Writing in Other Languages

Windows XP for Tablet PC has been issued in versions for English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. If you or someone you know has a need to use handwriting and speech features in a language other than English, you can set up that capability by using that version of the Windows XP operating system on your Tablet PC instead of the English version.

 Remember  Not all foreign versions support all Tablet PC features. For example, the Korean and German versions of Windows XP support everything but Speech; the Japanese version, on the other hand, supports all features.

In certain language versions of Windows, the Input Panel has a Character Recognition tab that you can use to enter Asian characters. (The English version doesn’t have that feature at this point.)

You can specify the default language you want to use for input. This helps the handwriting recognition feature interpret what you write if you typically use a foreign language. Follow these steps to change your input language:

1. Choose StartðControl Panel.

2. Double-tap the Regional and Language icon. The Regional and Languages dialog box opens.

3. Tap the Languages tab to display it; then tap the Details button.

   The Text Services and Input Languages dialog box (shown in Figure 13-6) appears.

   
   Figure 13-6: You can choose only an installed service for your default language.

4. Tap the arrow in the Default Input Language drop-down list; then select the language you want to use.

5. Tap Apply, and then tap OK twice to close all dialog boxes and save the new setting.

   You must restart your computer to begin working with the new language input.