Bowne Global Solutions Contracts with International Rescue Committee t

NEW YORK, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 African refugees, who fled their homeland for Baltimore, are being provided with interpreters funded by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help them secure basic human services, under a new contract today with Bowne Global Solutions (BGS).

BGS, the world's largest interpretation and translation company, announced an open-ended pay-by-the-minute contract with the IRC's Baltimore/Washington Regional Office. Under the contract, BGS is providing on-call, qualified Bantu interpreters to assist IRC caseworkers as they help the resettled refugees adjust to life in America and deal with the intricacies of shopping for food, obtaining medical care, applying for a Social Security card and finding employment.

Often called Africa's Lost Tribe, the Bantu were forced to abandon their homes during the chaos of the 1991 Somali Civil War. They fled, many on foot, to refugee camps in Kenya until 12,000 Bantu were allowed to resettle in the United States. Over 200 are being resettled in Baltimore as part of the national effort.

BGS's industry-leading language services will be available to the Baltimore Bantu for several months as they take jobs, develop career skills, attend school and begin their new lives as they achieve self-sufficiency.

Suzy Cop, Regional Resettlement Director for the IRC's Baltimore/Washington Region says, "Oral interpretation is a crucial part of helping the Bantus understand and adjust to their complicated new lives." Cop adds that "we're delighted that when a client has a question about their bills or their children's school, a BGS interpreter is there at a moment's notice to make sure their questions are not lost in translation."

Peter Coddington, Director of Federal Sales, says, "BGS believes strongly that breaking down language barriers between nationalities promotes understanding and eases the pain of culture shock. BGS is honored to help the IRC carry out their government-mandated mission to make sure that the Lost Tribe does not also get lost in translation."

About International Rescue Committee

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation, protection, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression.

At work in 25 countries, the IRC delivers lifesaving aid in emergencies, rebuilds shattered communities, cares for war-traumatized children, rehabilitates health care, water and sanitation systems, reunites separated families, restores lost livelihoods, establishes schools, trains teachers, strengthens the capacity of local organizations and supports civil society and good-governance initiatives.

For refugees afforded sanctuary in the United States, IRC offices across the country provide a range of assistance aimed at helping new arrivals get settled, adjust and acquire the skills to become self-sufficient.

Committed to restoring dignity and self-reliance, the IRC is a global symbol of hope and renewal for those who have taken flight in search of freedom.

About Bowne Global Solutions

Bowne Global Solutions (BGS) is one of the world's leading providers of multilingual solutions for Products & Documents, Marketing & Communications, Regulatory Compliance, Training & e-Learning and Globalization Strategy. With employees in 24 countries, BGS is ideally positioned to help companies adapt their products and communications to reflect the unique linguistic and cultural characteristics of their target markets worldwide. Supported by proven project management methods and innovative technologies, including the Elcano(TM) translation portal, clients have come to rely on the BGS team for all of their translation, localization, technical publication and interpretation needs. For more information, visit http://www.bowneglobal.com/.

Bowne Global Solutions is a business unit of Bowne & Co., Inc. . Bowne & Co., founded in 1775, is a global leader in providing high-value solutions that empower our clients' communications. In addition to BGS, Bowne & Co. includes:

* Bowne Financial Print: The world's largest financial printer and leading EDGAR filer, specializing in the creation, management, translation and distribution of regulatory and compliance documents. * Bowne Enterprise Solutions: Digital composition, print, delivery, and fulfillment of customized and personalized communications designed to enable companies to more-effectively target customers to increase market leadership. * Bowne Litigation Solutions: Consulting, electronic discovery and software solutions, including DecisionQuest(R), the nation's largest trial research firm, bring our clients fresh perspective resulting in better informed choices about strategies and tactics at every step in the litigation process.

Bowne & Co. combines these capabilities with superior customer service, new technologies, confidentiality and integrity to manage, repurpose and distribute a client's information to any audience, through any medium, in any language, anywhere in the world. For more information, visit us at http://www.bowne.com/.