Nuance and Acapela Group Team to Offer International Language Text-to-Speech Software for European Customers

Business Wire, Feb 24, 2005

MENLO PARK, Calif. & MONS, Belgium -- Acapela-Nuance Combination Supports 23 Languages, Accelerating Voice Automation Uptake in Expanding European Market

Nuance (Nasdaq:NUAN), the voice automation expert, and Acapela Group, a Belgium-based European leader in speech solutions, today announced the two companies are teaming to extend their collective reach in the European voice market. Nuance and Acapela are joining forces with their technology to offer customers the best in Nuance's proven voice automation solutions and Acapela's international language text-to-speech (TTS) software. With TTS, companies can deliver text-based, frequently changing information over the telephone with a natural sounding voice. It is ideal for directory assistance applications, e-mail reading, account updates, order management and other dynamic content.

"As the number one supplier of TTS to the European, Middle East and Nordic markets, Acapela is committed to providing the best speech technologies to power today's speech-enabled world," said Vincent Fontaine, CEO, Acapela Group. "By teaming with Nuance, our joint customers will have access to the industry's best speech recognition and international TTS software. And that makes sense in any language."

Nuance will continue to offer Nuance Vocalizer TTS, currently available in U.S., U.K. and Australian English, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Spanish, with German available shortly. Nuance will resell Acapela's Telecom TTS software in 23 languages, including French, Dutch, European Spanish, Italian and Swedish. Acapela has made its TTS engine fully compatible with Nuance Vocalizer TTS and the Nuance Vocalizer Integration Framework. By offering Acapela's TTS, in addition to Nuance Vocalizer, Nuance will provide its customers with speech solutions that encompass broader voice and language options. In addition, the Nuance-Acapela TTS relationship provides seamless integration between Acapela's text-to-speech engine and Nuance Voice Platform 3.0, Nuance 8.5 speech recognition and Nuance Verifier 3.5 voice authentication software, making sophisticated speech applications easy to create and scalable.

"Acapela Group is a true global resource of speech technology skills and talent," said Chuck Berger, President and CEO, Nuance. "By working with Acapela, Nuance will provide customers and partners access to comprehensive, multi-lingual TTS -- as well as Nuance's customer-proven voice automation software -- which makes for a winning combination worldwide."

About Nuance

In an era where a focus on the customer is essential to business success, Nuance provides leading companies with voice-automation solutions that enable both an outstanding customer experience and corporate cost efficiency. Nuance is a leader in the voice automation market, providing software and solutions to more than 1,000 companies worldwide. Clients include Avon, British Airways, Nomura Securities, OnStar, Sprint PCS, United Parcel Service, Vodafone and Wells Fargo. Nuance (Nasdaq:NUAN) is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., and has offices around the world. For more information, visit www.nuance.com or call 1-888-NUANCE-8.

About Acapela

Acapela Group is the 1st European Speech Group. Entirely dedicated to developing and deploying natural language interfaces, Acapela enables customers to create new ways of conversing and interacting with end-users through speech-enabled revenue-generating applications. Our multilingual speech solutions are available in 23 languages, with a wide range of voices. Acapela Group speech solutions have already been deployed in many services and applications allowing speech enabled voice portals, unified messaging services, CRM and contact centers, talking web, interactive games, edutainment software, e-learning tools, public address, assistive tools for the disabled, navigation aid, embedded systems, and much more. Acapela is presently the No. 1 supplier of vocal technologies to the European, Middle East and Nordic markets. www.acapela-group.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to Nuance, including, for example, those relating to benefits attainable by using speech products. There is no assurance that the results contemplated by any forward-looking statements will be realized. The following factors, risks and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or implied in this press release's forward-looking statements: the risk that Nuance's speech products will be accepted in various marketplaces, or not achieve anticipated benefits, development ease, scalability, customer satisfaction or cost savings in some or all circumstances; and other factors described in Nuance's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Nuance's last-filed Report on Form 10-Q. Nuance does not undertake to update any oral or written forward-looking statements that may be made by or on behalf of Nuance.