SpeechTime Selects Award-Winning ScanSoft RealSpeak for Voice-Controlled Information Systems

High-Quality Synthesized Speech Provides Access to Information Anywhere and Anytime

PEABODY, Mass., and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 23, 2002 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced that SpeechTime, a Swedish voice and Internet specialist, has selected ScanSoft® RealSpeak™ to create voice-controlled information services in Sweden. By calling a telephone number hosted by SpeechTime, a user can access information services 24-hours a day, including weather forecasts, stock quotes and traffic information.

ScanSoft's RealSpeak is the market-leading product for converting text into human-sounding synthesized speech. The technology is used for a wide range of applications, including delivering emails for unified messaging systems, providing prompts for interactive voice response (IVR) applications, and speech-enabling mobile, automotive, game and PC/multi-media applications. ScanSoft RealSpeak offers unmatched support for hardware systems, including Hitachi, Intel (Pentium, Strong ARM and XScale), MIPS and NEC, as well as operating systems, including Linux, Microsoft Windows and Windows CE, and Sun Solaris.

RealSpeak offers a single, standardized application programming interface (API) that enables the deployment of speech-enabled applications in 19 languages: US and UK English, German, French, Dutch & Belgian Dutch, Castilian and Mexican Spanish, Italian, European and Brazilian Portuguese, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Danish and Cantonese & Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

"Our in-house speech server platform offers highly competitive services in the areas of Voice Control and the mobile Internet. We just launched a new weather and a new traffic information service in Goteborg. Our customers such as Svenska Dagbladet, SMHI and Kiruna Forskningsturism want the most natural interface," said Hans Wahllöf, CEO at SpeechTime. "We have choosen ScanSoft RealSpeak text-to-speech because it provides us with the most natural-sounding speech and a long proven record within the industry."

"ScanSoft is pleased to provide the text-to-speech technologies behind this innovative offering, making important information more accessible to people on the road," said Peter Hauser, ScanSoft's senior vice president and general manager, International. "RealSpeak gives access to dynamic information sources and delivers natural-sounding content to users in any location on any device."

About SpeechTime

SpeechTime is specialized in the area of voice-controlled services since early 2000. The company develops and provides voice-controlled information services by phone. These services are at the crossroads of three rapidly growing fields. SpeechTime is Sweden's leading developer and provider of voice-controlled information services. The company offers operation, maintenance, support and development. SpeechTime is constantly upgrading Speechserver, its in-house systems platform, to ensure state-of-the-art performance.

About ScanSoft

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is the leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes - saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service. For more information regarding ScanSoft® products and technologies, please visit www.ScanSoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft and RealSpeak are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company names or product names referenced herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

The Company notes that the statements in this release that relate to future plans, events, performance, including, without limitation, the projected shipment dates and customers' opting to upgrade to newer or more fully featured products, are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market acceptance, engineering delays, quality assurance testing delays, contractual negotiations, successful completion of beta site testing, the scheduling of orders, changes in operating systems, a significant change in the competitive environment, timely delivery by component suppliers and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. Readers are cautioned not to place undo reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

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