This section introduces some of the key features, concepts, and terms you need to understand as you work with a multilingual or international deployment of Windows XP Professional. Included are discussions of basic concepts, such as language collections, the use of alternative keyboard layouts, Input Method Editors, and Unicode, as well as descriptions of new terms introduced with Windows XP Professional.
Built-In Language Support
Each language version of Windows XP Professional supports hundreds of languages through 17 language groups, which are organized into three separately installable language collections, as shown in Table 3-2.
Note
In Windows XP Professional unlike MicrosoftWindows 2000 Professional you cannot install individual language groups. You must install the appropriate language collection as described in Table 3-2, which includes support for all of the language groups in that language collection.
Table 3-2: Language Support in Windows XP Professional
Language Collection
Installation Status
Language Group ID and Name
Basic
Always installed on every language version.
Western Europe and United States
Central Europe
Baltic
Greek
Cyrillic
Turkic
Complex Script and Right-to-Left
Always installed on the Arabic language version and the Hebrew language version; optionally installed on all other language versions.
Thai
Hebrew
Arabic
Vietnamese
Indic
Georgian
Armenian
East Asian
Always installed on the Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language versions; optionally installed on all other language versions.
Japanese
Korean
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Locales
A locale is a collection of Windows XP Professional operating system settings that reflects a specific country s/region s language and cultural conventions. For example, the English (Canadian), English (United Kingdom), and English (United States) locales reflect different countries/regions that share a common language but use different dialects, currencies, and so on. Windows XP Professional supports a total of 135 locales.
Standards and Formats (User Locales)
The Standards and Formats section of the Regional and Language Options Control Panel in Windows XP Professional, formerly called the user locale, determines the formats used to display dates, times, currency, numbers, and the sorting order of text. On a given computer, each user account can have its own unique Standards and Formats setting. The Standards and Formats setting does not affect any language settings, other than the language used to display the names of days and months, and time and date formats.
For example, an English-speaking salesperson from the Boston office logs on to a desktop in the Milan office. The Milan desktop uses the International English language version of Windows XP Professional. The salesperson selects a Standards and Formats setting of Italian (Italy), which immediately changes the currency to Lira and the date format to dd/MM/yyyy without restarting the computer.
Input Method Editors, Input Languages, and Keyboard Layouts
For a computer to support a given language, the computer must be able to display the language on screen using the correct alphabet, characters, and fonts. The computer must be able to accept input typed on a specific language keyboard or specialized input device. The appropriate language collection must be installed, and the default input language and keyboard layout determine how characters entered on the keyboard will be displayed on the screen.
Languages such as Japanese use an Input Method Editor (IME), so that a user can enter Asian text in programs by converting the keystrokes into Asian characters. The IME interprets the keystrokes as characters, and then gives the user the opportunity to insert the correct interpretation into the program being worked in. Windows XP Professional contains IMEs for Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
The Input Language setting of the Regional and Language Options Control Panel, formerly called an input locale, specifies the combination of the language being entered and the keyboard layout, IME, speech-to-text converter, or other device being used to enter it. Input languages are added to a computer user by user; each user can add multiple input languages, enabling multiple-language document editing, viewing, and printing. When you change input languages, some programs (such as Microsoft Office XP) offer additional features, such as fonts or spelling checkers designed for different input languages.
For example, a user in the Tokyo office who wants to write an e-mail message in both Japanese and Russian would need to install Russian as an input language to enter and display the Russian language, using a Japanese keyboard. The user can then change between the Japanese and Russian languages while composing the message.
Keyboard Layouts
Each input language that Windows XP Professional supports has a default keyboard layout associated with it. Some languages also have alternative keyboard layouts.
For example, a standard U.S. English language keyboard has 101 keys, while a typical keyboard for the Japanese localized language version of Windows XP Professional has 106 keys.
In these situations where the physical keyboard might not match the language being entered, or a difference in the number of characters and keys makes it difficult to type administrators or users can add layouts for additional keyboards. Also, by using the On-Screen Keyboard, users can enter text by selecting characters on the appropriate language version On-Screen Keyboard, as shown in Figure 3-1.
Figure 3-1: On-Screen Keyboard for French
Tip
Administrators can make it easier for users to change input languages and keyboard layouts by placing the Language Toolbar on the desktop or in the Taskbar, or by enabling keyboard sequences, or hot keys. For more information, see Simplifying Multiple Language Access on Desktops later in this chapter.
Unicode and Code Pages
Unicode is an international standard for representing the characters in common use in the most widely used languages. Unicode provides a universal character set that can accommodate most known scripts, meaning that the text used in documents, files, and applications created in one operating system language (such as Japanese) display correctly in a different operating system language (such as English). Windows XP Professional supports Unicode as its base character encoding.
Windows XP Professional supports code pages to ensure backward compatibility and comprehensive language support for legacy documents and applications. A code page is an ordered set of characters in which a numeric index (code point) is associated with each character of a particular writing system. There are separate code pages for different writing systems, such as Western European and Cyrillic. In a code page based environment, each set of characters from a specific language has its own table of characters.
Because a code page is a much smaller ordered set of characters than Unicode, code pages have limited abilities to display the characters of another code page s language. Documents based on the code page of one operating system rarely transfer successfully to an operating system that uses another code page, resulting in unintelligible text or characters. For example, if someone in Boston using the International English language version of Microsoft Windows 98 with the Latin code page opens a file created in the Japanese language version of Windows 98, the code points of the Japanese code page are mapped to unexpected or nonexistent characters in the Latin script.
To ensure that new applications being written for Windows XP Professional can function in any language, use Unicode as the base character encoding. Do not use code pages.
For a complete list of code pages and their associated code points, see the Microsoft OEM Code Reference link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources For a complete listing of Unicode control characters, see Unicode Control Characters in Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center.
Language for Non-Unicode Programs (System Locale)
The Language for non-Unicode Programs, previously called the system locale, specifies the default code pages and associated bitmap font files for a given computer, and affects all of that computer s users. The default code pages and fonts enable non-Unicode applications to run as they do on a system localized to the language of the Language for non-Unicode Programs. If an application displays question marks (???) instead of the expected alphanumeric characters, the Language for non-Unicode Programs probably needs to be switched to the language in which the application was developed. Switching the Language for non-Unicode Programs to match an older application s language affects other operating system settings that will improve overall application and system compatibility.
For example, assume that a data entry clerk in the Tokyo office is using the International English language version of Windows XP Professional. If the clerk wants to run a non-Unicode accounting application designed for the Japanese localized language version of Windows 98, the clerk needs to change the Language for non-Unicode Programs of the computer to Japanese and restart the computer. Otherwise, Kanji characters would be displayed as question marks.
Note
Changing the Language for non-Unicode Programs alone does not change the language of the Windows XP Professional user interface elements, such as the system menus and dialog box display languages. Only the Windows XP Professional MUI Pack allows a user to change the language of the user interface.
User Interface Language Options (MUI Pack Only)
Using the Windows XP Professional MUI Pack, users can change the language of the user interface such as the names of menu options, choices in dialog boxes, and Help system to any of the localized language versions of Windows XP Professional. Administrators can specify the default user interface language by using setup scripts or silent configurations, and also can restrict users abilities to change the user interface language by using Group Policy settings.
Windows XP Professional Language Versions
Windows XP Professional includes three different language versions: International English, individual localized language versions, and the MUI Pack. Understanding the differences between the language versions that are available will help you to choose the language version that best meets your company s specific language and international needs.
Table 3-3 shows the user needs that each language version supports.
Table 3-3: Differences Between Windows XP Professional Language Versions
User Needs
International English Version of Windows X P Professional
Localized Language Versions of Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Professional MUI Pack
Ability to read and write documents in multiple languages
X
X
X
Language and regional support for over 135 locales
X
X
X
Language and regional support for supported localized language versions
X
Localized language user interface
X
X
Ability to transact business primarily in one or more languages besides English
X
X
Ability to transact business mostly in English, but have access to additional languages
X
X
X
Extensive support for localized language applications compatibility
X
X
Extensive support for localized language drivers
X
X
X *
Legacy DOS and BIOS support
X
Single code base for application development
X
X
X
Single code base for application testing in different user interface languages
X
Ability to log on anywhere in any language
X
Single, simultaneous worldwide rollouts for hotfixes, patches, and Service Packs
X
*Support for local drivers and applications is usually not as extensive as for localized language versions.
Windows XP Professional International English Version
The International English version of Windows XP Professional is designed for companies that do business mostly in English, but have some users with additional language needs. This version provides complete language and regional support for over 135 locales, allowing users to read and write documents in almost any language.
The Windows XP Professional user interface, however, is in English. If you require the user interface to appear in a language other than English, a localized language version or the MUI Pack is a more appropriate choice.
Windows XP Professional Localized Language Versions
Each localized language version of Windows XP Professional contains the same language and regional support that is included in the International English version, meaning that users can read and write documents in almost any language. However, the operating system user interface appears only in the localized language instead of English.
A localized language version contains more extensive application compatibility than the International English version of Windows XP Professional, as well as extra local drivers, and legacy DOS and BIOS support. If your company, or a particular office or division of your company, operates primarily in a language other than English, or requires that the operating system user interface is in a language other than English, a localized language version of Windows XP Professional is an appropriate choice. For a complete list of the localized language versions of Windows XP Professional, see the Localized Language Versions link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources
Windows XP Professional MUI Pack
The Windows XP Professional MUI Pack allows users to change the language of the operating system user interface to any of the supported localized language versions (including English). This version is well suited for companies that:
Want to deploy and maintain a single operating system standard or desktop image worldwide.
Want to maintain a single code base for international application development.
Want to do single, simultaneous worldwide rollouts for hotfixes, patches, and Service Packs.
Have multilingual offices where different language speakers must share computers.
Have users who need to be able to log on anywhere in any language.
The Multilingual User Interface Pack is based on the International English version of Windows XP Professional. Although the user interface can be switched to any of the supported languages, compared to a localized language version of Windows XP Professional, some parts of the operating system are not localized in the MUI Pack. These include:
16-bit code
Bitmaps
Some registry keys and values
INF files
Some system components, including:
Narrator
MSN Explorer
NetMeeting
Internet Connection Wizard
For more information about the Windows XP Professional MUI Pack, see the Locales and Language link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources
