MT News International no.18 - Machine Translation Archive

last two years. Although I shall no longer be editor, it is my hope that I can continue to write
contributions of various kinds to future issues of the newsletter. I wish my successor every
success in the continuation of a publication which has, I believe, not only established itself
as the principal forum for the International Association for Machine Translation but which is
now also seen as a major source of information about contemporary developments in
machine translation and computer-aided translation systems throughout the world.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE NEWS
Microsoft to Acquire a 20 Percent Share in TRADOS
John Hutchins
September 1997
[Press release]
REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 9 -- Microsoft Corporation today announced it plans to acquire
a 20 percent minority share of TRADOS GmbH, of Stuttgart, Germany, in a move
designed to accelerate the delivery of localized software products.
TRADOS products are utilized extensively by the software industry to create
foreign-language "localized" software products. Microsoft ships its products in more than
30 languages, and the investment in TRADOS reflects a commitment to quickly and
efficiently deliver localized products internationally.
"Investing in TRADOS technology will secure our ability to produce high-quality
localized products in the most cost-effective manner," said Franz Rau, director of internal
tools at Microsoft. "This investment will allow us to work with TRADOS to keep in step
with Microsoft's evolving needs."
Microsoft plans to use TRADOS software as its internal localization memory
store. This will allow Microsoft to more effectively reuse already localized text from
product to product. The minority share in TRADOS further solidifies the relationship
between the two companies. As part of the agreement, Microsoft has also signed a longterm
support-and-development contract to service Microsoft-specific needs. TRADOS
expects this move will enable it to step up the pace for new product development.
"Our relationship with Microsoft will allow TRADOS to consolidate and expand
its position as a worldwide leader in translation tools," said Iko Knyphausen, CEO of
TRADOS.
"Having the benefit of a strong investor is important to us at this stage of the
development of the company," said Jochen Hummel, president of TRADOS. "We'll be
able to take advantage of Microsoft's experience and keep up our 100 percent growth rate
of the past three years."
For more information, visit http://www.trados.com/, or call TRADOS Corp. in the
United States at 703-683-6900. In Europe, call TRADOS GmbH at 49-711-168-770.