There is a language barrier between spoken English and American Sign Language, and a cultural barrier between mainstream and Deaf communities. A portable, convenient translator is ideal for conversational situations where an interpreter, writing, or other means of communicating are insufficient or inappropriate.

 

The name Relay embodies the idea of the back-and-forth nature of a conversation, as well as the act of translating back and forth between languages. As the Deaf community knows, a relay service is one that involves a third party to translate/interpret telephone conversations between text and speech for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing people and the hearing people they talk to. My app idea is like a relay service for real life, without the extra person.

 

Relay offers three modes to suit the Deaf user’s needs:

• One-on-one mode is directional, designed for close conversation for two people.
• Group mode is for talking with multiple people, or over a distance where one-on-one mode would not be sufficient. A watch or head-mounted display peripheral functions as the Deaf-side receiver.
• Movie mode provides discreet personal captions for use in movie theaters and at home.