Using Different Language Versions of Sametime
The Meeting Room always appears in your computer operating system's local language, so you can always read the menu options and controls. Other Sametime components, such as the Meeting Center, appear in the language used by the server, which might be different from your operating system's language. If meeting participants speak different languages or use keyboards designed for different languages, you might see text in different languages and characters sets on the whiteboard, in a shared screen, or in the chat transcript area.
For example, if you work in Tokyo and use Japanese as your operating system language, you might attend a meeting that occurs on an English Sametime server in the United States. The Meeting Center appears in English, but once you attend the meeting, the Meeting Room appears in Japanese. If some participants have English keyboards and some participants have Japanese keyboards, either language might be used to annotate a whiteboard file or enter chat messages. Participants might share a screen that includes either Japanese or English characters.
To ensure the best performance when you attend multi-lingual Sametime meetings, follow these guidelines:
- Make sure that the language used by the Sametime server is enabled in your operating system's language preferences or settings. Contact your system administrator for assistance with this procedure.
- To properly display text entered on the whiteboard and in private chats started from the Participant List, make sure your browser displays a Unicode font and add Unicode Font Aliases to the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) in your computer's registry. Contact your system administrator for help with these procedures.
- Use Print Capture to attach Asian language files for display on the whiteboard during meetings that occur on servers that use non-Asian languages. For example, if you want to present a Chinese file on the whiteboard during a meeting that occurs on an English server, use Print capture to convert the file for whiteboard display.
- If possible, avoid allowing another participant to control a shared screen if the participant and the person sharing the screen use keyboards designed for different languages. For example, if Fiona, who uses an English keyboard, shares her screen and allows Pierre, who uses a French keyboard, to control the shared screen, the text might not display properly. Because the keys on Fiona's and Pierre's keyboards are arranged differently, Fiona's computer cannot properly display the text Pierre enters.
- If possible, use Sametime Connect for browsers so that multilingual characters will display correctly during chats. For example, if you use Sametime Connect for browsers, Chinese characters will display correctly in your chat window even if your computer's operating system does not support Chinese characters. You must use a Unicode system font to enable this feature. See your system administrator for more information.
- If possible, use IBM Lotus Translation Services for Sametime (LTSS) to instantly translate chat messages from people who speak languages that you cannot read. LTSS is a separate product that is not automatically included with Sametime. Contact your system administrator for information about LTSS.
If your browser continues to display certain language characters incorrectly or if you continue to experience problems when you attend multi-lingual meetings, contact your system administrator.