Typing in non-Roman characters
An IME (Input Method Editor) is a piece of software that allows you to enter non-Roman characters and symbols using a standard keyboard. The computers in the Library have the following IMEs:
- Arabic (Egypt)
- Arabic (Morocco)
- Chinese
(PRC - Simplified) - Chinese (Taiwan)
- Hebrew
- Japanese
- Korean
- Russian
The language currently being used is displayed in the small blue icon in the bottom right toolbar. For example, it will indicate EN if English is selected or JP is Japanese is selected.
To switch between languages:
- Click on the language icon. All the language options will appear above it.
- Click on the language you want to use.
You may need to install an IME in order to enter non-Roman characters on your home computer. For more details on how to set up IMEs, see Microsoft Global Input Method Editors (IMEs) and their page on working in a different language.
Visual keyboard
When you change keyboard layouts, the characters you see as you type might not correspond with your keyboard. Microsoft Visual Keyboard lets you see the keyboard for the language you've switched to on your screen so that you can either click the keys on your screen or see the correct keys to press to enter text. It is available on Windows XP from: Start /All Programs / Accessories / Accessibility / On-Screen Keyboard.
McGill's Arts Multimedia Language Facility has a list of keyboard shortcuts for Canadian multilingual keyboards.
Viewing non-Roman characters on the web
You can add multiple languages to Internet Explorer to correctly display text on web pages and in the Address bar. You can also set the browser to display text from right to left. The language options can be changed by selecting View / Character Encoding from the menu.
Searching the Library Catalogue in Chinese
The Library Catalogue and Find an eJournal can be searched in Pinyin and Chinese vernacular characters. More information is available in the Catalogue Help pages.
Arabic fonts
McGill's Institute of Islamic Studies provides information on downloading and using unicode fonts for Arabic transliteration. The New Times Arabic Transliteration Font is installed on computers in the Islamic Studies Library.