September 17, 1999

The powerful multilingual features of Microsoft Office 2000 give you a lot of flexibility in configuring Office for international users. The upcoming release of Microsoft Windows® 2000 offers even more language-specific options and capabilities.

With that flexibility, however, comes complexity. The options available in both Office and Windows comprise a useful but sometimes daunting matrix of alternatives.

Hierarchy of language options

To sort out the variety of language features, it is helpful to describe them as a four-layer hierarchy:

• Operating system layer
• Office layer
• User layer
• Document layer

Operating system layer

The operating system layer provides fundamental language resources to all applications running on the computer. This layer defines the default code pages and fonts. Under Windows 2000, the operating system layer also determines the available group of language resources. Changes to language settings in the operating system layer affect all users and applications on the computer.

For example, in the German version of Windows, the German code page and font settings are defined in the operating system layer.

User layer

The user layer provides language resources specific to the user logged on to the computer. This layer defines which keyboard and sort order are used, and how numbers, currency, time, and date values are displayed by all applications that are run under the user account. Changes to the user layer affect only the user account in which the changes are made.

For example, in the user layer you can set the default currency symbol for a particular user to the euro (€).

Office layer

Settings in the Office layer define the language of the user interface and Help in Office applications. In addition, settings in this layer determine which languages the user can enter into documents. Changes in the Office layer affect only Office applications, and only within the user account in which they are made.

For example, if you set the Help language to French in the Office layer, then Help for all Office applications is displayed in French.

Document layer

The document layer defines the language settings and tools that are used in a specific Office document. Changes in this layer are stored within the document and do not affect any other documents.

For example, you can set the language of a single paragraph in a Word document to Spanish.

How language settings interact

Starting with the operating system layer and working up to the document layer, each layer of language settings provides resources and default values for the next successive layer. For example, the keyboard layout in the user layer is used by some Office applications to define the default language setting used in the document layer.

Language settings in the operating system layer

Language settings in the operating system layer include the installation language for Microsoft Windows and the default code pages and fonts available for use by all applications on the computer. Under Microsoft Windows 2000, the operating system layer also includes one or more language groups that define the list of related language resources that are available on the computer.

Windows installation language

The language in which Windows is installed is used in all Windows user interface components, including the Desktop, Start menu, and Windows Help. You cannot change the installation language without reinstalling Windows.

Language groups in Windows 2000

In Windows 2000 only, a language group is a set of all the localized resources needed by the operating system to support a particular collection of languages. These resources include code pages and fonts. The list of installed language groups controls which user locales, input locales, and system locales are available.

When you install a language group, Windows 2000 copies the necessary keyboard files, Input Method Editors (IMEs), TrueType Font files, bitmap font files, and national language support (NLS) files to the computer. Adding a language group also adds registry values for font linking and installs scripting engines for complex script languages (for example, Arabic, Hebrew, Indic, and Thai).

To install a Windows 2000 language group

1. In Control Panel, double-click Regional Options, and click the General tab.
2. In the Language settings for the system box, select the check box next to the language group you want to install.

   To remove a language group, clear its check box.

After you install a language group, you can select from those languages to set the system locale.

System locale

The system locale (sometimes referred to as the system default locale) determines which code pages and associated bitmap font files are used as defaults for the operating system. These code pages and fonts enable nonUnicode applications to run as they do on an operating system localized to the language of the system locale.

For example, if you set the system locale to German on an English version of Windows NT® 4.0 or Windows 2000, nonUnicode applications function as if they were running on a German version of Windows. (Unicode applications are not affected by this setting.)

Under Windows 95 and Windows 98, the system locale is fixed based on the language version of the operating system, and it cannot be changed.

Under Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, the system locale defaults to the language version of the operating system, but you can change system locales by clicking Regional Options in Control Panel. You must have administrator privileges to change the system locale.

---

Note   When you change the system locale, you must restart the computer.

---

To change the Windows NT 4.0 system locale

1. In Control Panel, double-click Regional Settings, and click the Regional Settings tab.
2. Select the user locale.
3. Select the Set as system default locale check box.

   The default system locale is set to the selected user locale.

To change the Windows 2000 system locale

1. In Control Panel, double-click Regional Options, and click the General tab.
2. Click Set default.
3. Select the system locale and click OK.

   Under Windows 2000, only those system locales for which the appropriate language groups have been installed are available.

Language settings in the user layer

Language settings in the user layer define the keyboard layout, sort order, and display formats for numbers, currency, times, and dates in use by the current user. These settings are used by all applications running within the user’s session.

Input locale

The input locale specifies the keyboard layout. Input locales are pairings of an input language with an input method. Input methods can include a particular keyboard layout, an Input Method Editor (IME), or speech-to-text converter.

Specifically, an input locale describes the language being entered, and how it is being entered. You can install multiple input locales and switch between them when entering text, which allows you to create multilingual documents.

Adding or removing an input locale takes effect immediately; that is, you do not have to restart the computer.

To change the input locale under Windows 95/98

1. In Control Panel, double-click Keyboard, and click the Language tab.
2. In the Installed keyboard languages and layouts box, select the language, or click Add to add a new language.
3. To change the specific keyboard layout for the locale, select the input language and click Properties.

To change the input locale under Windows NT 4.0

1. In Control Panel, double-click Keyboard, and click the Input Locales tab.
2. In the Input locales box, select the input locale, or click Add to add a new locale.
3. To change the specific keyboard layout for the input locale, select the locale and click Properties.

---

Note   You can also change the input locale in Windows NT 4.0 from the Input Locales tab in Regional Settings in Control Panel.

---

To change the input locale under Windows 2000

1. In Control Panel, double-click Regional Options, and click the Input Locales tab.
2. In the Installed Input Locales box, select the input locale, or click Add to add a new language.
3. To change the specific keyboard layout for the locale, select the input language and click Properties.

   Under Windows 2000, only those input locales for which the appropriate language groups have been installed are available.

Tip    Office 2000 MultiLanguage Pack and Office 2000 Proofing Tools include the Microsoft Visual Keyboard. This tool can display multiple language keyboard layouts, making it easy to switch the input locale and type in different languages. For more information, see Discovering Microsoft Office 2000 MultiLanguage Pack or Discovering Microsoft Office 2000 Proofing Tools.

User locale

The user locale determines — on a per-user basis — the default formats used to display numbers, currency, times, and dates, and the order used to sort text. You specify a user locale for each user account that you create on the computer. The default user locale is derived from the system locale.

Although available user locales are often listed as a language (sometimes in combination with a country), a user locale is not a language setting. The user locale does not alter input languages, keyboard layouts, code pages, or user interface languages. The Hebrew user locale, for example, contains only data related to the standard regional settings of Israel, and not to the Hebrew language.

---

Note   Changing the user locale does change the language used to display the names of days and months. For example, if you change the user locale to French (Standard) and specify the long date format, the date "September 9, 1999" is displayed as "9 septembre 1999."

---

Changing the user locale has an immediate effect; that is, you do not have to restart the computer.

To change the user locale under Windows 95/98

1. In Control Panel, double-click Regional Settings, and click the Regional Settings tab.
2. Select the user locale you want.
3. To change specific number, currency, time, or date formats, click the appropriate tab, and then select the formats you want.

To change the user locale under Windows NT 4.0

1. In Control Panel, double-click Regional Settings, and click the Regional Settings tab.
2. Select the user locale you want.
3. To change specific number, currency, time, or date formats, click the appropriate tab, and then select the formats you want.

To change the user locale under Windows 2000

1. In Control Panel, double-click Regional Options, and click the General tab.
2. Select the user locale you want.
3. To change specific number, currency, time, or date formats, click the appropriate tab, and then select the formats you want.

Language settings in Office layer

Language settings at the Office layer include the following:

• Language in which Office is installed
• User interface and Help languages used by Office applications
• Languages that you can use when editing documents in Office applications

Office installation language

The language in which Office is installed is used as the default language for the user interface and Help, and it is the default editing language. The installation language also determines whether certain language-specific commands are available. The installation language is set when you install Office 2000 and can only be changed with the Language Version utility.

For example, if the installation language is Japanese, Office applications display commands that allow you to work with Asian text. Under a nonAsian installation language setting, these commands are hidden.

---

Toolbox    The Office Resource Kit includes the Language Version utility (Langver.exe), which you can use to change the Office installation language. Install the Office Resource Kit (orktools.exe) to install the LangVer.exe. You can find this downloadable file on the Office 2000 Resource Kit Downloads page.

---

User interface language

The user interface language is used by Office applications in menus, dialog boxes, and other user interface elements. The user interface language defaults to the installation language for Office. However, if you install other languages from Office 2000 Multilanguage Pack, you can change the user interface language.

To change the user interface language

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, and then click Microsoft Office Language Settings.
2. Click the User Interface tab.
3. In the Display menus and dialog boxes in box, select the language, and click OK.

Help language

The Help language is used by Office applications to display the Help interface. The Help language defaults to the installation language for Office. However if you install other languages from Office 2000 MultiLanguage Pack, you can change the Help language.

To change the Help language

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, and then click Microsoft Office Language Settings.
2. Click the User Interface tab.
3. In the Display Help in box, select the language, and click OK.

Languages enabled for editing

To enter text in an Office document in a language that is different from the Office installation language, you must enable that language for editing. Enabling a language for editing also enables additional language-specific commands, features, and resources for that language. For Asian languages, additional fonts are also made available.

To enable languages for editing

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, and then click Microsoft Office Language Settings.
2. Click the Enabled Languages tab.
3. In the Show controls and enable editing for box, select one or more languages, and click OK.

Language settings in document layer

Language settings in the document layer define the language settings and tools that are available for use within an individual Office document, including proofing tools. Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint®, and Microsoft Publisher also include language settings for text entered in the document. Changes to document layer settings are stored within the document.

Proofing tools

Office proofing tools include the spelling checker, grammar checker, hyphenation tool, and thesaurus. Not all Office applications use all of these tools, and some tools are not available in certain languages.

The English edition of Office 2000 includes proofing tools for English, French, and Spanish. You can find other language tools in localized versions of Office, in Microsoft Office 2000 MultiLanguage Pack, and in Microsoft Office 2000 Proofing Tools.

Text language setting

In Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher, you can define the language for selected text, and even use multiple languages within a single document. When you use proofing tools, the application selects the appropriate language tool based on the language setting of the text.

To set the language for specific text

1. Select a portion of text in the document.
2. On the Word or Publisher Tools menu, point to Language, and click Set Language.

   – or -

   On the PowerPoint Tools menu, click Language.

3. In the Mark selected text as box, select the language you want.

How default values are determined

The default behavior of Office language features is determined by the language settings in other layers on the computer and within the document layer.

Word uses the automatic language detection feature to set the default language setting for the text in a document, based on the list of languages that are enabled for editing (Office layer). (A user can change this language setting while editing the document.)

Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher select the appropriate language-proofing tool set based on the language setting of the particular text being examined. Other Office applications select the appropriate language-proofing tool set based on the current input locale (user layer).

Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher select the appropriate AutoCorrect list based on the language setting of the selected text. Other Office applications select the appropriate AutoCorrect list based on the current input locale (user layer).