New Technologies in Second Language Signed Assessment

In this chapter, two signed language technologies are introduced: signed language recognition and signed language synthesis/animation. The modality-specific challenges of these technologies are discussed, originating in the multichannel nature of signs and the lack of a standardized writing system. The state of research of each technology is outlined, demonstrating that the existing body of research is considerably smaller than that of the field of automatic spoken language processing. The chapter describes the combination of the two signed language technologies in real-world applications. Most importantly, it explores the potential application of each technology to second language (L2) signed language assessment. Finally, an example of an existing use case is given: the application of signed language recognition to a vocabulary test for adult L2 learners of Swiss German Sign Language.