Letter from the Editor

In today’s business climate, competing in the global market is more important than ever. Companies are finding that this is truly a world of opportunity for those who can deliver reliable, cost effective products and services to any corner of the globe.

Of course, for the speech technology industry, where the product’s impact on the end user relates directly to language, developing "world" products presents serious challenges. Two stories in this issue deal with multi-language applications. In Going International with Speech Applications, Walt Nawrocki discusses the merits of single language vs. simultaneous multiple language development. And in Around the World with Voice Response, Kelly Lumpkin argues that multilingual speech recognition offers advantages for companies expanding customer service delivery in international markets.

Another theme of this issue is the increasing importance of speech technology in the financial services industry. Elizabeth Boyle describes in Why Your Banks Needs to Hear Your Voice, how banks are making use of voice identification to provide faster, more secure service. Voice ID will be the topic of a regular column, launched in this issue, by renown speech authority, Judith Markowitz.

Besides your local bank, Wall Street is also finding speech technology useful. Several executives from firms providing Wall Street with speech recognition provide their insights into the challenges posed by this hectic, lucrative market. Speech has also caused some excitement on Wall Street, with the recent acquisition of Kurzweil by Lernout and Hauspie, making LandH one of the leading players in the dictation systems market in North America.

Details on the merger, as well as the upcoming SpeechTEK are inside the magazine. Don’t forget to start planning for SpeeckTEK, Sept. 30-Oct 1 in New York City.

Do you have news about a speech technology product, story, or idea? Contact:

Brian Lewis, Editor
Speech Technology Magazine
CI Publishing
43 Danbury Road
Wilton, CT 06897
email: speechmag@aol.com