Foreign languages in Office 2008 Home and Student

[jpkirchner]

I can't get any information on which languages Office 2008 Home and Student Edition has proofing tools for. Office 2004 gave me the capability of spellchecking in several foreign languages -- which I need. I have worked with Office 2007 for Windows, and that doesn't seem to allow me to spellcheck in any language but English. The help menu doesn't tell me much, and the MS website makes it almost impossible to find this type of product information.

Foreign language tools in the box are a deal-breaker for me and will determine whether I buy Office 2008 or not.

Can anyone tell me anything?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

This really long URL takes you to the entry in Word Online Help that
lists the proofing tools:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/369ngz
If you have Office 2008 installed, it's the topic "About Proofing Tools"
in Help (must be online).

Incidentally, WinWord has the capabilities for more languages, but you
have to pay extra for most of them.

 

[jpkirchner]

My copy of WinWord 2007 will mark a text as German, for example, but it doesn't seem able to spellcheck that language. Does the information you sent me to mean that I won't have that problem in Word 2008 for Mac?

 

[John McGhie]

You need to read the page Daiya sent you to carefully.

The page tells you that you will have German proofing tools on the CD.

However, it makes no comment about whether or not you choose to install all
the languages, or if you do, whether the spelling checker for a particular
language will be available in a particular document.

That's up to you

If you set your document up correctly, then "yes", German will work.
Depending on what else you are doing in a particular document, that can be a
little complex. So if it doesn't work, come back and we'll help you fix it.

Cheers

My copy of WinWord 2007 will mark a text as German, for example, but it
doesn't seem able to spellcheck that language. Does the information you sent
me to mean that I won't have that problem in Word 2008 for Mac?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

As the link said: "The English (U.S.) version of Office 2008 comes with
proofing tools for the following languages:"

A US version of WinWord 2007 comes with French and Spanish proofing
tools, I believe. You could buy the German proofing tools separately.

 

[jpkirchner]

I see. So the Mac version comes with more language proofing tools than the Windows one does, and I won't lose any foreign language capabilities if I buy the new version.

Sorry I put you through multiple answers, but Microsoft documentation is often nebulous, incomplete and out-of-date, so I needed real confirmation.

Thank you.

 

[John McGhie]

I understand your caution in this matter

However, we are struggling for information ourselves.

See if this page gives you what you need:

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/help.mspx?target=6474a4a6-9d3e-4bde-a255-fb9286
ef5d101033&clr=99-4-0&parentid=bfc6a32e-bf18-4f5e-8545-fb5deb8300941033&ep=7
&CTT=PageView&MODE=pv&locale=en-US&usid=99a3637b-f0e0-4ced-86ab-c293136df97a

(That URL is all one line...)

Cheers

I see. So the Mac version comes with more language proofing tools than the
Windows one does, and I won't lose any foreign language capabilities if I buy
the new version.

Sorry I put you through multiple answers, but Microsoft documentation is often
nebulous, incomplete and out-of-date, so I needed real confirmation.

Thank you.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]