Supporting Multilingual and International Users

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Windows Server 2003 with Terminal Server enabled offers multilingual support. Using this capability, Terminal Services can simultaneously serve users in any language that is installed on the server. Terminal servers that are running Windows Server 2003 can take advantage of the multilingual user interface (MUI). This interface allows you to install multiple languages on the system and configure them on a per user basis. You must load MUI to take advantage of this functionality, which simplifies the deployment of Terminal Services within a multinational organization. It is also recommended that you install the keyboard drivers for any language-specific keyboards that you use in your organization as part of the Terminal Services installation. You can support your users around the world who can understand and work in English by hosting all users on the International English version of Windows Server 2003. This ensures that the organization is not in violation of United States export laws regulating strong encryption. However, using the International English Version might be inadequate if the organization must provide support for different languages. By default, Terminal Server installs all the available keyboard layouts, including support for Asian non-Input Method Editor keyboards.

While loading the MUI, install all of the languages that you expect users to need. The installation copies the appropriate language DLLs and Help files. By using Regional and Language Options in Control Panel, users can select their default language and keyboard settings. Regional and Language Options also includes such settings as date and currency formatting. Because this setting is stored in the user profile, individual users can adjust the settings to match their locality. If a user has a roaming profile that specifies a different language than the language that is loaded in the user profile, then the system uses the default user language from the profile.

Important

  • Roaming users should not use Folder Redirection with MUI. If they do, they might create multiple language versions of My Documents and other per-user folders on the computer. If the user interface (UI) language files that are needed to support the roaming user’s default UI language have not been installed on the computer, the localized names of the new folders might not display correctly.

For more information about MUI, see the MultiLanguage Version link on the Web Resources page at https://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.