Chapter 37. Using Foreign Languages

Most physical keyboards are designed for a particular language, such as English, French, Russian, and so on. To type in another language with a physical keyboard, you often have to switch to a completely different keyboard or rely on odd keystroke combinations to type the characters you really want.

Fortunately, on the iPad, the virtual keyboard lets you switch between multiple languages quickly and easily. One moment you can be typing in French, the next in Russian, and the next in Chinese or Japanese. If you need to type in foreign languages on a regular basis, you’ll be pleased to know that the iPad will likely accommodate the languages you need.

In this chapter, you will learn how to type in a foreign language on the iPad’s virtual keyboard.

What You’ll Be Using

To type in a foreign language, you need to use the following:

The Settings screen

Switching the iPad’s Default Language

Depending on where you bought your iPad, it will start out with an initial default language such as English or French. If you move to another country, sell your iPad to someone in another country, or just want to practice your foreign-language skills, you can switch to a different language and make everything appear in that language.

To choose a different default foreign language, follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings. The Settings screen appears.

  2. Tap General. The General settings screen appears.

  3. Tap International. The International settings screen appears, as shown in Figure 37-1.

    The International settings screen
    Figure 37-1. The International settings screen

  4. Tap Language. A Language window appears, giving you a choice of different default languages to use, as shown in Figure 37-2.

    The Language window lists all the default languages you can use.
    Figure 37-2. The Language window lists all the default languages you can use.

  5. Tap a language such as Deutsch or Italiano, and tap Done. Your iPad now displays everything in your chosen language, as shown in Figure 37-3.

    Your new default language appears.
    Figure 37-3. Your new default language appears.

Defining a Foreign-Language Keyboard

If you need to type in a foreign language, your iPad lets you switch to virtual keyboards for different languages at the tap of a key. That way, you can type in English, switch temporarily to French, Spanish, or Chinese, and then switch back again to English.

Before you can type on a foreign-language keyboard, you have to define which foreign language to use. To define a foreign-language keyboard, follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings. The Settings screen appears.

  2. Tap General. The General settings screen appears.

  3. Tap Keyboard. The Keyboard settings screen appears.

  4. Tap International Keyboards. The screen displays all the available virtual keyboards on your iPad. Initially, it will display just one language, as shown in Figure 37-4.

    The Keyboards screen gives you the option to choose additional foreign-language keyboards.
    Figure 37-4. The Keyboards screen gives you the option to choose additional foreign-language keyboards.

  5. Tap Add New Keyboard. The Add New Keyboard screen appears, as shown in Figure 37-5.

    The Add New Keyboard screen shows all the virtual keyboards you can add.
    Figure 37-5. The Add New Keyboard screen shows all the virtual keyboards you can add.

  6. Tap a foreign language. You’ll return to the Keyboards page. You can follow the same steps to add another language.

  7. (Optional) Click Edit on the keyboard page to rearrange or delete your keyboards. Just drag the three gray bars on the right to move each keyboard around. The first keyboard on this screen will be your default keyboard.

  8. Press the Home button. The Home screen appears.

Using a Foreign-Language Virtual Keyboard

After you have defined one or more foreign-language virtual keyboards, you can switch to that foreign-language keyboard any time the virtual keyboard pops up, such as when typing an email message or a note in the Notes app.

Tapping the International key (it looks like a globe) will display a new foreign-language keyboard.
Figure 37-6. Tapping the International key (it looks like a globe) will display a new foreign-language keyboard.

To define a foreign-language keyboard, follow these steps:

  1. Run an app that displays the virtual keyboard, such as the Notes app.

  2. Tap the International key (it looks like a globe) that appears next to the spacebar. One of your foreign-language virtual keyboards appears, as shown in Figure 37-6.

  3. Type something, and when you’re ready to switch back to a different foreign language, tap the International key again until your chosen foreign-language virtual keyboard appears.

Note

The virtual keyboard also includes a Chinese character recognition keyboard that lets you draw a character. Then the keyboard displays a list of similar characters so you can tap the one you want to type, as shown in Figure 37-7.

The virtual keyboard can recognize Chinese characters drawn with your finger.
Figure 37-7. The virtual keyboard can recognize Chinese characters drawn with your finger.

Additional Ideas for Using Foreign Languages on your iPad

Anyone learning a foreign language can switch to their foreign-language keyboard and start typing in that particular language.

If you have children, teach them the basics of typing in a foreign language. Typing foreign words is often more fun than writing them by hand, so this gives you a chance to turn your iPad into a simple foreign-language tutor for yourself or for others.

If you regularly travel to different parts of the world, or just live in a neighborhood where people often speak multiple languages, experiment with different foreign-language options so you can use your iPad no matter where you might be.

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