Windows Languages

• Microsoft Windows 7 comes installed with support for huge numbers of foreign languages, both those which use alphabets -- such as Arabic, Hebrew and Hindi -- as well as East Asian languages like Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, which use characters. Even if you don't have an auxiliary keyboard with alternate alphabets marked on them -- or, if you use a laptop, whose keyboard you obviously can't replace -- Windows can adjust so that keys you tap produce letters from other alphabets, if you're familiar with which keys you need to press without having to see the keyboard.
  
  

The Language Bar

• In order to facilitate easy toggling between languages, Windows has a "language bar," which appears in the bottom, right corner of the "Task Bar" or, if you choose to pop it out, at the top, right corner of your screen. Changing languages using the Language Bar is simple and requires only that you click the two-letter code for the computer's current language -- "EN" for English, for example -- to see a list of other options. If you've accidentally switched your computer to Arabic, simply click "AR" in the language bar and scroll down to the language to which you want to switch.
  
  

Shortcut

• Windows 7 has a shortcut key which makes switching between languages an even simpler affair than was the case with previous versions of the software -- but one which can also make inadvertent language switches all the more commonplace. Namely, all it takes is a single stroke of the "´" key located at the top, left corner of the keyboard. If you find yourself typing in Arabic and you don't want to be, tap this key again -- rather than using the language bar -- to switch back, keeping in mind that you may need to tap it several times if you have many languages enabled on your system.
  
  

Disabling Languages

• To be able to switch easily between languages, you -- or some other person who has access to your computer -- must enable the language on your computer manually. If your computer has recently begun typing in Arabic but you don't need to make use of the language, prevent it from happening again by disabling Arabic altogether. Open the Windows "Start" menu, click "Contol Panel," then "Change Keyboards or Other Input Methods." Click "Change Keyboards," highlight "Arabic" and click "Remove" to remove the possibility of the language appearing on your computer again.