The UB launches a pioneering vocabulary of scientific terminology in Catalan Sign Language (LSC) - Current events - University of Barcelona | Metaglossia: The Translation World | Scoop.it

"The UB launches a pioneering vocabulary of scientific terminology in Catalan Sign Language (LSC)


A deaf student can follow university classes with a sign language interpreter, but they often encounter the problem that there are no specific signs for many of the scientific terms used in the classroom. In these cases, the word must be spelled out or a sign must be “agreed upon”, even if only for that particular occasion.


The University of Barcelona has launched a pioneering project: a vocabulary of scientific terms in Catalan Sign Language (LSC). The aim is to make university classes more accessible to deaf signers and to promote equal opportunities in the academic sphere. This vocabulary is published as videos on the UBTERM terminology portal, managed by the UB Language Services, which have also created a web portal of resources on LSC.


“For each term, there must be a clear and easy-to-understand sign that also respects the phonological structure of Catalan Sign Language,” SAYS Raúl Ruiz, coordinator of the project’s team, which includes professors, interpreters, and linguists specialized in LSC. This Biochemistry student and Catalan Sign Language professor emphasizes that, until now, there has been no structured initiative to develop specialized scientific terminology in LSC at the university level, beyond occasional glossaries or specific thematic projects. This contrasts with the existence, for years, of well-established resources in other sign languages, such as American (ASL) or British (BSL).


A powerful tool for understanding science


To carry out this task, a process had to be developed from scratch: first, the term in Catalan is selected, and a search is conducted among existing LSC signs to see if an equivalent already exists or if a new sign needs to be created, based on the resources of Catalan Sign Language. At the same time, the concept is analyzed with the help of professors who are experts in the specific discipline to which the term belongs. Once this work is completed, the sign is created if necessary and validated by experts and users from scientific fields in LSC. Finally, the recording is made and reviewed again by experts. Once the accuracy of the signed term recording is confirmed, it is published on the UBTERM portal, included as an additional equivalent in the corresponding terminological entry.


Currently, the first published signed terms — 59 in total, all from the field of mathematics — can already be consulted. For each term, there is a GIF file and three videos showing the same signed term from three different angles: front, from the right, and from the left, to facilitate visual perception.


A web portal WITH resources in LSC is also created to facilitate learning and promote equal opportunities.
After receiving support from the Vice-Rector’s Offices for Teaching Policy and Language Policy, the Language Services have taken on the management and publication of the project. They have done so as part of their regular terminological work, but with the particularity that this time a signed language is involved, which requires a specific approach. Àngels Egea, head of Terminology at the Language Services, recalls: “As with any other language, updating the terminological repertoire is an ongoing task with no end date. This means that this newly launched project does not have a fixed timeline, but rather a long road ahead.”


Raúl Ruiz emphasizes that the project is important not only for the deaf signing community but also for society as a whole: “Catalan Sign Language can become a very powerful tool for understanding scientific concepts, thanks to its visual nature and use of space. For example, in fields such as mathematics, where we work with graphs, coordinates, or X, Y, and Z axes, the fact that LSC uses three-dimensional space greatly facilitates the representation of these concepts. In this sense, LSC not only makes science more accessible to deaf signers, but also enriches the way anyone can understand and communicate scientific knowledge.”


This strategic project is part of the initiatives funded by the Government of Catalonia’s Interlingua grants, which aim to promote and support the use of languages in the inter-university context."
(27/01/2026)
https://web.ub.edu/en/web/actualitat/w/scientific-terminology-catalan-sign-language
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