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Auslan Signbank
What Auslan Signbank is
Auslan Signbank is a free web resource for Australian Sign Language, combining a sign dictionary with information about the Australian Deaf community. Dictionary entries include videos of Deaf people using signs. Users can search with an English keyword or its first few letters, browse terms alphabetically, or narrow results by topic. A dialect setting determines which matching signs appear first, and searches can be restricted to health-related vocabulary. For some health and medical terms without a commonly used sign, the site may provide an Auslan video explanation. Signbank links to the Expanded Auslan Corpus, where visitors can see signs used by different people in sentences and contexts; its annotation files cover 357 movie clips, with annotations added over time. Visitors can suggest corrections or additions and report missing signs, and accepted additions may receive community feedback. The site is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0. It is not designed to teach Auslan on its own, and the site recommends learning through interaction with Auslan users or by attending a course.
Who it suits
It suits people looking up Auslan signs, exploring topic-based vocabulary, or viewing signs in sentence contexts. Learners should use it alongside interaction with Auslan users or a course rather than as their only learning method.
What it does well
- Dictionary entries include videos of Deaf signers
- Search by English keyword, alphabetically, or by topic
- Dialect setting prioritizes a preferred dialect
- Links signs to corpus examples in context
- Visitors can report missing signs and suggest edits
What to know first
- Not designed as a stand-alone learning tool
- No individual technical support is available
- Site does not answer specific Auslan questions
Limits
The free plan is a dictionary resource rather than a stand-alone language learning tool. Offline access and progress tracking are unavailable.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Auslan Signbank | Free Auslan signs dictionary · not designed as a stand-alone language learning tool · no individual technical support | Free |
As auslan.org.au lists them, read 7 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open https://auslan.org.au/ in a web browser.
- Search with an English keyword or its first few letters, browse alphabetically, or filter by topic.
- Set a preferred dialect to adjust the order of matching signs.
- Use the health filter for health-related signs or follow the link to the Expanded Auslan Corpus.
Verdict
Auslan Signbank is a searchable reference with videos, health vocabulary options and links to corpus examples. It is best treated as a dictionary and language resource, not a complete course.
Questions
How much does Auslan Signbank cost?
The Auslan Signbank plan is free: free.
Can I use it offline?
No. Offline access is listed as unavailable.
Which language does it cover?
It covers Auslan, Australian Sign Language.
Can I learn Auslan using only this site?
The site says it is not designed as a stand-alone learning tool and recommends interacting with Auslan users or attending a course.
Can I suggest a missing sign or correction?
Yes. Visitors can suggest corrections and additions or report missing signs. Accepted additions can receive further community feedback.
What license does it use?
The site states that Auslan Signbank is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Facts from Auslan Signbank's own pages
- Community feedback
- Users can suggest corrections and additions or report a missing sign, and accepted additions can receive further community feedback. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Content contributors
- The site says it is updated with information contributed by the Deaf community or derived from annotations in the Auslan Corpus. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Corpus connection
- Signbank links to the Expanded Auslan Corpus so users can view signs used by different people in sentences and contexts. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Corpus scope
- The site reports that the Expanded Auslan Corpus annotation files cover 357 movie clips, with annotations being added over time. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Dialect
- A dialect setting controls the order of signs shown for keyword matches, putting the preferred dialect first when multiple signs match. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Dictionary search
- Users can search by an English keyword or its first few letters, browse keywords alphabetically, and limit results by topic category. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Feedback limits
- The site says it does not acknowledge receipt of comments or answer specific Auslan questions, and it cannot offer individual technical support. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Health vocabulary
- Users can restrict sign searches to health-related signs; health and medical terms without a commonly used sign may have an Auslan video explanation. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- History
- The acknowledgements page says the first internet version of the multimedia dictionary launched in 2004 and that the current site is an expanded multimedia edition. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Learning limit
- Signbank says it is not designed to be a stand-alone language learning tool and recommends interacting with Auslan users or attending a course. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- License
- The site states that Auslan Signbank is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Auslan Signbank is a language resources site for Australian Sign Language, with a dictionary and information about the Australian Deaf community. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
- Sign videos
- The site includes videos of Deaf people using listed Auslan signs. · auslan.org.au, 7 Oct 2026
Where Auslan Signbank stands on Freedom251
- Sign Language Apps#9 of 34