Single Language Packs available for Office 2007 users
Excellent news today for users of Office 2007 who want to create and edit files in languages that are not provided by default with their version of Office, or to change the Menus/User Interface to another language. In this version of Office, there is no need to buy the complete set of proofing tools for dozens of languages, as was the case before. Single Language Packs, which include the proofing tools for one given language (spell-checker, thesaurus, grammar checker, etc.) are now available from 10 Online stores worldwide (with more to come). Check this out:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/suites/FX102113661033.aspx
You can click on the link “Buy a single language pack now”. You then just have to pick your country from the drop-down list and you will be directed to the most appropriate store, as a function of your location. Some of the stores are localized for the market or the region. You can then select the language you are interested in and click the “Buy Now” button.
Remember that, if you have an English version of Office, it comes with the French and Spanish proofing tools, so you don’t need to buy a speller, a grammar checker or a thesaurus for these languages. Every version of Office comes with a set of “companion languages” (see http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/suites/HA102113701033.aspx for more information about which proofing tools come with what language version of Office). But if you wish to write and spell-check a document in German, in Dutch, in Japanese, in Russian, or in Italian, for instance, you are now able to directly purchase and download the tools from Office Online for a single language for $24.95 only.
If you want to know more about Language Packs for the 2007 Microsoft Office system, check out the Frequently Asked Questions on the Office site.
For Office Single Language Packs, you install both the UI and Proofing tools to your PC. Once installed you have the option of using one or both of the features. This means you can decide to use the proofing tools only without changing the language of your user interface. With the Multi-language Pack (MLP), you will receive 3 DVDs – two have all the single languages packs and the 3rd DVD has proofing tools only for all the languages.
Given the feedback we’ve seen on this blog, on newsgroups and elsewhere, I’m sure you’ll be delighted to read this excellent piece of news!
Thierry Fontenelle – Program Manager
Additional note added on 11 April 2007:
At the moment, only the US Office Online web site has info on, and a link to purchase, Office Language Packs. This is at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/suites/FX102113661033.aspx. When you click the Buy a single language pack now button, you are directed to the US store where you can purchase any of the available language packs that have been released and added to the store. However, purchasing from this store requires a US-based billing address, and the product information is only presented in English.
Over time, these Office Online pages will be localized and published in all of the Office Online Languages, and linked to their corresponding stores – allowing customers to purchase in Euros, and to see product info in other languages. Customers who are not in the US, but wish to purchase language packs now, can use this URL - http://buy.trymicrosoftoffice.com/buyus/connect.aspx?app=langpack&cmd=office_product. This allows them to select their home (billing) country which, in turn, redirects them to the most appropriate store based on their geography. It also allows them to see product info in some additional languages using the drop-down menu near the upper right corner.
Note posted on 28 June 2007:
Customers can only purchase products in the online store for their region (accessible from the localized Office Online sites). Otherwise, credit card validation will fail. So if you are from outside the USA, customers should not try to purchase these Single Language Packs from a US site. For Western Europe, for instance, the purchase site can be directly accessed via http://buy.trymicrosoftoffice.com/buyemea1. For the rest of Europe, the URL is http://buy.trymicrosoftoffice.com/buyemea2.
