can't change install language

Using the Japanese version Windows Vista Ultimate, with the Windows system language set to English (so that all Windows menus etc. are in English), I installed the standalone Beta and found that it installed using the (incomplete) Japanese localization. The general.useragent.locale preference is set to en-US. Is there something I can do to force the Zotero UI to English?

Thanks, and congrats on getting this Beta out. I'd been looking forward to it!
  • In Zotero Standalone's about:config (which it sounds like you've already found, but if not, it's in Preferences->Advanced->Open about:config), set intl.locale.matchOS to false.
  • Thanks very much. That did the trick.

    I don't know who's in charge of the online help documentation, but it would be good if the page about changing the UI language ( http://www.zotero.org/support/supported_languages ) included the crucial bit of information that you provided above.
  • edited August 26, 2011
    thanks for the question and the answer, I was having the same issue with spanglish version that came out when I took the update to version 3.
  • I just added this to the documentation. Thanks for the reminder.
  • thanks for the support.
  • Thanks, I had the same problem with Chinese version.
  • Thank you for support and I had the same problem with Arabic version.
  • I can't find this:
    In Zotero Standalone's about:config (which it sounds like you've already found, but if not, it's in Preferences->Advanced->Open about:config), set intl.locale.matchOS to false.

    Even though all my settings are for English, I am in Sweden and Zotero is in Swedish. I can't find where/how to change the language. I can't use it until I figure this out. Help?
  • dcgildea: "Preferences -> Advanced -> Open about:config"

    You can access the preferences from either the gear menu in the Zotero toolbar or from the menus (which vary depending on your OS).
  • This is all nice and fine IF I could actually read the menu panes. I'm in Thailand with Windows set to English, still Zotero installed with Thai script. I've tried all menu items already and hoped to see something that resembles a preference menu, but failed...

    Why would Zotero not just install in English by default (considering that the installer is in english anyway) and allow users to switch to their preferred language manually?
    I can see that this automatic detection is supposed to be convenient but in todays globalized community this does not work well.

    Any thoughts? Is there a keyboard shortcut to enter the config menu?
    Thanks.
  • edited May 1, 2012
    Ok, I've installed Zotero on a european machine that gave me german language which was more manageable.

    For anyone else with this problem:
    The Preferences (actually called 'Options' if anyone wants to try google translate to find the correct menu item) is the bottom entry in the third menu panel from the left.
    In the following window, the 'Advanced' panel is the one on the far right in the top row. 'about:config' can be accessed through the left button of the row of three buttons at the bottom of the window (but still above the OK / Cancel row)

    Now, I do have a problem on my original computer though, which doesn't allow me to access the option (an XML parsing error). But I'll post this in a different post. - Solved, as it was a Thai language script bug
  • THANK YOU Zampano. Mine was in mandarin!
  • IMHO the localization of Zotero Standalone is incorrectly implemented. The web page http://www.zotero.org/support/supported_languages states:
    "Zotero Standalone, the interface language defaults to matching the operating system's language."
    But, the localization of programs on a Mac is user-specific and will be set in System Preferences > Languages & Text > Language. With the language setting "English" on top of the list, the UI of Mac OS X and other supported programs is English. Zotero, on the other hand is using the information from System Preferences > Language & Text > Region > Region.
    For example, my Mac is physically located in Switzerland but Mac OS and all programs are English localized (because of the "Language" setting), with the only exception of Zotero which is in German. I have the "Region" setting "German (Switzerland)" because otherwise currency, date and other formats would be wrong. If I switch to the (incorrect) region "United States" Zotero's UI is in English language, but the currency is USD instead CHF, etc.
    Only recently I found the workaround: Preferences → Advanced → about:config => intl.locale.matchOS = false.

    Instead of using this workaround I would suggest to change the behaviour of Zotero Standalone to use the "Language" setting instead of "Region" in order to switch the UI language.

    And btw., this is a common mistake of Windows programmers to use the region instead of the language setting; on Mac OS X Zotero is the first program with this bug that I have seen.
  • werewolvez: We're aware of this, but it's a Mozilla bug, unfortunately. (Please don't post to that ticket unless you have a patch, though.)
  • i have installed zotero on my macbook. the OS language was set to english, the location to switzerland.

    I need to work with the german version, since for me things like "5. Ed." are not allowed.

    So i removed zotero, switched my OSX language to german (also removed english) from the list, rebooted but even when i remove zotero and install it again, it somehow still remembers my settings e.g. i had a data directory for zotero configured..

    Where does it keep this information? How can i uninstall zotero and remove completely _all_ files. The application itself is not enough (remove zotero from applications folder). I have uninstalled and installed the program now about 10 times but it is still not working.

    Even with all the changes within the config:about file, i cannot manage to get it in german.

    Anyone some advice?
  • What changes to about:config did you make exactly and where (standalone or Firefox)? https://www.zotero.org/support/supported_languages should really work and reinstalling will not change anything. Please respond in a new thread.
  • Dan Stillman
    not sure what you mean a Mozilla bug. I am using chrome and the problem is on the standalone.

    even after correcting it some of the text still appear in Arabic and I don't know how to change that.

    Anything else I need to do to make it all show in English please?
  • edited January 27, 2016
    Hello, i am in France and even though i have followed the instructions, I still can't have zotero in English.
    Do you think there is a bug or i do something wrong?
    PS: mozilla in my company is very restricted at the moment.

    thanks.
  • In Zotero 5.0, the user interface language can be changed from the Advanced pane of the Zotero preferences.
This discussion has been closed.