MadCap Software and across Systems Partner to Integrate State-of-the-Art Content Creation and Translation

SAN DIEGO/KARLSBAD – May 16, 2007 MadCap Software — the leader in multi-channel content authoring and a Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Visual Studio 2005 showcase company — and across Systems — a spin-off of Nero AG — today announced a strategic partnership to combine state-of-the-art technical content creation with highly advanced translation and localization. Through integrated software from MadCap and across, technical documentation professionals will be able to publish best-in-class multilingual user manuals, online Help systems, and other corporate content for the international market — all from a single source. The agreement is being announced in conjunction with the Society for Technical Communications’ 54th Annual Conference, running May 13-16, 2007 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN.

MadCap provides the first native XML software for creating multi-channel publishing, including its flagship product Flare for delivering context-sensitive online Help and print documentation — now in use by more than 1,000 companies — and Blaze, MadCap’s answer to Adobe FrameMaker for publishing large documents, which will be launched later this year. At the STC Conference, MadCap will also announce MadCap Lingo —- the first truly XML based, fully integrated Help authoring tool and translation environment. MadCap Lingo offers an easy-to-use interface, complete Unicode support for all left-to-right languages and a rich list of industry-first features for assisting through localization tasks.

Through their strategic partnership, the two companies will enable seamless integration between Lingo, Flare and Blaze, and the across Language Server, a comprehensive corporate platform for the entire translation process. Providing a centralized translation memory and terminology system, it serves to control the whole translation workflow, and to network all corresponding systems and persons involved. From the project manager up to the translator and proofreader, all participants work in a consistent client/server-based work environment.

Through the integrated MadCap and across software, technical communications professionals will now have a seamless workflow, from content authoring, to translation and quality assurance, to the single-source publishing of multilingual content. The integration and multiple inputs supported by both firms means that enterprises will benefit from multilingual single-source publishing whether the processes are carried out in-house, in a foreign subsidiary, or by external service providers or freelancers.

As technology partners, MadCap and across will offer standard interfaces, which will provide the seamless exchange of content to be translated along with translation-oriented authoring while composing the source text. Both capabilities will considerably cut localization outlays while simultaneously increasing both content consistency and quality.

"The growth in commerce across international borders, globally distributed businesses, and outsourcing are all driving an increased demand for online Help and documentation that is localized for the needs of each region,” said MadCap CEO Anthony Olivier. “Through our strategic alliance with across, we will bring to technical communication professionals a new standard for delivering consistent, premium-quality Help content tailored for the markets they support.”

Niko Henschen, Managing Director of across, adds: "across defines itself as a platform which connects all persons involved in the translation workflow and allows the seamless integration of the translation workflow into all corporate processes. We are pleased that leading manufacturers such as MadCap avail oneself of these options, making an apparent value proposition to their customers.”

STC Conference & Expo

STC's 18,000 members include technical writers and editors, content developers, documentation specialists, technical illustrators, instructional designers, academics, information architects, usability and human factors professionals, visual designers, Web designers and developers, and translators - anyone whose work makes technical information available to those who need it. STC’s 54th Annual Conference is the primary source of learning for technical communicators! www.stc.org

About MadCap Software

MadCap Software, headquartered in San Diego, CA, is just a new name for a group of familiar faces that have been leading the technical writing community for over a decade. With its flagship product, MadCap Flare, MadCap Software is once again leading the world of content creation and delivery into the future. Today more than 1,000 companies including Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) are customers of MadCap's native XML software for content authoring and multi-channel publishing.
MadCap is home to some of the most experienced software architects and product experts in the industry, including many former core members of eHelp® Corporation, creators of RoboHelp®.

Learn more about MadCap Software and its documentation authoring suite at www.madcapsoftware.com

About across Systems

across Systems (www.across.net), headquartered in Germany, is the manufacturer of the across software solution for Corporate Translation Management (CTM). The company is a spin-off of Nero AG.

The across Language Server is a central software platform for all corporate language resources and for controlling translation processes and workflows. The system simplifies, accelerates, and improves the management, coordination, and implementation of translations. The software includes a translation memory, a terminology system, and powerful project management and translation workflow control tools. Product managers, translators, and proofreaders all work in one system, either in-house or via a seamless connection to translation service providers.

The target group includes all who offer or commission professional translations, such as export-oriented medium-sized enterprises, language service departments of international corporations, and professional translation service providers. By using across, translation costs can be cut drastically, and the investment in across usually pays off in a very short time.

Press contact across:
Axel Schmidt
PR & Marcom Services

Phone: +49 6101 509848
Fax: +49 6101 509849
aschmidt@across.net
www.across.net

Press contact MadCap:
Rebecca Hurst
Kinetic.PR for MadCap

Phone: +1 650-679-9282
Mobile: +1 650 274-7533
rebecca@kineticprllc.com
www.madcapsoftware.com