EU SIGN LIBRARY

The European Union has recently launched a new sign language website:
www.signlibrary.eu The website is part of a project which aims to give
access to literature for Deaf people by translating world literature into
Sign Language.

At present the project has partners in Austria, Germany, Hungary and
Slovenia who will translate a set of literary works and texts into the
respective national Sign Language. An expert jury consisting of deaf
peer-group-members and European literary and linguistic experts have chosen
the texts. Sign language poets and interpreters from the peer group of Deaf
people prepare these texts and translate them into Sign Language. These are
filmed available online or you download them for free.

The website will offer an open-space community and the possibility for
visitors to update their own “releases”. As part of the project guidelines
for the production of sign language books will be developed. These will
provide information on how to translate world literature into sign language.
People and communities who are interested in producing sign language books
(e.g. Publishing Houses, sign language Poets, Teachers, people studying sign
language etc), will get hints for a professional (but not expensive)
production, including information on the translation into „glosses“, sign
language-performance, recording, edition, and production of additional
material like glossary or digital text and the production of the
video-files.
The project aims to lay the foundations for the development of a long-term
online-library for all of Europe.