The OASIS international standards consortium has launched the XML.org Focus Area on Localisation (http://localisation.xml.org) to provide domain-specific content on XML standards. The site has been developed in cooperation with the Localisation Research Centre, Europe's information, research and educational institute for the linguistic and cultural adaptation of software.

Localisation becomes the latest addition to a growing series of XML.org Focus Areas. Each XML.org Focus Area covers news, standards and initiatives, vendors, consortia, trade associations, government agencies and implementers, events and resources germane to each specific industry sector.

The XML.org Focus Area on Localisation will also serve as an access point to related information on the OASIS-hosted Cover Pages (http://xml.coverpages.org), a comprehensive public resource for information on XML and related technical standards for the structured information community.

MultiCorpora R&D Inc., a provider of translation support software and language management solutions, has secured $2 million in funding. The company's financing was provided by the Canadian Science and Technology Growth Fund, which is managed by Fullarton Capital Corporation, and existing investor Fonds Regional de Solidarite FTQ Outaouais. Fullarton Capital Corporation partner Richard Charlebois will join the company's board of directors.

MultiCorpora delivers technology that enables translators and language professionals to reference and recycle previously translated text. Client-server and Web capabilities allow authors, translators, terminologists, reviewers and content readers to access and share centralised linguistic assets.

The latest funding will enable MultiCorpora to increase its capacity to develop, sell and deliver language management solutions to its growing global customer base.

TRADOS, Inc., a globalisation solutions provider, is strengthening its executive management team with the appointment of William Seawick as chief marketing officer and James Budge as chief financial officer. The two appointments follow another year of growth, in which the company doubled its enterprise customer base and grew its worldwide revenues by 25 percent.

Seawick brings to TRADOS more than 20 years of executive marketing and business development experience at such companies as Apple, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Ernst & Young/Kanisa, Blaze Software and Blue Pumpkin. Seawick holds an MBA from Cornell University.

Budge brings to TRADOS extensive experience in the financial growth of a number of companies. Budge holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Brigham Young University.

The Microsoft Global Development and Deployment Conference (GDDC) will be held from February 18-20, 2004, at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, Washington. GDDC is the first Microsoft conference dedicated to the development and deployment of international solutions using Microsoft technologies. Conference sessions will cover the development of international solutions using .NET, Win32 and Web technologies; localisation of these solutions; and the deployment of multilingual solutions using various Microsoft products such as Windows, Office, SQL Server and Content Management Server.

Rubric records growth in 2003

Rubric, a localisation, translation and testing services provider, has announced strong results for fiscal 2003 -- which ended on November 30, 2003 -- with a record number of new customer wins in the face of a difficult economic climate. For the ninth consecutive year, Rubric achieved profitability by winning new business and expanding its relationship with existing customers. Rubric's North American bookings in the fourth quarter were an 80% increase over the prior year's fourth quarter.

Rubric attributes its strong results to maintaining a focus on customer service, supporting increased demand for its software testing services and adding new technology and medical customers to the company's client base over the past year. During the year, Rubric expanded both the number of corporate offices as well as the company's global network of specialist resources. Rubric will be adding an additional project management office in the United States in the first quarter of 2004.

Welocalize, a provider of integrated globalisation services including consulting, engineering, localisation and testing, has reported that it has maintained its record growth trend. The company recorded both revenue and earnings gains over 2002, with revenue up 43%. The company is privately held and does not release revenue or earnings figures.