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Last Feb Brandon posted a piece on Language Pack availability for Windows 7 here. I have had a lot of questions from IT pros in the past few weeks that are deploying Windows on where to find them so we thought we’d resurface this important topic and resources.
Windows 7 will continue to enable the widest range of people across the world to use Windows in their own language by providing Language Interface Packs in over 55 languages. LIPs are built using MUI technology and provide translation of the UI (User Interface) most commonly used by Windows users. LIPs do not require a separate software license. They are available to downloaded for free and installed on any edition of a Genuine copy of Windows 7: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate.
Because the entire UI is not translated, LIPs require that the base or parent language requirement be present on the machine before installation. After the LIP is installed and selected as the UI display language, the elements of the UI that are not translated into the LIP language will continue to be displayed in the base or parent language. Some LIP languages can be installed over more than one parent language. For example, the Catalan LIP can be installed over the Spanish or French language pack. The parent language requirements are specified on each LIP download center details page, and are also listed on the Windows Languages page here.
All together Windows supports close to 100 languages and each language is mapped to either LP or LIP. There is no one language which is available in both technologies. For example, Brazilian Portuguese is available as a LP, while Quechua is available as LIP.
Here are some great resources to help you find out more about parent language requirements and language support for Windows 7, plus obtain step-by-step guidance on multilingual deployments:
Why not "Telugu" language is not offered in 64-bit. ? Is there any specific reason behind it?
I find it weird that Mac OS X supports more language inputs than Windows :/ That just seems wrong. Shouldn't the superior OS, Windows, have the superior number of inputs and languages? I think so ;)
@James Manes
I am sorry, James, but this article isn't about input languages but the language in which the OS is displayed. You may input text with your keyboard in a ton of languages besides those 55 LIP languages :P
If you are using Windows 7, please follow this link for steps on how to change your input language: windows.microsoft.com/.../Add-or-change-an-input-language
If you are using Windows Vista, please follow this link instead: windows.microsoft.com/.../Change-your-input-language
I'm really glad to see that using Windows in the users' language its no more unique to the Ultimate Edition.
This is a real improvement to get Windows closer to its customers.
By the way, I followed the "download for free" link in there and, after selecting the South American region, I just had to choose between Mapudungun, Quechua and Spanish. My question is where is Portuguese, as Brazil is in South Amercia... but then I looked forward to it in Europe and nothing there either. Is not one of the 55 languages? I think that support for Portuguese is really important... just a suggestion there. But if it is supported, please make it appear so people may select it ;)
And still no British English. :(
"favorites" is an abomination.
Stephen,
You've mentioned that LIPS can be " downloaded for free and installed on any edition of a Genuine copy of Windows 7", but the download page pointed to in the article requires "Ultimate or Enterprise" for the Hebrew Language Pack.
I actually fell for this: my dad has a 7 HP 32bit version pre-installed on the machine I got him. Since he hardly reads English, I installed the Hebrew LIP on it. At first, all was well, but now he keeps getting those "genuine advantage" screens claiming his Windows version is not genuine and I can find no way to roll it back. Any ideas what the deal is with the Hebrew LIP?
One complaint I have is about the Office Proofing Tools. Each older version of the tools is incompatible with newer versions of Office and there are hardly any improvement in every release. For decades, I have been waiting to get thesaurus for Indic languages and translation for more languages.
@ Bruno Giordano I know this, I was bringing up a related topic.
Please help me. I have Windows 7 Home Premium in Italian, but I wish the English language. Where can I find this package? What I must do if I don't have the box with Display Language? From where I can download it?
Jagannath ,
Telugu 64-bit version will be available by the end of the year.
TTG -
Hebrew is a Language Pack and not a LIP. It does require a genuine copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. As for your Genuine issue, I would suggest posting this problem in the Windows 7 forum for support here : answers.microsoft.com/.../default.aspx
Bruno,
Portuguese Brazilian is a Language Pack, and is available for download from Windows Update for end users who have Windows 7 or Vista Ultimate edition.
Just to clarify
Language Packs - Windows 7 language packs. Windows 7 language packs provide a translated version of most of the user interface. Language packs require a license and are available only in Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise. If you are using Windows 7 Enterprise, contact your system administrator for information about installing additional languages.If you're running the Ultimate edition of Windows, you can download any of the available language packs by using Windows Update. Language packs provide a translated version of Windows dialog boxes, menu items, and help content.
These are some of the current language packs available to Ultimate/Enterprise users - Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese – Simplified, Chinese – Traditional – Hong Kong, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German , Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian Latin, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Traditional Chinese –Taiwan.
Windows 7 Language Interface Pack (LIP) -Windows 7 LIPs provide a translated version of the most widely used areas of the user interface. LIPs are freely available to download. Because not all of the user interface is translated, LIPs require at least one parent language. The parts of the user interface that aren't translated into the LIP language are displayed in the parent language. When you download the LIP, you get the parent language requirements for that language. The parent language pack needs to be installed before the LIP can be installed.
Please note: Language packs and LIPs will work only in a genuine copy of Windows 7.
windows.microsoft.com/.../How-do-I-get-additional-display-languages
So on Windows 7 Home Premium I cand change the language?And if my windows is from magazine with my laptop, this means that my windows is original or a copy?
Ionut,
Please see comments below: Language packs require a license and are available only in Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise.
Stephen
My computer does not give me an option to change interface language from French to English. Under Keyboard and Language there is no install/uninstall languages button. I use windows 7 edition familiale premium, so it won't give me LIP as an optional update. Is there any other way to install the LIP?