Sorry folks, don't mean to change the subject (LOL), but I thought I throw in this article on MSFT from Bloomberg. At some point maybe we could have a conversation about the effects of this "localization" on MSN <vbg>!
MICROSOFT AWARDS L&H NEW CONTRACTS FOR LOCALIZATION
Underscores L&H's Leadership in Localization Industry
Business/Technology Editors
IEPER, Belgium and BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 2, 1999--
Agreement Builds on Long-Standing Relationship with Microsoft;
Multi-million Dollar Contract Includes MSN, Encarta Encyclopedia
Localization Projects, Games, MS Works and MS Money
Lernout & Hauspie, (NASDAQ:LHSP, Easdaq:LHSP) (L&H(TM)) today announced that Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) has awarded it a new multimillion dollar contract. The new contract entails continuing localization work on projects including, Microsoft(R) Encarta Encyclopedia(TM) in multiple languages, Microsoft(R) Network (MSN), Games, Microsoft(R) Works and Microsoft(R) Money. The award of the additional contract strengthens L&H's relationship with Microsoft and points to its expanding leadership position in the localization industry. Microsoft awarded the contract to L&H, a worldwide market leader in speech and linguistic technologies, products and services, based on their longstanding working relationship and the successful completion of various projects. Most recently L&H completed the localization of Microsoft(R) Encarta Encyclopedia 99(TM) Standard and Deluxe versions into French. "We are confident in L&H's longstanding linguistic expertise and resources needed to successfully localize products such as Encarta, MSN, Microsoft Works and Microsoft Money," said Anil Singh-Molares, director of vendor relations at Microsoft. "These strengths are readily apparent in L&H's reliable, cost-effective and timely completion of other projects such as the localization of Encarta '99 into French. We feel confident these same qualities will make our future projects with L&H successful." "Receipt of this contract from Microsoft re-affirms the leadership role L&H has established in the localization industry as well as the productive, long-standing relationship that we have with Microsoft," said Florita Mendez, president of L&H's speech and language consulting and services division.
Highlights of the new contract include ongoing localization of Encarta, and localization of all Microsoft games; as well as Microsoft(R) Works; and Microsoft(R) Money 2000, all in various languages.
Software and Encarta Localization
The contract also calls for L&H to continue localization of Microsoft's Encarta Deluxe and Standard Encyclopedias. The Localization project, which adapts the product and its messages to the local culture, language and market, will include both CD ROM and Internet versions of Encarta as well as all its supporting materials, such as manuals and on-line help. L&H will also conduct localization testing for various language versions of Encarta(R) World Atlas(TM), and continue to localize MSN, Encarta Encyclopedia(TM), Autoroute Express, Encarta World Atlas(TM), Microsoft(R) Money and Microsoft(R) Works into various European languages.
Microsoft Network Localization
Additionally, L&H signed an agreement with Microsoft's Commerce and Consumer Group (CCG) to localize products and services offered from the MSN homepage. Currently, all users of Internet Explorer v5.0 are automatically connected to the MSN homepage for their country. From this site users have access services such as Hotmail, Search, Communities and Web Directory as well as client applications including Outlook Express (now at version 5.01) and Messenger. L&H will continue to localize these products and services in multiple languages including, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, French (for French, Swiss and Belgium markets), Dutch, Italian, Brazilian-Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Russian to cover the main markets around the globe. In addition, some of the products and services continue to be localized into Catalan, Basque, Greek, Turkish and Portuguese.
Games Localization
L&H will also localize the majority of Microsoft's games, including the popular Flight Simulator 2000, manuals, on-line help and on-line messages into French, German, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian languages. Microsoft awarded L&H the contract following the six-month test period based on L&H's superior workflow design, localization quality and efficiencies resulting from its ability to handle multiple languages.
About Lernout & Hauspie
Lernout & Hauspie (L&H) is a global leader in advanced speech and language solutions for vertical markets, computers, automobiles, telecommunications, embedded products, consumer goods and the Internet. The company is making the speech user interface (SUI) the keystone of simple, convenient interaction between humans and technology, and is using advanced translation technology to break down language barriers. The company provides a wide range of offerings, including: customized solutions for corporations; core speech technologies marketed to OEMs; end user and retail applications for continuous speech products in horizontal and vertical markets; and document creation, human and machine translation services, Internet translation offerings, and linguistic tools.
L&H's products and services originate in four basic areas: automatic speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech (TTS), digital speech and music compression (SMC) and text-to-text (translation). For more information, please visit Lernout & Hauspie on the World Wide Web at www.lhs.com.
The Speech and Language Consulting and Services Division for L&H provides document creation, human and machine translation and localization services in almost any language. In addition to Internet and intranet translation, this division offers linguistic tools and services that help global companies create and adapt their products, technical information and corporate messages to international markets. The division applies L&H's advanced translation and linguistic technologies to more cost-effectively provide multilingual solutions to corporate customers competing in international markets.
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