Foreign Language Word Processing in Windows XP at IUB

West European languages:

Foreign language proofing tools are now included in the Microsoft applications in the STCs at IU. In the "Tools" menu, choose "Language--Set Language..." If your language is available, choose it before typing your document, or select the part of the document in that language, then choose the language. You can then spell-check it. Thesauri are also available for many of the languages. Note: If the foreign-language spell-checker finds an error, you still have to figure out what is wrong and fix it yourself, just as you would with an English-language spell-checker!

Short-cut keys for diacritical marks in Office 2003 for Windows:

á é í ó ú

ctrl ' (apostrophe) then the letter that goes under it

à è ì ò ù

ctrl ` (grave accent) then the letter that goes under it

ä ë ï ö ü

ctrl/shift : (colon) then the letter that goes under it

â ê î ô û

ctrl/shift ^ (shift 6) then the letter that goes under it

~ 

ctrl/shift ~ (tilde), then the letter that goes under it(n a o) 

ç Ç 

ctrl , (comma), then c or C 

ß 

ctrl/shift & (ampersand), then s 

inverted exclamation point 

alt/ctrl/shift ! 

inverted question mark 

alt/ctrl/shift ? 

Other languages:

Windows users can install one of the additional keyboards. From the "Start" menu choose "Settings...Control Panel." Then choose "Date Time Language and Regional Options.” Then choose “Regional and Language Options” under “Pick a control panel icon.”  Then click the “languages” tab and the “details” button. In the “text services and input languages” window, click “add.”  Under “input languages” the default is “English (United States).”  Scroll up or down to choose your language. Some languages also have regional variants or input methods you can choose. Then click "apply" if you want to add more than one language, or "OK" when you have finished adding languages. Then, with Microsoft Word (or another Microsoft application) open, choose the language in the right corner of the taskbar. "EN" for English shows as the default. You can toggle between keyboards by pressing the left-alt and shift keys together.

If you are not familiar with the keyboard you will be using, open the onscreen keyboard under “programs…accessories” so you can see where the characters are.  Click on the onscreen keyboard to make it active, and use the left-alt shift keys to toggle to the one you want.

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Last updated: 31 March 2006
URL: http://languagelab.bh.indiana.edu/call/wp.html
Comments: lamiller@indiana.edu
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