our blog

If switching languages makes you mad 

It doesn’t have to be like that.

Most people working on a computer with only two languages switch them with the help of the CTRL + SHIFT key combination and have no problems with that (we are talking about Windows). It may become even easier with Punto Switcher.

But as soon as there are more than two languages in the system, the number of nervous key hits and stifled moans while trying to finally get the needed language increases dramatically. It is particularly painful when you have typed the whole line only to find that it is nothing but complete nonsense, and you need to type the whole text from the beginning. Punto Switcher is of little help here: it gets surprised whenever told there are other languages in the world apart from English and Russian.

* * *

With a small effort, you can solve this problem once and for all. The method is very simple: you just need to disable language switching with the CTRL + SHIFT command and turn on direct shortcuts for each language instead. The easiest way is below:

  • ALT + SHIFT + 1—English
  • ALT + SHIFT + 2—your second language
  • ALT + SHIFT + 3—your third language
  • ALT + SHIFT + 4—your fourth language
  • and so on

Pros:

  • The wrong layout issue will disappear. In a week, you will make a startling discovery that in a mysterious way the right language switches by itself when needed.
  • ALT + SHIFT + digit combinations are HANDY—they can be pressed with one HAND.
  • You won’t need the language indicator on the taskbar anymore: you will stop checking it regularly.

Cons:

  • You will have to suffer for a few days until your brain remembers the new commands.
  • If someone else is using your computer, they may go crazy.
  • If you will need to use someone else’s computer, you may go crazy.

How to enable direct shortcuts in Windows 10:

Start > Control Panel > Clock, Language and Region > Language on the right > Advanced settings on the left > Change language bar hot keys > Set everything and select OK many times.

Recommended content

How to translate TXLF Wordfast files in Trados Studio

Trados Studio can be used to translate .txlf Wordfast files If you do not have or do not like or do not work in Wordfast, you can translate its files in Trados Studio. Trados Studio knows well how to process different file types (Word, Excel, HTML and many, many others). To teach your Trados Studio to work with TXLF Wordfast files means to […]

How to get rid of the “Failed to load built-in plugin(s)” error in Xliff Editor 

Unfortunately, errors happen in every program We have caught a new error, this time in Xliff Editor, a text editor included in the Translation Workspace software package. Here’s what it looks like:  Failed to load built-in plugin(s): Failed to activate the plugin: … reason : … * * * The error happens due to the wrong configuration of […]

Haiti not Tahiti, Dominicana not Dominica 

Linguogeographic notes The country of Haiti occupies a third of the island of Hispaniola, once called Hayti and still called so in many languages, other than Romano-Germanic, due to the confusion of their speakers. The remaining two-thirds is occupied by the Dominican Republic, sometimes also called Dominicana. A highly puzzling region. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and the only […]

Cherokee writing system: familiar but weird 

About using symbols A Native American chief named Sequoyah, also known to the world as George Guess, knew no English but often saw European settlers writing in it. His native language was Cherokee, which at that time (the early 19th century) did not yet have an alphabet. Realizing that sounds could be represented by signs and […]

The amusing homophony of English 

Amusing to tears In English, due to its twisted spelling, it is not always possible to exactly identify the word pronounced. What is meant by [raɪt]—right, rite, wright, write? Pronounced similarly and written differently, these words are called homophones. Lots of jokes are based on homophony. For instance, May 4 is celebrated as the so-called Star Wars Day because the […]