The Tatar Language Interface Pack for Office 2007 is now available
A new language now has its own LIP (Language Interface Pack) for Microsoft Office 2007: Tatar. This LIP has been available for a few days and enables Office users to work in a localized environment. Besides the user interface, which is localized into Tatar, the pack includes a spell-checker on which our group had the opportunity to collaborate. It is the first time proofing tools are available for that language. The Tatar LIP can be freely downloaded from the following URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=91426c33-ea45-482d-af08-cd8ea8cbfd53&displaylang=tt
Tatar (татарча), a Turkic language with around 7 million native speakers, uses the Cyrillic script and is spoken in Eastern Europe and in Central Asia. It is one of the two official languages of the Republic of Tatarstan, which is part of the Russian Federation.
It may be useful to point out that LIPs are created in the framework of the Microsoft Local Language Program. You will find more information about that program, including a list of languages that have LIPs for Windows and for Office, at the address below. Most Office LIPs include a spell-checker.
http://www.microsoft.com/unlimitedpotential/locallanguageprogram/default.mspx
I once wrote, when the Romansh LIP was launched, that I like this idea of preserving minority and regional languages and defending them with language technologies. I had added that it gives a very special and pleasant flavor to our job… I maintain what I wrote at the time…
Thierry Fontenelle -- Program Manager
