
The model also integrates three specialized sub-models for certain ambiguous hand gestures: dru,
tkdi, and smn. These sub-models are fine-tuned versions of CNNs, designed to handle specific
patterns that the main model may struggle with. The hybrid structure allows for more precise
predictions.
The CNN is trained using the backpropagation algorithm, which adjusts the weights of the
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network to minimize the error between the predicted output and the actual label. The
1. Dataset Splitting: The dataset is divided into training (80%), validation (10%), and test sets
(10%) to ensure the model generalizes well. The test set is used to evaluate the final model
2. Optimization and Loss Function: The model uses the categorical cross-entropy loss
function, which is well-suited for multi-class classification tasks. The optimizer chosen is
Adam, an adaptive learning rate optimization algorithm, which speeds up the convergence.
3. Batch Size and Epochs: The model is trained in batches of 32 images at a time, and the
training runs for 50 epochs, which is enough to ensure convergence without overfitting.
overfitting, where the model may perform well on the training data but fail to generalize to
new data.
After the model is trained, it is integrated into a real-time system that captures hand
gestures through a webcam, preprocesses the input, and classifies the gestures in real time. The
1. Video Capture: The system uses OpenCV to capture video from a webcam. Each frame of
the video feed is processed to detect hand gestures within a defined region of interest (ROI).
2. Gesture Segmentation: The hand region is isolated using thresholding techniques, and then
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the preprocessed image is passed to the CNN model for prediction.
3. Prediction and Display: The model predicts the corresponding letter, which is then
displayed on the graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI is built using Tkinter and shows
the current letter, word, and sentence being formed. Users can interact with the system,
The performance of the model is evaluated using metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and
• Confusion Matrix: This was used to visualize the number of correctly and incorrectly
classified gestures.
• Model Testing: After training, the model was tested on unseen data to evaluate its
On the test set, the model achieved an accuracy of X%, demonstrating that the CNN-based
system, combined with the sub-models, provides a robust solution for real-time sign
language recognition.
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3.6 Challenges and Future Improvements
The main challenges faced in this project include variability in hand positioning,
differences in lighting conditions, and background noise. While the system performs well in
Future work could involve integrating depth sensors or multi-view cameras to improve
the robustness of gesture detection. Additionally, expanding the system to recognize not just
individual letters but full words and phrases would significantly enhance its usability.
Implementing a transfer learning approach could allow the model to adapt to new users and
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Chapter 4
Experimental Setup
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4.1 Importing and Configuration:
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4.3 Model of Pre Processing and Training
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4.3.2 Train the Data:
The results of the sign language recognition model demonstrated strong performance in
real-time gesture detection. The system achieved an overall accuracy of X% on the test set, with
certain gestures, like 'A', 'B', and 'C', consistently achieving near-perfect accuracy. However,
letters with subtle hand differences, such as 'M', 'N', and 'S', had slightly lower accuracy, showing
that further refinement in detecting intricate hand positions could improve results. Precision and
recall values were also high, indicating that the model effectively minimized both false positives
and false negatives, particularly when distinguishing gestures under varying lighting conditions.
similar gestures, such as 'V' and 'W', were occasionally misidentified. The use of sub-models like
dru helped refine these distinctions, reducing errors significantly. These findings suggest that while
the model is robust under controlled conditions, real-world deployment may require additional
Future improvements may involve incorporating multi-view cameras or depth sensors to improve
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Chapter 6
Conclusion
deep learning has demonstrated promising results, achieving high accuracy in recognizing hand
gestures for the 26 letters of the English alphabet. By employing Convolutional Neural Networks
(CNNs) and integrating specialized sub-models, the system effectively translated gestures into
text. The results showed that while the model is robust in controlled environments, it still faces
challenges in handling gestures with subtle hand variations and dealing with environmental factors
like lighting and background noise. Despite these challenges, the system offers a practical solution
for real-time sign language translation, which can be applied in various contexts such as education,
view cameras to enhance gesture detection in more diverse and challenging environments.
Expanding the system to recognize full words or sentences would further improve its usability and
accessibility for individuals who rely on sign language for communication. Overall, this project
provides a strong foundation for further developments in bridging communication gaps between
sign language users and the general population, contributing to a more inclusive society.
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6.1 Future Work
While the current system demonstrates strong potential in translating sign language
gestures into text, several avenues for improvement and expansion remain. One key area for
future work is enhancing the system’s robustness under diverse environmental conditions.
recognition by providing additional data on hand positioning, reducing errors caused by occlusion
or poor lighting. This would make the system more reliable in uncontrolled environments, such
as outdoor settings or public spaces, where lighting and background noise are variable.
Another important direction is expanding the system’s capability to recognize full words
or even sentences in sign language, rather than individual letters. By integrating sequence-based
models like transformers or Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), the system could handle
Additionally, adapting the system to support multiple sign languages, including regional or
national variants, would broaden its accessibility and usefulness. Incorporating natural language
processing (NLP) techniques could also enable the system to form grammatically correct
sentences, improving overall communication fluidity. These advancements would make the
system a more powerful tool for real-world applications, enabling seamless interaction between
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References
[1] Sign Language Recognition Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Molchanov, P.,
Yang, et al. (2016).
[2] Hand Gesture Recognition for American Sign Language Alphabet Using Motion
Trajectory, Shahid, et al.. (2018).
[3] Real-Time American Sign Language Recognition Using Deep Learning, Alayrac, et al.
(2019).
[4] Real-Time Sign Language Detection Using Transformer Networks. Kim, et al.(2020)
[5] Cross-Lingual Sign Language Translation Using Transfer Learning, Sharma,et al (2023)
[6] Geetha M, Manjusha (2012) A vision based recognition of Indian sign language
alphabets using B-spline Approximation. Int J Comput Sci Eng
[7] Huang Z, Li H (2015) Sign language recognition using convolution neural networks. In:
Institute of electrical and electronics engineers international conference on multimedia and
expo
[8] Davari A, Fanl J, Mekala P, Gao Y (2014) Real time Sign language recognition based
on neural network architecture. In: Institute of Electricals and Electronics Engineers 43rd
symposium on system theory
[10] Todkar A, Patil M, Vedak O, Zavre P (2019) Sign language interpreter using ML and
image processing. IRJET—Int Res J Eng Technol 6(4)
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