TYSONS CORNER, Va.-June 19, 2000- Multicity.com™, the only open, global network offering multilingual communications tools and interactive distribution channels for Web-enabled products and services, today announced that it is incorporating instant translation technology from SYSTRAN within its free and easy-to-use chat room tool. This groundbreaking technology can be used to learn new languages as well as to help businesses market, sell and service their products to an international, non-English speaking audience.

Multicity's new instant translation capability will enable users to instantly translate text into six languages, covering a significant portion of the Western languages spoken around the world. This new instant translation functionality immediately translates chat room text conversations into English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, with Japanese and Korean soon to be added. This technology enables users to view messages in their native languages and communicate multilingually.

Both recreational and professional Webmasters can use the instant translation tool without downloading or installing any software. Chat room participants can select the language of their choice, post a message in their native tongue and instantly view the same message translated into a different language. Multiple users speaking different languages can communicate simultaneously. It also is expected to have widespread business applications. For example, companies can use Multicity's chat room instant translation product to conduct an online multilingual focus group or a customer service session-either one-on-one or with a group.

"With more than 70 countries already using our products everyday, Multicity.com is enabling the world to be a part of the World Wide Web," said Alain Hanash, CEO, co-founder and Multicity.com Mayor. "At any time, you can access our network and find thousands of people chatting from dozens of different countries in a variety of languages." Hanash added, "By the year 2003, 60 percent of Internet users are expected to be non-English speaking. Multicity's cutting edge, multilingual Web-enabled products will empower these people to communicate."

"This should prove very useful to multinational activities of all kinds. A major hurdle to using the World Wide Web worldwide has been eliminated for a popular and low-cost Internet-based form of communication," said Dana Gardner, research director for messaging and directory services at Aberdeen Group in Boston. "Online data-based communications have surmounted the proverbial Tower of Babel with this near-instant translation service for online chat. It's only a matter of time before this capability spreads to more kinds of Internet communications."

State-of-the-Art Instant Translation Tool
Multicity's state-of-the-art instant translation tool is powered by SYSTRAN, the leading global provider of translation software products. Accessing a 2.5 million-word dictionary, this tool translates sentences at 3,700 words per minute with 75 percent accuracy.

"Partnering with SYSTRAN reflects our commitment to provide the very best communications tools for our global network users," commented Hanash.

"We are proud that Multicity is the first company to use SYSTRAN's instant translation technology for real-time textual conversations," said Laurent Pontegnier, vice president of Business Development for SYSTRAN Software, Inc. "Our collaborative relationship with Multicity will bring an unprecedented level of multilingual capabilities to Internet-based communication."

Multicity.com's nNetwork
The power of the instant translation technology lies with its potential for exponential growth around the world through Multicity's nNetwork. The nNetwork is a decentralized, open multilingual network of interconnected Web sites that can be accessed through multiple points of entry using both Web browsers and wireless devices. The "n" represents the exponential expansion capability of Multicity's network through the growth in number and interconnectivity of its Web sites. Through these unique network characteristics, instant translation for chat rooms offers everyone--from small Web sites to large corporate portals--a way to increase site traffic locally as well as from around the world.

About SYSTRAN
SYSTRAN develops and markets the world's most scalable translation software architecture designed for individual, corporate and Internet use. SYSTRAN's core technology features products for the Internet infrastructure that contribute towards promoting communication in more than 30 language combinations and 20 specialized domains. SYSTRAN has been a leader in machine translation technology and applications for more than 30 years, developing products for the U.S. intelligence community, the European Union and Fortune 500 companies, including Xerox Corporation, Ford Motor Company and Dow Corning Corporation. Headquartered in France, SYSTRAN has offices in Paris, La Jolla, California, and in Luxembourg. For the latest information, visit SYSTRAN at www.systransoft.com.

About Multicity.com
Based in Tysons Corner, Va., Multicity.com has built the only open, global branded network providing individuals and businesses around the world with multilingual communications tools and interactive distribution channels for Web-enabled products and services. Multicity's multiple language product suite includes chat rooms, voting booths, automatic user profiling, message boards, instant translation and instant messaging, all of which are available for use in a growing number of languages. Multicity received $15-million in venture capital funding in January 2000. Learn more about Multicity.com by visiting: www.multicity.com. Multicity.com and Multicity are registered trademarks of Multicity.com. SYSTRAN is a registered trademark of the Systran Group. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.