26 November 2025
Flemish Sign Language (VGT) is used daily by thousands of people in Flanders (Belgium). The Flemish Sign Language dictionary records over 11,000 signs of the VGT dictionary. In a world first, VGTC and IDLab-AIRO (UGent-imec) have introduced search functionality for this dictionary.
Searching through sign language dictionaries is nothing new, but this new development takes it to the next level. The deaf-led valorisation project "What Gebaar Jij?!" (What Are You Signing?!) has just released an AI system that enables users to search through all 11,000 signs by recording a video of a sign. For the first time ever, a sign language model can recognize virtually any sign. Previously, such models were limited to a smaller selection (often only a few hundred or a couple of thousand signs at most).
This co-created functionality is the result of research by my PhD student, Toon Vandendriessche, who has drastically improved the models I developed during my own PhD research. Thanks to his work, the search functionality works amazingly well. It can handle just about any sign I throw at it.
This is just the beginning. UGent and VGTC will continue to collaborate and release tools for the signing community in Flanders. Try the search functionality yourself at https://woordenboek.vlaamsegebarentaal.be/direct-record!