Bowne Global Solutions and Idiom Partner to Deliver Web Globalization.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aug. 17, 1999-

Strategic partnership brings together industry leaders, combines the best software, consulting, localization and translation solutions

for building global Web sites

Bowne Global Solutions, the leading provider of professional localization services, and Idiom Technologies, the premier provider of Web globalization technology solutions, today signed a partnership agreement to help companies globalize Web sites, allowing mutual customers to pursue global markets in almost any language and locale. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

This partnership combines Idiom's industry leading WorldServer software and professional services with the multilingual localization services of Bowne Global Solutions. Together, Idiom and Bowne Global Solutions will allow businesses to rapidly deploy and efficiently manage high-quality global Web sites while adapting and translating products and services to the local customs, cultures, legal systems and languages of markets worldwide.

Market analyst Forrester Research reports that business Web users are three times more likely to buy when addressed in their own language. Companies that deliver their Web sites to a target audience in their native language while taking cultural, currency, and other local issues into consideration will see increased revenue, optimized brand presence, and improved customer loyalty.

"Partnering with Idiom gives our customers access to a comprehensive solution for developing and maintaining global Web sites," said Bob Myers, executive vice president of Bowne Global Solutions. "Idiom WorldServer provides a robust framework for managing the entire process required for Web globalization."

"Bowne's localization experts work at company-owned, in-country production locations around the world, using the same tools and procedures with coordinated professional project management to deliver globally-consistent quality," said Eric Silberstein, founder and chief executive officer of Idiom Technologies. "Partnering that human expertise with our WorldServer solution gives our customers both the resources and the technology needed to create and manage international Web sites that extend their domestic sites' quality and function to the global customer."

The Idiom Solution

Idiom WorldServer manages the complexity of dealing with many languages and countries and enables a global framework for collaboration among managers, editors and translators. Currently deployed by companies such as Lycos and Chipshot.com, WorldServer integrates into existing site architectures and provides a platform for effective ongoing globalization. Idiom's professional services builds on top of the WorldServer platform to support the successful implementation of global Web sites.

About the Companies

Bowne Global Solutions, www.bowneglobal.com, is the industry leading provider of product localization, content creation and management services to software developers, hardware manufacturers, entertainment publishers and other information technology companies worldwide. With headquarters in Los Angeles and production facilities in every major language center around the globe, 700+ localization professionals at Bowne Global Solutions deliver essential services that enable technology industry leaders to conduct global commerce with their international customers.

Bowne Global Solutions is a business unit of Bowne & Co., Inc. (NYSE: BNE). Bowne & Co., www.bowne.com, established in 1775, is the global market leader in the field of empowering information by combining superior customer service with appropriate new technologies to manage, repurpose and distribute a client's information to any audience, through any medium, in any language, anywhere in the world. The world's largest financial printer, Bowne is also the leading provider of localization services to the software industry, and among the leading Internet development companies, providers of outsourcing services, legal software and digital print-on-demand solutions.

Idiom Technologies, www.idiomtech.com, is the world's first end-to-end provider of Web globalization solutions. Idiom enables companies to tailor Web sites linguistically and geographically. WorldServer, Idiom's flagship product, allows businesses to rapidly deploy and efficiently manage high-quality global Web sites. Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Idiom was founded in January 1998 by a team of Harvard alumni led by CEO Eric Silberstein. Idiom's management team combines a knowledge of cultural and linguistic issues with wealth of experience in business, globalization, technology and services from Microsoft, Oracle, Avid, and Internet startups. Idiom Technologies is funded by Greylock, North Bridge Venture Partners, and Sigma Partners. For information, call [phone] or email [e-mail].

WorldServer is a trademark of Idiom Technologies. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All rights reserved.