Signbank

SIGNBANK IS THE AUTHORITATIVE ONLINE DICTIONARY OF AUSLAN

Signbank provides definitions in simple English linguistic information, and regional usage details for signs. It is accessed by over 900,000 Australians annually and serves as a crucial resource for learners.

Led by Associate Professor Louisa Willoughby, Monash University’s Sign Language @ Monash team now oversees Signbank, previously managed by Professor Trevor Johnston. The team has completely re-written the code base of the Signbank site.

Monash University is supporting the team’s efforts to share their research following open data principles while ensuring ethical usage of these complex resources. This approach aligns with Monash’s commitment to commercialising and translating knowledge from humanities, arts, and social sciences (HASS) research.

The updated version of Signbank is currently undergoing user acceptance testing and is expected to launch to the public in mid-2025.

"Signbank is a crucial resource for the Australian deaf community that was at risk of disappearing or falling into disrepair before Monash undertook this modernisation. We are proud to have created a refreshed code base that allows the website to continue well into the future. Monash Innovation has helped us develop licensing that allows this codebase to be shared with other researchers developing their own sign language dictionaries.” — Associate Professor Louisa Willoughby