In the fast evolving World of AI, this Nigerian-UK startup is solving real World issues in communication. This comes as the AI research and product company just launched Talksign, a brand new AI tool that Converts Real-time Sign Language into Speech thereby enabling smooth communication for people with deaf and dumb disabilities.
Talksign is a brand new AI tool created by a Nigerian-UK based AI research and product company, and it does something pretty amazing: it translates sign language into speech and text.
According to the company, this tool can convert American Sign Language (ASL) into speech and text in under 100 milliseconds. That’s faster than a blink. You sign, and almost instantly, the words appear or are spoken out loud. No delay, no confusion, just smooth communication.
Picture showing Co-founder Edidiong Ekong with Talksign-1 Artificial Intelligent Sign to Speech converting device – Getty Images
Talksign-1 apart from its speed, is designed to work offline, a foundational decision that could redefine accessibility for millions of deaf people across Africa, where internet access remains unreliable or unaffordable.
Talksign was founded in November 2025 by two incredible people: Edidiong Ekong and AI engineer Kazi Mahathir Rahman. A Nigerian founder and a brilliant AI engineer coming together to solve a real human problem.
Co-Founded by a serial entrepreneur who has contributed to products at Fireflies.ai and Boomplay, Ekong’s relationship with sign language began in childhood.
“I was a native [signer] at 9 years old,” he told Condia.
Growing up with three deaf friends in Nigeria gave him an understanding of communication barriers in a resource-constrained environment and fueled an innovation that Google’s SignGemma, for all its power, has yet to fully address.
Talksign doesn’t just work one way. The tool is bidirectional, meaning it works both ways. You can sign in to a webcam, and it translates to speech or text. You can also speak or type, and it converts your words into sign language. It currently recognises 250 ASL signs, which is a solid foundation and will likely keep growing.
The Story behind why Talksign was Built
Founder Edidiong Ekong in an interview with condia shared that the inspiration came from his own personal experience back in Nigeria. He had a group of friends: three of them were deaf, and he constantly felt left out of their conversations. Instead of ignoring that feeling, he did something about it. He decided to learn American Sign Language at the age of 9. That simple act of wanting to truly connect with his friends planted the seed for what would eventually become Talksign.
Picture showing Talksign Co-founders AI engineer Kazi Mahathir Rahman (Left) and Edidiong Ekong (Right) – Photo Credit: Condia
How Talksign AI Works
Talksign-1, uses artificial intelligence and on-device processing tha extracts the 3D coordinates of your hand and body joints, via a tiny stream of data model that translates sign language in real time voice speech.
Talksign-1’s on-device processing extracts just the 3D coordinates of your hand and body joints, a tiny stream of data. This skeleton data is then used for translation, consuming significantly less data than traditional cloud-AI models.
Most video-based AI systems rely on a cloud-first architecture: raw footage is streamed to remote servers, where powerful GPUs process and interpret the data. But in markets like Nigeria, and much of the Global South, this model quickly breaks down as high data costs, unstable connections, and latency make continuous video streaming impractical.
Instead of sending the video to the cloud, Talksign-1 processes key motion data directly on the user’s device, using a technique known as ‘landmark extraction’ in the browser.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Rather than transmitting full video frames, the system identifies and tracks critical points and converts them into lightweight data that can be interpreted locally. The result is faster performance, lower data usage, and, crucially, offline capability.
Imagine your hand signing a word. Instead of uploading a heavy video file, Talksign-1’s on-device processing extracts just the 3D coordinates of your hand and body joints, a tiny stream of data. This skeleton data is then used for translation, consuming significantly less data than traditional cloud-AI models.
Since the heavy lifting happens on your device, the system remains responsive even with intermittent internet, aiming for sub-100ms latency. Raw video never leaves the user’s device, an important consideration for privacy-conscious users globally.
Talksign’s New Systems feature highly Specific Capabilities:
Talksign’s assistive technology aims to bridge the communication gap for the millions of people worldwide with hearing loss who use sign language as their primary mode of communication. The startup identifies immediate use cases for the tools in education, healthcare, and public spaces.
Palm 1.0: Translates live, continuous ASL into text or speech using webcam input in fractions of a second.
Echo 1.0: Renders spoken or typed language into photorealistic ASL video with lifelike digital avatars and minimal delay
What Next for the Future of Talksign?
The current version of Talksign-1 supports both online and offline modes. Edidiong Ekong hints that a fully local, server-independent experience is imminent, spearheaded by a forthcoming smart glasses.
Picture Showing Talksign AI Powered Sign to Speech Glasses – Photo Credit: Condia
“The solution would be hard to adopt in Africa without the offline move because of low connectivity and data issues,” Edidiong Ekong explained. “So for us, it’s a big part of our strategy.”
When asked about competing with behemoths like Google and its sign-language model, SignGemma, Ekong’s answer was pragmatic, yet confident: “We have the largest sign datasets across sign languages, plus our cross-platform integrations.”
Beyond Commerce, his Vision extends to Fundamental Human rights.
Talksign is currently self-funded, a rare feat for a startup with such ambitious technical goals. When asked if he’s comfortable spending his savings on the project, Ekong’s response is imbued with profound conviction: “Why not? For a good cause. I care about the problem, everyone working with us cares. That’s the biggest difference. We are not doing it because we want to look cool, but because this will change the future of accessible communication across sectors.”
“This means better education, better healthcare access, better legal access for 430 million-plus people who have been limited due to barriers,” he told Condia.
Hope on the Horizon for Millions of People with Hearing Loss
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 8.5 to 9 million people live with hearing impairment in Nigeria. Across the broader African continent, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that approximately 136 million people are living with hearing loss, a silent epidemic that continues to grow without adequate intervention.
Today in Africa, about 40 million people live with hearing loss in the African region, but the figure could rise to 54 million by 2030 if urgent measures are not take to address the problem.
Artificial Intelligent tools like Talksign-1 might hold the key to sustainable communication for people with hearing loss in Africa and around the world.
While many existing tools prioritize sign-to-text or sign-to-speech, Talksign-1 is built to be bidirectional. It can convert ASL into audible speech through a webcam and also converts spoken or typed words back into sign language video sequences, allowing the hearing individual to sign back via the AI.
Artificial Intelligent tools that solves basic human problems and crucial communication needs like Talksign-1 should be given the resources, sponsorship, promotion and financial backing to scale in Africa and Worldwide.
Leave a Reply