HandVis: Visualized Gesture Support for Remote Cross-Lingual Communication

Abstract

Effective communication between those who are not fluent in a non-native language can potentially be quite difficult. The common language selected to be used throughout an exchange can encumber those who might not speak it as proficiently as others. Remote communication further heightens the difficulty since less channels are available for communication. We introduce HandVis, a video conferencing interface that visualizes elements of hand gesture, such as trajectory and amount. Gesture is intended to be a communicative tool that can compensate for language deficits. The results of a user study indicate how HandVis can be utilized constructively by less-proficient speakers during cross-lingual communication.