Multi-Language usage: Microsoft has no clue how people use their systems! Or doesn't care...

[mmo]

I am using my computer frequently in different languages, mostly English and German, sometimes even mixed in the same document or even the same sentence!
Since constantly switching the keyboard layout would drive me nuts be cause of the constantly switching key-layout I grew accustomed to use the "English-International" keyboard. With a couple of "dead keys" I can create all accented Latin characters I need!

So, for the keyboard there is a solution. But for the spelling checker this does not work! With that keyboard selected, it assumes English as the languages and thus puts red "wiggles" under each German (or other) word that I write in emails or Word documents! Why can one not choose two (or more) languages to be both recognizable? My Android-tablet proves that this is perfectly possible and working excellent. But in Windows and MS Office since >15 years? Naah! Not supported!

The same catastrophe for pen-input! Since the handwriting recognition obviously works based on a dictionary one has absolutely no chance to decently ink in a mix of two languages. Whatever language one chooses, all words in the other get distorted or misspelled. But constantly switching the input-language while inking is simply too distracting and plain infeasible!

Again: Android shows, that this is obviously possible! Why is MS not adopting such advances but sticks to input principles developed somewhen back in the 90s? The world gas become global! There are millions of people out there that constantly have to deal with and to communicate using multiple languages during their work and leisure! Our computers have to keep up with that!

 

[Tsurugaya]

The solution to my mind is better keyboards. Windows actually have a decent system for switching languages on the go. You can assign key combinations or use the Win+Space combination. What is required to make this seamless is a keyboard that reacts to the language shift by changing the key display. Today key letters are painted, instead the top should contain a little e-ink screen so when you change language in Windows it will be reflected on the keyboard. This way spell check and thesaurus features will follow suit.
I realize far from every user needs this, but in many European countries it is fairly common to communicate in more than one language, so it surprises me that not a single keyboard maker can be bothered to develop an alternative like that. Such a keyboard would be a default choice in countries like Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and many other regions.

Twitter is to communications as haiku is to literature.

 

[Plantje]

I think there are very few people that have the same or a similar use case. I am Dutch and I need to/want to write some text in English every now and then. Then I can just switch the input to English. In one sentence? Why would you use two languages in one sentence? Yes, at work I do use that occasionally, but it is not something that I really need to work smooth.

What's worse is the lack of Cortana in Dutch. And a lot of apps that are not created for Windows. When it comes to that it is hard to stay a Windows fan!