Apple Macs and Japanese language

[japslapper]

Hi FGs

I am in begging mode and need some advice on computers.

At present I have two PC laptops(both Win 2000) both PII - one is British and the other Japanese. I use Hotmail for email - but for MS word, if any document is gonna be English only I use by Brit pc a mix of Jp and English I use by J-PC. Silly system really - the Brit PC has the free download from microsoft so as to be able top read J- web documents - my problem is on the subject of input. I know there is software out there whereby I can input both languages on to the same Word document(for example) at the same time on an English operating systenm PC. What software do people use?

What about for new Apple Macs?

[hidflect]

You'd need a Japanese keyboard to input the kanji on the Eng. laptop I think. You can put in the software (one option is called the Multi User Interface - MUI pack) but how will you know which kana key is which when looking at an English only keyboard? If you're going to get a new laptop, don't get an Apple, buy a PC laptop from PrimePC (and no I don't work for them).

http://www.primepc.jp/goods_pc/feature.php?v17=147&v18=1&v19=0

I wouldn't advise installing XP on your current PC's - XP won't run on anything less than PII 266Mhz and takes 1GB of space. You've probably only got 1.6-3GB each on those laptops...

[Caustic Saint]

You'd need a Japanese keyboard to input the kanji on the Eng. laptop I think. You can put in the software (one option is called the Multi User Interface - MUI pack) but how will you know which kana key is which when looking at an English only keyboard?

That's why there's romaji.

[Taro Toporific]

It used to be a big deal, but I think most current systems have built-in support for reading and writing Japanese. The only thing you have to work out is whether you want a Japanese keyboard setup or not.

Good news:
Yes, I've been running 40-seat office for many years now with 'bilingual" operating systems running in Windows and Mac. Go back to your orginal system disks and install the needed Japanese parts. If you don't have those system disks (naughty, naughty) go to Support and download the Language Packs.

Bad-foon news
HOWEVER, if you are doing VERY serious business work or publications, having a "pure" Japanese-only (or English-only) system is the only way to guarantee your projects, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. will be displayed EXACTLY as you intended for an overseas client. When dealing the first time with a new project of a overseas client, I always have to double check my work in a "pure" system of the intended target language of my client. Double-Byte characters in the Devil's Tongue in have all sorts of small but nasty bug-like results. Worst case example: English Excel has rare but occasional random errors when importing Japanese Excel data. For personal use, you can go for years without any problem---if you are handling gigabytes of data everyday like I do, these double-byte errors occur several times a week when moving "content" between languages.

[gekisou]

HI,

I just use njstar.

Its free, simple to use and can be disabled, enabled by the touch of a key.
Mind you though it can not display some charcs, not sure why because I know SFA about computers.

This may be a temporaryfix for you, but may not be best long term.

Cheers

[Neo-Rio]

** No brainer option **

I use Japanese Windows because really that's the only thing that gives me full support with both languages.
I tried loading the global IME on English Windows before, and that's OK as long as you only use Office, cause that's all it works with.

** Brain-required option **

The only other option you have if you want to walk on the wild-side is to boot the Japanese Knoppix CD on your English Laptop.
Knoppix is actually a Linux-based operating system that boots and runs ENTIRELY from the CD-drive - and it won't leave a mark on your English Windows hard drive at all (unless you really try)
It won't be fast on a Pentium II because the whole Operating system runs from CD. However, it will give your PC a temporary Japanese operating system environment. Then you should be able to open your MS word files from within OpenOffice on the system.
If you want the CD, you'll need broadband to download it and a CD burner to write it - otherwise you'll need someone elses stuff to make one.
Homepage is here (in Japanese). Look down the bottom of the page for the tab to get to the CD-ISO.

http://unit.aist.go.jp/it/knoppix/

[Taro Toporific]

You'd need a Japanese keyboard to input the kanji on the Eng. laptop I think. You can put in the software (one option is called the Multi User Interface - MUI pack) but how will you know which kana key is which when looking at an English only keyboard?

Many if not most Japanese nationals over 30 years old, touch type using romanji input rather than learning two different keyboards. Whether you input in Roman letters or kana you still have to hit the kanji convertion function every few characters, The Japanese government wants more people to use Japanese-kana input, which is slightly faster. However the fact is that if you type in two in two languages you don't not want to be switch keyboard styles if you already are a proficient touch typist English.

Quick survey of the my Japanese office at this moment: 35 Japanese people typing using Romanji input for Japanese and English, the accountant using kana input, ocha-girl thumb typing kana to sex-chat on her keitai, and me typing on a QWERTY keyboard of my steam-powered Underwood with a teletype interface.

[Taro Toporific]

** Brain-required option **
The only other option you have if you want to walk on the wild-side is to boot the Japanese Knoppix CD on your English Laptop. ....
http://unit.aist.go.jp/it/knoppix/

Thanks for that reminder out running the Japanese Knoppix CD. I ofter end up in the States at a client's office at a borrowed computer in company with a strict download policy and no way to work with Japanese files. Normally I have to use my on TiBook but now I'll sart carrying the Japanese Knoppix CD in my CaseLogic armory. ThanX for reminding me of the obvious.

[Taro Toporific]

the typewriter-keyboard conversion

DING! SOLD! It's even got a carriage return bell!

typewriter-keyboard conversion
....What I finally settled on is a mechanism on the carriage itself that is responsible for dinging a bell when the typist reaches the end of a line. There is a small "hammer" that is pulled right (in this illustration) across the "anvil" when the end of a line is reached (I don't know what the hell these things are really called, so I'm just making these terms up). The anvil strikes the bell

[American Oyaji]

Mac OS Japanese input is seamless.

When they were designing OS X they actually acquired Japanese fonts used in Japan to put into the OS.


If you want an Enlgish system and perfect Japanese input, use Mac OS X

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/international/

[DrBru]

As far as I know, OS X versions all over the world come with all the languages. It's just a matter of what language you put as No. 1. I could switch all my apps (menus, buttons...) to Japanese if I wanted to, just have to open them again. Same with input methods.
As American Oyaji said, the Japanese fonts are first-rate.

I recently tried to get a friend's Win2000 laptop Japanese-ready. It was confusing to even find the necessary file on microsoft.com. After a while I gave up, since she doesn't need it very often.

[NeoNecroNomiCron]

Apply mac and Japanese language = Ringo Maku,

[Caustic Saint]

Apply mac and Japanese language = Ringo Maku,

Yes, apples are so popular in Japan they even get celebrity endorsements:

[japslapper]

Is the stuff on this link any good? Anyone with any experience of it?

http://www.lingua-uk.com/2japanese.htm

[japslapper]

What is it exactly that you aren't able to do with Win2000? You should be able to do basic email and word processing. Unless you're getting into the specialized areas Taro mentioned, you should be able to get by with the IME.

Thanks for the concern Ultra - I can do most I want to do at the moment - the problem is that on my Jp- OS pc I am not as confident as on my Eng-OS pc - What I am looking to do now is upgrade my system (30man is the limit) where by I have one computer - English OS but I can input any data in either(or any) language into a webpage, word document, and also run my email/address book in both languages etc......hence my interest in applemacs and the their new OS -X system. Will this do the job without any aditional software - if not what do I need? easier to have one computer than always carting two around........

As one might expect I can not buy an English OS ibook in Japan, nor Apple USA will ship out.....this is going to be a go an fetch exercise if I decide to go ahead.......

I am not a compter whizz, but would like a fairly stable, flexible troublefree multilingual system........any ideas?

Anyone out there with experience of the newish Apple macs who can tell me is what I am looking for possible.........

[Caustic Saint]

As one might expect I can not buy an English OS ibook in Japan, nor Apple USA will ship out.....this is going to be a go an fetch exercise if I decide to go ahead.......

I am not a compter whizz, but would like a fairly stable, flexible troublefree multilingual system........any ideas?

Anyone out there with experience of the newish Apple macs who can tell me is what I am looking for possible.........

You can't?!? Then what the fuck did I just buy last month?

Any Mac with OSX is an English OS system. And Japanese, and French, and German, and Dutch, and Korean, and Chinese.....

I bought my iBook at the Ginza store and even got it with an English keyboard. The first time I booted it, everything was in Japanese, but a simple change of settings in the International control panel and now it's all-English, all the time!

[Taro Toporific]

I haven't bought a machine with J-WinXP pre-installed, but my understanding is that all versions of Windows XP have English, Japanese and other languages built-in,...
Can anyone else confirm this?

Hey! My Japanese IT manager and I've been pounding on my Windows XP settings since Jan when I got a new Dell at work. We've had no luck trying to get the English system menus.

Yes, English, Japanese, and all other languages can be read and input in Windows XP, but the system messages are all in Japanese. On the Mac OS X, the language of the operating system itself can be changed. It's possible to have Japanese menus appear for one user login and then switch to another user login for English only system.