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Windows 8 Gets Expanded Language Options

Microsoft is adding more language options and implementing an easier language-download process for the forthcoming Windows 8 operating system.

The changes were announced in a recent "Building Windows 8" blog post by Ian Hamilton, a program manager for the Windows International team. Windows 8 will allow for custom languages to be downloaded from one source, regardless of where the software on the Windows machine was purchased.

"This means that the language of the PC no longer needs to be a major consideration when deciding on which model to buy," Hamilton wrote. "If the language you want is not preinstalled on the PC you like, you can now install the one you want."

In the past, custom language downloads were divided between Microsoft's Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center. If a user couldn't find their desired language in one location, they had to search the second location.

With Windows 8, language options will be located in the control panel. A user will only need to click on the "Add a language" tab, scroll to the desired choice and select it in their custom language list. The control panel will then alert the user if the language is available to download.

Along with simplifying the process of adding languages, Microsoft will add 14 more languages for Windows 8, for a total of 109 available language choices.

The new languages will include: Valencian (Spain), Punjabi (Pakistan), Sindhi (Pakistan), Central Kurdish (Iraq), Scottish Gaelic (United Kingdom), Cherokee (United States), English (United Kingdom), Uyghur (People's Republic of China), Belarusian (Belarus), Kinyarwanda (Rwanda), K'iche' (Guatemala), Tigrinya (Ethiopia), Tajik (Tajikistan) and Wolof (Senegal).

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About the Author

Chris Paoli (@ChrisPaoli5) is the associate editor for Converge360.

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