The Iterative Development and Evaluation Framework for Kazakh-Russian Signing Avatars Targeted to Native Deaf Signers

Imashev, Alfarabi | Alizadeh, Tohid

Volume:: Proceedings of the LREC2026 12th Workshop on the Representation and Processing of Sign Languages: Language in Motion
Venue:: Palma, Mallorca, Spain
Date:: 16 May 2026
Pages:: 212–225
Publisher:: European Language Resources Association (ELRA)
Licence:: CC BY-NC 4.0
sign-lang ID:: 26040
ISBN:: 978-2-493814-82-1

Abstract

Nowadays, existing research predominantly focuses on already well-researched sign languages. However, the most extensive studies of sign language in Kazakhstan, which adhere to international standards, started about a decade ago. Native deaf signers in Kazakhstan can often suffer from insufficient educational opportunities, which may result in limited reading proficiency too. Sometimes, deaf signers can recognize letters and read words, but they may not fully understand the overall concept and need to break it down into a sequence of simpler ideas to comprehend it better. Consequently, signing avatars have the potential to interpret internet statements, movie subtitles, or YouTube videos, and this sign language production may increase accessibility and improve communication between deaf and hearing individuals, as well as between humans and avatars. An equally critical challenge is how to develop a tool that will help deaf signers evaluate the performance, appearance, and naturalness of signing avatars without relying on written text across all sign languages, particularly in underserved communities. This paper outlines the iterative development of the Kazakh-Russian Sign Language interpreting avatar, ongoing improvements to the evaluation instrument, and a comparative analysis of this instrument with another evaluation method designed to attain the same objective.

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Citation in ACL Citation Format

Alfarabi Imashev, Tohid Alizadeh. 2026. The Iterative Development and Evaluation Framework for Kazakh-Russian Signing Avatars Targeted to Native Deaf Signers. In Proceedings of the LREC2026 12th Workshop on the Representation and Processing of Sign Languages: Language in Motion, pages 212–225, Palma, Mallorca, Spain. European Language Resources Association (ELRA).

BibTeX Export

@inproceedings{imashev:26040:sign-lang:lrec,
  author    = {Imashev, Alfarabi and Alizadeh, Tohid},
  title     = {The Iterative Development and Evaluation Framework for Kazakh-Russian Signing Avatars Targeted to Native Deaf Signers},
  pages     = {212--225},
  editor    = {Efthimiou, Eleni and Fotinea, Stavroula-Evita and Hanke, Thomas and Hochgesang, Julie A. and Mesch, Johanna and Schulder, Marc},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the {LREC2026} 12th Workshop on the Representation and Processing of Sign Languages: Language in Motion},
  maintitle = {15th International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation ({LREC} 2026)},
  publisher = {{European Language Resources Association (ELRA)}},
  address   = {Palma, Mallorca, Spain},
  day       = {16},
  month     = may,
  year      = {2026},
  isbn      = {978-2-493814-82-1},
  language  = {english},
  url       = {https://www.sign-lang.uni-hamburg.de/lrec/pub/26040.html}
}