Miluga

Dere wan boy.

Wan day during im second year of high school, im go wan small hilltop shop on wan errand. It wan small shop run by wan old couple. Inside, dere wan girl of similar age who seem to be lookin for somethin, but di boy no pay much attention and try buy wetin im need and leave.

At dat moment, di shop owner, wan old lady, call di boy over. She hand im wan small piece of paper and ask im to read wetin dey write for am.

Di note get ‘Miluga’ write for am.

Di boy think of wan word wey im fit guess. Im fit only think of ‘flour’ and suggest say e fit be flour. Di lady dey grateful, and di boy return home.

But, im dey think about am. ‘Di shop owner fit sabi how to read…’

Di next day, di boy go back to di shop.

“Di ‘Miluga’ wey dey write for di note wey you show me yesterday, no be dat girl wey dey near di entrance write am?”

Di lady dey surprise and ask how im sabi. Di girl get disability wey make verbal communication hard. She write ‘Miluga’ for di paper because she no fit communicate to buy wan bag of flour.

Dat day, di boy make up im mind. If im ever find imself for position to help person, im go first help dem wey dey physically challenged or no get educational opportunities, dem wey dey socially vulnerable.

[Di Korean Today] ‘Miluga’ — A story wey start from wan boy memory © Di Korean Today Editorial

35 Years Later

35 years don pass. Di boy found SmileStory Inc. for South Korea for 2009 and establish WIA (World Certification Industry Association) for Estonia for 2018. With di intention to benefit di world with di most advanced technology of humanity, im don dey create technology to keep dat promise.

WIA Talk — Wan universal sign language platform wey allow communication with anyone using wan single 3D sign language, without di need to learn different sign languages (ASL, KSL, BSL…) for each country. And WIA Braille (wiabraille.com) — Wan universal braille system based on IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) wey allow reading in 7,000 languages once you don learn am. For di deaf, dere WIA Talk, and for di blind, dere WIA Braille. When dis two meet, di deaf and blind fit communicate directly without interpreter. Dis one never happen anywhere yet.

Di technology don ready. Di 3D avatar dey show sign language, dey move lip-sync, and dey express emotions. But for dis avatar to move more naturally — data of actual human hand movements dey needed.

E take 35 years. During dat time, dere suppose don get person wey turn away without fit buy wan bag of flour. If e don fast, e fit don reach one more person sooner.

Now, volunteers dey recruit simultaneously from 254 language regions.

[Di Korean Today] WIA Talk 3D Sign Language Volunteer Program Guide © Di Korean Today Editorial

How to Participate in Volunteering

You fit do am from home, with just wan web browser. No special skills or sign language experience dey required.

Videos Are Not Saved — Only Numbers Remain

Dis na di most frequently asked question. No be di video dey saved when filming with wan webcam?

Video files no dey saved. Our proprietary technology dey extract two things in real-time.

Only dis numbers dey saved. Your face image or video file no go remain for di server. Di number coordinates and facial expression values na di key data wey dey bring di 3D avatar to life, and dem dey sufficient.

Anyone Can Participate

[Di Korean Today] WIA Talk Volunteer Program Recruiting Simultaneously from 254 Language Regions Worldwide © Di Korean Today Editorial

Di Change Participation Brings

Di hand coordinate data wey you provide go become di gestures of di 3D avatar. Dis avatar dey embedded for di e-books of WIA Books (wiabook.com), allow di deaf to read books in sign language. Dis na somethin wey never exist anywhere for di world before.

But, dere dey wan more thing wey you need to sabi about dis story.

Miluga — Di Name Wey Start from ‘Miluga’

Di girl wey wan buy flour but fit only write ‘Miluga’ for wan note. We no sabi her name. But dose three letters don become di name of di accessibility program of WIA Books (wiabook.com) 35 years later.

Miluga — A program wey provide free access rights to all published books for UNHCR verified refugees, severely hearing-impaired, and severely visually impaired individuals.

Your participation dey directly reflected for di 3D sign language books of di Miluga program. When wan deaf reader open wan e-book, di 3D avatar dey show di book content in sign language — each gesture of dat avatar dey created from your data.

Application Guide

E dey okay if you no fit participate directly. Just spreading dis news to those around you fit be great help. Sharing for social media or telling someone wey dey interested in sign language go dey appreciated.

“There was a girl who wanted to buy flour but could only write ‘Miluga’. Now, 35 years later, technology is being created that allows people like her to read books, communicate, and connect with the world.”

#WIA_Talk  #3DSignLanguage  #Volunteer  #弘益人間  #Deaf  #SignLanguageBooks  #WIA_Book  #Miluga  #Refugees  #254Languages

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