Red Hat Enterprise Linux

International Language Support

Guide
Red Hat Enterprise Linux International Language Support
Guide
Copyright ©

This book is about international language support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................1
2. Installing and supporting languages ........................................................................2
1. Adding language support during installation .....................................................4
2. Adding language support after installation ........................................................5
3. Changing your default language ..............................................................................7
4. Keyboard installation and configuration ...................................................................8
1. Configuring the keyboard after installation .......................................................8
5. Smart Common Input Method ...............................................................................10
1. Configuring SCIM .........................................................................................12
6. Writing Asian and Indic Languages .......................................................................15
1. How to write in Japanese ..............................................................................15
2. How to write in Chinese ................................................................................17
2.1. Writing in Simplified Chinese with Smart Pinyin ...................................17
2.2. Writing in Traditional Chinese with Chewing ........................................17
3. How to write in Korean .................................................................................17
4. How to write in Indic Languages ....................................................................19
A. Keyboard layouts .................................................................................................20
1. Indic Languages ..........................................................................................20

iv
 Chapter 1. Introduction
This guide explains the support for international languages supported in Red Hat Enterprise
Linux and how to install and configure them. Internationalization entails engineering software to
support input and output for different languages. Localization involves adding locale specific
features in an application. Localization data is used by a software application for a specific mar-
ket's language or culture to meet the specific needs of the users. The locale specifies the user's
language, country and any specific preferences in the application.

The next chapter introduces language support installation during and after installation. Chapter
3 describes how to change your default language while chapter 4 discusses keyboard installa-
tion and configuration. The Smart Common Input Method is discussed in chapter 5. Chapter 6
describes how to write in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Indic languages.

Major areas of internationalization and localization for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 are:

• Translation of the user interface within applications.

• Translation of application documentation and help.

• Character sets and fonts.

• Keyboard configuration.

• Date, time formats and timezones.

• Input methods which allow you to write in more than one language.

Viewing content in different language

A common sign that proper fonts for a particular language are not installed is
characters appear as boxes with numbers inside. Please ensure that you have
the correct language support packages installed for your language to display
content correctly.

1
 Chapter 2. Installing and supporting
languages
Red Hat Enterprise Linux supports installation of multiple languages and changing of languages
based on your requirements. Please only install those languages that you will use as this will
save you a significant amount of disk space.

The following languages are supported in Red Hat Enterprise Linux:

• East Asian Languages - Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Japanese and Korean.

• European Languages - French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian and Span-
ish.

• Indic Languages - Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya,
Punjabi, Sinhalese, Tamil and Telugu.

The table below summarizes the currently supported languages and packages required for
some of the supported languages.

Territory Language Locale Fonts Package Names

China Simplified zh_CN.UTF-8 AR PL fonts-chinese,

Chinese (ShanHeiSun scim-pinyin,
and Zenkai) Uni scim-tables

Japan Japanese ja_JP.UTF-8 Sazanami fonts-japanese,

(Gothic and Min- scim-anthy
cho)

Korea Hangul ko_KR.UTF-8 Baekmuk fonts-korean,

(Batang, Dotum, scim-hangul
Gulim, Headline)

Taiwan Traditional zh_TW.UTF-8 AR PL fonts-chinese,

Chinese (ShanHeiSun scim-chewing,
and Zenkai) Uni scim-tables

2
Territory Language Locale Fonts Package Names

India Assamese as_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Bengali fonts-bengali,

scim-m17n,
m17n-db-assam
ese

Bengali bn_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Bengali fonts-bengali,

scim-m17n,
m17n-db-bengali

Gujarati gu_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Gujarati fonts-gujarati,

scim-m17n,
m17n-db-gujarati

Hindi hi_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Hindi fonts-hindi, scim-

m17n,
m17n-db-hindi

Kannada kn_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Kannada fonts-kannada,

scim-m17n,
m17n-db-kannad
a

Malayalam ml_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Malayalam fonts-malayalam,

scim-m17n,
m17n-db-malaya
lam

Marathi mr_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Hindi fonts-hindi, scim-

m17n,
m17n-db-marathi

Oriya or_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Oriya fonts-oriya, scim-

m17n,
m17n-db-oriya

Punjabi pa_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Punjabi fonts-punjabi,

scim-m17n,
m17n-db-punjabi

Tamil ta_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Tamil fonts-tamil, scim-

m17n,
m17n-db-tamil

Telugu te_IN.UTF-8 Lohit Telugu fonts-telugu,

scim-m17n,
m17n-db-telugu

Sri Lanka Sinhala si_LK.UTF-8 LKLUG fonts-sinhala,

scim-sinhala,
scim-m17n,
m17n-db-sinhala

3
 1. Adding language support during installation

Table 2.1. Red Hat Enterprise Linux International Languages

Red Hat Enterprise Linux uses the UTF-8 (8bit Unicode Transformation Format) encoding for
supported locales. This allows you to create, edit and view documents written in different locales
using UTF-8.

Note
Please note that applications such as Open Office may use additional files for
internationalization. Please consult the application's user guide for more inform-
ation.

1. Adding language support during installation

During your installation, the installation language you select becomes your default language
after installation. The figure below illustrates the language selection window during installation.

Figure 2.1. Select installation language

During installation you can also install support for multiple languages from the package selec-
tion window as illustrated below.

4
 2. Adding language support after installation

Figure 2.2. Package selection

2. Adding language support after installation

After installation, you can still add, remove and change supported languages using the Package
Manager. The Package Manager can be accessed from the system menu by clicking Applica-
tions => Add/Remove Software. In the first tab you can view the application categories among
which is “Languages” from which you can select the languages you wish to support. Please se-
lect only the languages you wish to use as this can save you a significant amount of disk space.
The language selection feature in the Package Manager is illustrated below. Some languages
have optional packages which you can select and install.
Figure 2.3. Package Manager
 Chapter 3. Changing your default
language
You can set your default language during the installation process of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
which also specifies your locale settings. To change the default language you do not need to re-
start or reinstall Red Hat Enterprise Linux. You can do this as root by running the language se-
lection application. This can be accessed from the system menu by clicking System => Admin-
istration => Language or typing system-config-language from a terminal. This displays a list of
supported languages from which you can select your preference. Clicking on the OK button sets
the selected language as default. The figure below illustrates the language selection application.

Figure 3.1. Language selection

You can also change the default language used on your desktop from the GDM language menu
before logging in to your desktop.

7
Chapter 4. Keyboard installation and
configuration
During installation the keyboard you select becomes your default keyboard. You can change
your default keyboard after installation or add multiple keyboards which you can change on the
fly to suit your input language. The figure below illustrates the keyboard selection menu during
the installation process.

Figure 4.1. Keyboard selection during installation

1. Configuring the keyboard after installation

After installation, you can set the default keyboard by clicking System => Administration =>
Keyboard from the system menu panel or by typing system-config-keyboard from a terminal.
This displays a list of supported keyboard from which you can select the appropriate keyboard
for your system. The figure below illustrates the Keyboard Selection utility.

8
 1. Configuring the keyboard after installation

Figure 4.2. Keyboard selection

9
 Chapter 5. Smart Common Input
Method
Red Hat Enterprise Linux utilizes the Smart Common Input Method (SCIM) to provide a user
friendly interface from which you can change your input method. If SCIM is installed, it runs by
default for all users.

You can change your input method on the fly using the SCIM user interface or using the SCIM
keyboard shortcuts which you can also customize to suit your preferences. The following table
summarizes the SCIM packages shipped in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

Package Description

scim Smart Common Input Method platform.

scim-anthy Engine for anthy to support Japanese charac-

ter input.

scim-bridge scim-bridge client.

scim-bridge-gtk Provides GTK input method for the SCIM

bridge. This package prevents possible binary
conflicts with third-party applications linked
against older versions of libstdc++ and is
highly recommended.

scim-chewing Provides Traditional Chinese input.

scim-hangul Provides Korean Input method engine.

scim-libs SCIM libraries and GTK input method module.

scim-m17n SCIM IMEngine for m17n-lib allowing input of

many languages including Indic using the in-
put table maps from m17n-db.

scim-pinyin Simplified Chinese Smart Pinyin IMEngine for

SCIM.

scim-qtimm Provides an input method module for Qt and

is also recommended.

scim-sinhala Provides Sinhala Trans input method.

scim-tables Contains the Generic Table IMEngine.

scim-tables-additional Miscellaneous SCIM tables.

scim-tables-chinese Contains SCIM tables for Chinese input.

Table 5.1. Input Method Packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux

10
After installing or removing SCIM engine packages, it is recommended to start a new desktop
session in order for the changes to be reflected in the SCIM language menu.

Your language may also require input tables which are usually named m17n-db-<language>.
Where <language> represents your language such as Hindi or Telugu among others. Installing
your language using the package manager usually will install the required input table and SCIM
packages. If you require more input methods install the required SCIM packages according to
your preferences. You can add the SCIM tables by running the Package Manager from the
menu panel by clicking Applications => Add/Remove Software or typing pirut from a termin-
al.

To activate SCIM, start the application you wish to use (for example a text editor or browser)
and press CTRL and SPACE simultaneously to display the SCIM panel as illustrated below. To
de-activate SCIM press CTRL and SPACE simultaneously.

Figure 5.1. SCIM Panel

You can select an input method by clicking on the displayed input method which allows you to
view and select installed input methods. The SCIM language menu allows you to select your in-
put method from the list of input methods configured in the IMEngine Global Setup. You can ac-
tivate the SCIM language menu by clicking on the SCIM panel. The figure below illustrates the
SCIM language menu. Please note that your SCIM language menu may vary depending on the
number of languages you have installed in your system. To select an input method, select the
preferred language and available input methods. If the desired language is not available, please
ensure it is installed or follow the steps in Chapter 2, Installing and supporting languages.

11
 1. Configuring SCIM

Figure 5.2. SCIM language menu

1. Configuring SCIM
You can configure SCIM by right clicking on the SCIM notification icon displayed on your
taskbar and selecting SCIM Setup. You can also configure SCIM by clicking on System =>
More Preferences => SCIM Input Method Setup from your system menu.

How to change the language menu. Expand the IMEngine menu item on the left side of the
SCIM window. Under the IMEngine list select the Global Setup option as illustrated below.

12
 1. Configuring SCIM

Figure 5.3. SCIM IMEngine Global Setup

This will display the installed input method engines. Deselect those languages you do not intend
to input in. Also deselect any input methods you do not wish to use for the languages you wish
to input in. Please refer to Table 5.1, “Input Method Packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux” and
Table 2.1, “Red Hat Enterprise Linux International Languages” both of which indicates the sup-
ported input methods and for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

Configuration of input method. Some customizable input methods may be listed under IMEn-
gine as illustrated in Figure 5.3, “SCIM IMEngine Global Setup”. Selecting an input method from
the list will display the setup options available. Please note that the setup options vary from one
input method to another.

Configuration of Hotkeys and general configuration. You can configure the front end setup
for SCIM in the Global Setup under the FrontEnd menu item as illustrated below. Here you can
configure the keyboard layout and some hotkeys. The keyboard layout configuration specifies
how SCIM maps some IMEngines to your keyboard layout. Select your respective keyboard's
layout from the 'Keyboard Layout' section in the window. From Figure 5.4, “SCIM FrontEnd
Global Setup” below, the selected keyboard layout is 'English (US)'.
Figure 5.4. SCIM FrontEnd Global Setup

The Panel list item allows you to configure the SCIM toolbar and its behaviour. You can set
when and how to show the SCIM toolbar and any candidate window. The SCIM toolbar is illus-
trated in Figure 5.1, “SCIM Panel” while the input language menu is illustrated in Figure 5.2,
“SCIM language menu”.
 Chapter 6. Writing Asian and Indic
Languages
Please ensure that your preferred language is installed from the list of supported languages be-
fore attempting to change your input method. Please also ensure that you have configured a
suitable keyboard for your selected language. The following are examples on how to write in
specific languages.

1. How to write in Japanese

1. Start the application you wish to write in and press the CTRL and SPACE keys to start or
stop SCIM. If using a Japanese keyboard, you can also start and stop SCIM by pressing
the Zenkaku-Hankaku key. When started a SCIM tool bar will be displayed on the right
corner of your screen as illustrated below.

Figure 6.1. SCIM Toolbar - Anthy

2. If Anthy is not displayed, click on the displayed input method and select Japanese from the
list of languages displayed. If Japanese is not listed, this is an indication that you have not
added Japanese language support in your system. For more information on adding lan-
guage support, please read Section 2, “Adding language support after installation”.

On selecting Japanese as your input language, you can start typing. You can press the
SPACE key to start Kanji conversion. If you press the SPACE key a second time, a lookup
window will be displayed as you type your phrases with suggestions which you can select
from. To navigate through the list of candidate phrases, you may use the UP and DOWN
arrow keys or the SPACE bar. Use the RETURN key to commit your selection to the docu-
ment.

The input mode button allows you to select your input mode. If using a Japanese keyboard,
you can convert between Hiragana and Katanaka by pressing the Hiragana-Katakana key.
You can also convert input to Hiragana by pressing the F6 key. To convert to Katanaka
press the F7 key. Other input modes available are Half Width Katanaka, Latin and Wide
Latin. You can switch to Half-Width Katakana using the F8 key and to Wide Latin using the
F9 key. The figure below illustrates the input mode options.

15
 1. How to write in Japanese

Figure 6.2. Anthy Input Mode

You can also set the conversion mode for your typing to Multi Segment and Single Seg-
ment. You can also set your phrases to be converted as you type in either Multi or Single
Segments. The figure below illustrates the conversion mode options.

Figure 6.3. Anthy Conversion Mode

If you wish to add a word to the dictionary, you can do so by clicking on the dictionary icon
on the SCIM toolbar. The dictionary tool allows you to add, edit or remove dictionary words.
The figure below illustrates the dictionary options available. On clicking the preferred op-
tion, you may be required to select your input method by pressing CTRL and SPACE keys
and selecting your input method as the dictionary icon executes an application called
kasumi which you can also execute from a terminal.

Figure 6.4. Anthy Dictionary

For more shortcuts and descriptions of the input method options, click on the help icon on
the SCIM toolbar.

16
 2. How to write in Chinese

2. How to write in Chinese

Please note that Red Hat Enterprise Linux supports the Chewing input method for traditional
Chinese and Smart-Pinyin for simplified Chinese.

2.1. Writing in Simplified Chinese with Smart Pinyin

To write in Simplified Chinese with Smart Pinyin, start the application you wish to write in and
press CTRL and SPACE keys simultaneously to display the SCIM toolbar. Click on the lan-
guage toolbar and select Chinese (simplified) and Smart Pinyin from the list of languages dis-
played. If Chinese is not displayed, this is an indication that you have not added Chinese lan-
guage support in your system. For more information on adding language support, please read
Section 2, “Adding language support after installation”.

On selecting Smart Pinyin, you can then start typing. A lookup window will be displayed as you
type your words with suggestions which you can select from. Press the number keys to select
your preferred phrase and the SPACE key to add it to your document. For more shortcuts and
descriptions of the input method options, click on the SCIM help icon on the toolbar.

Figure 6.5. SCIM Toolbar - Smart Pinyin

2.2. Writing in Traditional Chinese with Chewing

Start the application you wish to write in and press CTRL and SPACE simultaneously to start
SCIM. The SCIM tool bar will be displayed on the bottom right corner of your screen from which
you can select your desired input method. To write with Chewing, select Chinese (traditional)
from the list of languages displayed and select Chewing. If Chinese is not displayed, this is an
indication that you have not added Chinese language support in your system. For more informa-
tion on adding language support, please read Section 2, “Adding language support after install-
ation”. You can then start typing using your desired input method. If you press space, a lookup
window will be displayed with suggested phrases which you can select from.

Press the <number> key to select your preferred phrase (where <number> is the number of the
word from the list displayed). Press the RETURN key on your keyboard to select the selected
phrase and add it to your document.

For more shortcuts and descriptions of the input method options click on the SCIM help icon on
the toolbar.

Figure 6.6. SCIM Toolbar - Chewing

17
3. How to write in Korean

1. Start the application you wish to write in and press CTRL and SPACE keys simultaneously
to start or stop SCIM. When started, the SCIM tool bar will be displayed on the right corner
of your screen.

2. Using your mouse, click on the displayed input method if 'Hangul' is not displayed and se-
lect Korean from the list of languages displayed. The scim toolbar will display 'Hangul' when
Korean is selected as illustrated below. You can then start typing.

Figure 6.7. SCIM Toolbar - Hangul

3. You can also switch between Latin (abc..) and Hangul input by clicking on the input mode
button as illustrated below.

Figure 6.8. Hangul Input Mode

4. The input layout button allows you to select your preferred input layout.

Figure 6.9. Hangul Input Layout

You can use the F9 key to convert input to Hanja characters. Pressing on the SCIM Help
icon in the toolbar displays a summary of the shortcuts and their usage.
4. How to write in Indic Languages
Most Indic languages have 3 types of keymaps, namely:

1. Inscript - This keymap is defined according to the Government standards.

2. Phonetic - A phonetic keymap has keys mapped according to the sound of the alphabet.
For example, for Hindi, "#" is mapped to "k"

3. Itrans - An Itrans keymap is similar to phonetic - but has all the combined half characters
(halants) mapped separately. There are no halants in Itrans.

Other keymaps are language dependant. For example, many languages have:

1. Typewriter - A keymap which functions like an actual typewriter

2. Language specific - Popular keymaps from the community - KGP for Kannada, Tamil99 for
Tamil, etc.

To write in an Indic language perform the following:

1. Start the application you wish to write in and press CTRL and SPACE keys simultaneously
to start SCIM. A SCIM toolbar will be displayed on the right corner of your screen from
which you can select your desired language as illustrated in Figure 6.10, “SCIM Toolbar -
Indic”. Please note that your default language may vary depending on your language set-
tings. To stop SCIM, press the CTRL and SPACE keys simultaneously again.

Figure 6.10. SCIM Toolbar - Indic

2. To change your language, click on the displayed language or keymap and select your lan-
guage and type of keymap from the list of languages displayed as illustrated in figure Fig-
ure 5.2, “SCIM language menu”. You can now start typing in your selected language.
Please note that your language menu may vary depending on your language settings.

3. To access help for a particular keymap, select the keymap and click on the Help icon on the
SCIM toolbar. This will popup a dialog box, displaying the help associated with the current
keymap.
 Appendix A. Keyboard layouts
This section outlines the Indic language keyboard layouts supported by Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 5.

1. Indic Languages
The following illustrations are for inscript keyboards for Indic Languages.

Figure A.1. Assamese Inscript Layout.

Figure A.2. Bengali Inscript Layout.

Figure A.3. Gujarati Inscript Layout.

20
 1. Indic Languages

Figure A.4. Hindi Inscript Layout.

Figure A.5. Kannada Inscript Layout.

Figure A.6. Malayalam Inscript Layout.

Figure A.7. Marathi Inscript Layout.

21
 1. Indic Languages

Figure A.8. Oriya Inscript Layout.

Figure A.9. Punjabi Inscript Layout.

Figure A.10. Telugu Inscript Layout.

22