Section 108. Change the System s Language

108. Change the System's Language

SEE ALSO

107 Adjust the Format of Numbers and Other Notations

76 Install a New Font

74 Type § § & pound ; h r  c rs

Mac OS X supports 83 different languages, all in their own native writing systems, thanks to the massive Unicode character set. Also, because of a unique preference-based cascading localization scheme, you can control which languages are used to run your system. You define what languages are your most preferred; then, whenever you run an application, Mac OS X looks inside it for what localizations it supports. A Mac application generally contains several different localizations, defining the contents of text strings and menu options in as many different languages as the application's developer chose to include. Mac OS X goes down your list of preferred languages until it finds one that the application supports, and then it launches the application using that language; this way, you can strike the optimal balance between what languages you want to use and the languages each application has been written to support. All you have to do is set up your Language Preferences once.

108. Change the System's Language

KEY TERM

Localization Mostly a fancy name for "language," a localization also contains definitions for how sort order, numeric formats, and other written styles behave in a given region.

1.	Open the International Preferences Open the System Preferences application (under the Apple menu); click the International icon to open the International Preferences pane.
2.	Open the Language Page Click the Language tab to open the language configuration page, if it is not already displayed.
3.	Drag Languages into Your Preferred Order In the Languages box, click and drag the displayed language names into the order you prefer to use them. The topmost language is used first if it's available in the application; if not, the second language is used, and so on. NOTE When you change your language preference order, you are defining what language should be used when each application launches. Because currently running applications have already launched and chosen a language, you'll have to quit and relaunch these applications before they can use your preferred languages. This includes the Finder, so you must log out and log back in before the Mac OS X itself switches languages.
4.	Select Languages to Use Although Mac OS X supports 83 languages, only 15 are shown in the Languages box. If the language you want to use is not shown there, click the Edit button to bring up the dialog box that shows all 83 languages Mac OS X knows about. Only the languages with the check box selected appear in the Languages box. Click the check boxes next to whatever languages you want to appear in the box; you can also deselect languages you know you won't be using. Click OK when you're done.
5.	Select Your Preferred Sorting Behavior From the Order for Sorted Lists menu, choose the language you want to use for alphabetizing items in lists. Many languages without "alphabets" (such as Chinese and Japanese) have their own scripts that define how list sorting works. Additionally, use the Word Break menu to customize how Mac OS X should allow text to "flow" within applications, whether it should break words only on spaces or whether it should use other criteria to automatically break to the next line. KEY TERM Script A general style of writing and set of symbols or letters , often shared by many languages. The Roman alphabet is a script, as is Cyrillic, Kanji, or the Arabic alphabet.
6.	Configure the Input Menu Click the Input Menu tab to view the list of input styles. Keyboard layouts for many different languages and regions , as well as palettes for all Unicode characters , for Japanese Hiragana/Katakana, or for the Keyboard Viewer are available; you can also choose the Hangul (Korean), Kotoeri (Japanese), or Simplified or Traditional Chinese input methods, which let you input native characters using special key commands on a U.S.-style keyboard. Many other simple keyboard-based input methods and regional key remappings are available as well. See 74 Type § § h r  c rs for more information on these special input palettes. Every input style that you select in the list under the Input Menu tab appears in the Keyboard Input System Menu, in the right side of the system's main menu bar, to the left of the clock (if you're using the U.S. keyboard layout, the menu appears as a U.S. flag). When only a single input menu option is selected in the International Preferences window (for instance, the U.S. keyboard layout), the Keyboard Input System Menu does not appear in your menu bar. However, if you enable other options using the check boxes, the Keyboard Input System Menu icon appears among the System Menu icons, and its icon shows the current input method or layout. You can switch from one layout or method to another quickly by using the menu. KEY TERM Keyboard Input System Menu or Input Menu A tool that lets you quickly open a palette or switch to a special input method to enter special characters or non-Latin languages. The Input Menu appears among the System Menu icons in the right side of the menu bar. For instance, to enable the Dvorak keyboard layout, select it using its check box and the Keyboard Input System Menu appears at the top-right corner of the screen (if Dvorak is the second input style you've enabled). Select Dvorak from the Input Menu, and your keyboard will now operate in Dvorak mode. Use the Keyboard Shortcuts button to set up an easy way to switch between input modes while typing; see 132 Add a Keyboard Shortcut for more about the Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences pane.