At the Guangzhou government service center, a quiet revolution is unfolding. Xiaolan, a person with hearing loss, approaches a terminal, opens "Voibook" app and taps the "sign language translation" button. Within seconds, a live sign language interpreter appears on-screen, translating his gestures into spoken Mandarin for staff: "I need to apply for a residence permit — can you help?"

The system, developed by Guangzhou-based Voibook Technology, exemplifies how AI is bridging communication gap at the 15th National Games and Paralympic Games. In addition to the sign language translation, the system also provides live captioning and English-Chinese interpretation.

"Currently, Voibook's service is integrated into the official WeChat mini-program 'Quan Yun Guangzhou' (全運廣州). Meanwhile, the terminals will be available in athlete hotels during the events." said Shi Chengchuan, Voibook's CEO, also a person with hearing difficulties.

He introduced that, during the Games, over 100 volunteer interpreters nationwide will be on standby from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday, ensuring real-time translation between sign language and speech, helping people with hearing loss to check in, participate the competition and watch the games.

So far, Voibook systems are deployed in more than 200 public venues — from hospitals to museums — serving 1 million users with hearing impairment.

Sources & photos: Guangzhou Daily, Young Pai

Author: Joyce