ScanSoft Board of Directors Names Jeanne McCann an Executive Officer

Veteran of Software Engineering Management to Drive Speech and Language Research and Product Development

PEABODY, Mass., March 5, 2003 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced the promotion of Jeanne McCann to the position of Executive Officer. Ms. McCann will lead ScanSoft's global research and development efforts for its speech and language portfolio that includes Dragon NaturallySpeaking®, RealSpeak™, and ASR solutions, as well as the newly acquired SpeechPearl and VoCon solutions from the Philips Speech Processing Telephony and Voice Control businesses.

Ms. McCann joined ScanSoft as senior vice president of speech research and development in December 2001 as part of the Lernout & Hauspie acquisition, where she had been responsible for the product development of the Speech and Language Technologies division. Prior to L&H, she was head of product development for Dragon Systems. Ms. McCann brings an additional 20 years of experience in engineering management though positions with various divisions of Eastman Software, Wang Software and Wang.

"This appointment is a direct result of Jeanne's extraordinary efforts and, more importantly, her success at integrating the speech into ScanSoft's solutions portfolio, driving innovation among our technologies, and exceeding expectations in the business," said Paul Ricci, chairman and chief executive officer for ScanSoft. "She has proven to be a valuable addition to ScanSoft, bringing a distinguished background in engineering and speech technologies that represent a tremendous asset for the company."

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is a 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, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 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 holders.

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in ScanSoft's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward.

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