Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. and TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.) to Sponsor Worldwide English as a Foreign/Additional Language Spelling Tournament

BURLINGTON, N.J. and ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. AMEX: FEP, inventor of the Spelling Ace(R) spell corrector and the worldwide leader in electronic spelling, dictionary, and language learning products, and TESOL announced today the first annual English as a Foreign/Additional Language Spelling Tournament for students fifteen years old and under who are learning English in selected countries outside of the United States. Next spring preliminary rounds in up to eight initial participating countries will be conducted to determine the participants for the final round of the Tournament scheduled to be held in August 2009 in New York City.

Franklin and TESOL, the global association for English language teaching professionals headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, have entered into an agreement whereby TESOL will support Franklin in administering this global spelling competition. TESOL, will lend its expertise in the participating countries through its worldwide network of affiliates, including the staging of preliminary events in those countries. Winners of the global spelling competition will receive scholarships to further their education.

Charles S. Amorosino, Jr., TESOL's Executive Director, said "Franklin has a high reputation for being a leader in language learning technology. TESOL is pleased to be working with Franklin in this global spelling competition to advance English language education globally."

"For over twenty years since we invented the Spelling Ace(R) handheld, Franklin's products have helped a generation of youngsters with the thorny problem of spelling English words. With non-native English speaking learners exceeding native speakers, this project is a natural extension of what we do at Franklin, and awarding varying college scholarships to the finalists is our way of 'giving back'. With the youth of the world learning English outside of the United States and the Commonwealth countries, at an earlier and earlier age, this competition will bring excitement and fun to the learning process. We are fortunate to have forged a strong working relationship with TESOL, the preeminent global association for English language teaching," said Barry J. Lipsky, President and CEO.

About Franklin

Franklin Electronic Publishers Incorporated AMEX: FEP is a world leader in electronic handheld information, having sold more than 39,000,000 electronic books since 1986. Current titles available directly or through partners number more than 40,000 in sixteen languages under license from world class publishers, such as Merriam-Webster and HarperCollins, focused in five genres: Learning, Language Learning, Travel, Spiritual, and Leisure. The Company also licenses its underlying technology to an array of partners including Adobe, Sun Microsystems and Ademco (a division of Honeywell). Franklin distributes ROLODEX(R) Electronics branded organizers worldwide and SEIKO branded reference products in North and South America, Australia and the European Community. Franklin's products are available at 45,000 retail outlets worldwide, through catalogs, and online at http://www.franklin.com .

ROLODEX(R) is a registered trademark of Berol Corporation, a subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid Inc. SEIKO is a registered trademark of SEIKO Corporation.

About TESOL

Incorporated in 1966, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), is a global association for English language teaching professionals headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. TESOL encompasses a network of approximately 60,000 educators worldwide, consisting of more than 14,000 individual members and an additional 45,000 educators within the 100 plus TESOL affiliate associations. Representing a multifaceted academic discipline and profession, TESOL offers members serial publications, books, and electronic resources on current issues, ideas, and opportunities in the field of English language teaching. TESOL also conducts a variety of workshops and symposia, including an annual convention, regarded as the foremost professional development opportunity for English language educators worldwide. TESOL's mission is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to speakers of other languages.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed throughout this release, including, but not limited to, those that are stated as Franklin's belief or expectation or preceded by the word "should" are forward looking statements that involve risks to and uncertainties in Franklin's business, including, among other things, the timely availability and acceptance of new electronic products and other risks and uncertainties that may be detailed from time to time in Franklin's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.