Studio Proteus is the name of a manga translation studio. They often contract work through more major comic labels, like Dark Horse Comics, although they have (or at least used to) released some titles independently. They are worth mentioning, because two of the best translators in the biz work from them: Toren Smith (who got a character named after him in Gunbuster) and Fred Schodt, who wrote "Manga! Manga! The world of Japanese Comics" and "Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga", two excellent books on the subject.